The 14 best Linux distros
techradar.com
techradar.com
1. Debian - The grand-daddy of some of the other distros here, and still going strong
2. Fedora - The community distro from Red Hat
3. OpenSUSE - Novell's completely open Linux distro
4. Mandriva - The golden child is making a comeback
5. Ubuntu - The most popular distro of all time... So far
6. Gentoo - The DIY distribution especially for those who want to understand and define how it works
7. DSL - A tiny distro for older machines
8. Arch Linux - A self-assembly distro for power users
9. CentOS - The community variant of Red Hat Enterprise Linux
10. PCLinuxOS - Could this be an Ubuntu-beater in 2008?
11. Sabayon - A binary distro built with Gentoo
12. KNOPPIX - The king of the Live CDs is still going strong
13. Zenwalk - A lightweight Slackware derivative ideal for reinvigorating older, more limited computers
14. Slackware - Back to basics with the oldest of the surviving distros
Disclaimer: I love my Ubuntu.
The choice is what makes it great. No doubt that pollution/dilution can occur and does, but with distributions the 'good' ones rise to the top for a reason and from them people select what feels best.
Sorry, but having too many choices does not make the choice easier.
Also, of course you know that a "good" distro is, but someone just coming into the fold has no idea what a good one is.
Too much choice. Microsoft has to chuckle and feel a little security about a post narrowing down the "top 14" distributions.
I would rather have to look through a rack of shoes to find a pair that fits than be handed one that's uncomfortable. It's not universal but I am not alone.
When first wanting to get into Linux, the best option is to talk to someone that you trust not just to be a fan boy for their favorite distro, but to tell you honestly which they think would be best for you after you having told them (also honestly) where your computing experience sits on the scale from novice to expert and also what you intend to do with the distro you eventually choose.
These days, for a novice user wishing to experiment with Linux in general, I think the choice is pretty clear. Ubuntu.
Your last sentence seems to imply something along the lines of that MS should feel more secure that Linux as a whole is diluted into numerous distros which assumedly makes it harder for novices to get into Linux. Ergo, Linux is not as much of a threat to Windows' dominance of the market. I think this is missing one point that often comes up at least in the Debian community and this is that Debian has never really had the goal of dethroning Windows and taking on it's mantle as the "dominant" OS or anything like that. Debian doesn't care. The project has different goals to this. Debian is just doing its thing, and if that thing happens to work for you, then great. If not, then try something else.
Maybe Ubuntu does have this goal to dethrone Windows or whatever, and if so, more power to them. But my point is don't assume that all Linux distros even care how popular they are, or care about competing with any other OS, because many don't.
By "most people who like to use Linux" - realize that you are talking about 0.5% of the desktop population. The market could be a lot bigger if it were easier to find one's way.
>When first wanting to get into Linux, the best option is to talk to someone that you trust
And what about most of us who are not acquainted with anybody that uses Linux on a regular basis?
>But my point is don't assume that all Linux distros even care how popular they are, or care about competing with any other OS, because many don't.
If their goal is not being popular, then I would say they are succeeding.
Your first sentence deliberately ignores my main point which was of course that Linux by and large doesn't care if you're a little too intimidated by the range of choices to try something new. In fact I would go so far as to say if you're a person who likes to have everything spoon fed to you and is not comfortable and/or does not enjoy doing some research for yourself when you encounter issues, then you actually are better off sticking to Windows or possibly a Mac. Linux helps those who help themselves.
> And what about most of us who are not acquainted with anybody that uses Linux on a regular basis?
a) Local Linux user groups. b) Distro forums. c) Mailing lists. d) Google.
I also mentioned that these days, the choice for a newbie wanting to try Linux in general terms is pretty much made for them. You ignored that bit too.
> If their goal is not being popular, then I would say they are succeeding.
I never said their goal was not being popular, this is quite obvious to anyone who actually read my previous reply rather than skimming over it and trying to twist it into something that could be used to reinforce their existing beliefs.
What I did say was that many distros see popularity as a low or non-existent priority when compared to others, such as quality of implementation.
Debian has often gotten flak in the past for its long release cycle. If Debian devs are asked when the next stable Debian release will be ready, the usual answer is "When it's done." (though this is changing somewhat now) When the quality is assured, then it's released.
It's not released when the marketing department says it should be just because they are trying to hit an artificial deadline imposed by some middle manager who's more interested in his coke and hookers.
From the sound of it, I would recommend that you stay as far away from Linux as you can. You do not seem to have the required mind set that would make it an enjoyable experience for you.
My top 10 list is: 1. MEPIS 2. PCLinuxOS 3. Kubuntu 4. Linux Mint 5. Fedora 6. Debian (would be higher on the list, but for that annoying "Iceweasel" thing) 7. Dream Linux 8. Slax 9. Gentoo 10. Sabayon
Though the list changes often.
RE the discussion about having lots of choices . . . yes for some it can be overwhelming, but not everyone is an idiot. That whole notion needs to evaporate already, especially as that generation which has essentially "grown up" with lots of technology, innovation, gadgets and more enters the workforce in full. Of course there are still idiots, but not with as great frequency as less-technical generations past.
When attempting to explain my software obsession / obsession for choice in OSS / to fellow females who aren't hardcore techs, I like to make an analogy to shopping for clothes, which most females relate to well. Some females like to populate a closet full of fancy clothes; I like to fill my website -- http://oss.zentu.net -- have my computers be full of interesting software.
Or something like that. Analogy, close enough! :)
Let's say Firefox 3 has just come out. It is available for Linux as source build, but when it comes to packages for Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, or whatever else that comes in depending on the distro correct?
I know for example Gentoo is for the hardcores who decide to build everything from source but I do not have a true understanding of how packages in Linux work across distro's .. can anyone enlighten me on that?
Actually, I don't know if I should be attempting to answer your question when I'm so tired. Hope that makes sense.
The longer answer is that in situations where one distro has descended from another (probably the most well know example being Ubuntu descending from Debian) it is possible to use an Ubuntu package on Debian or vice versa, I've done it. But you should have a really good reason to do this and have done your homework (I can only think of one occasion where I did have a good enough reason to do this, and it didn't last long). This is possible (though not recommended) because all the distros that descend from Debian use the package management system derived from Debian also, which is incidentally the best one, IMO.
If you wish to know more about what makes it the best and the policy that guides how packages move through the different Debian releases (Experimental, Unstable, Testing and Stable), check out this link:
http://newpeople.debian.org/~srivasta/talks/why_debian/talk....
Particularly, you could read the section titled "Quality of implementation".
I assume something similar would apply to Red Hat and all the distros that descend from it for example... Their package management policy just doesn't work as well is all. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_LiveDistros
I only know (& like) 4 from that list, plus Arch linux which is very good on old computers.
I don't think it's a waste of time to start with the GUIs. Sooner or later, if you're doing anything interesting, you'll need to drop to the terminal and config files. The config files might live somewhere slightly different, and work slightly differently with respect to versioning/updates.
The implementation might vary, but what you gradually learn is primarily where to start digging, and that's transferrable between distros.
Personally, I like Debian Testing on my servers -- it's reasonably recent (as opposed to Debian Stable, which gets hopelessly outdated quickly), has no releases (instead it just stays up to date as you update stuff) and is rock solid for me, but it's more a matter of taste than anything else.
Besides, I like Debian's attempts to mostly stick with Free software in their base distro. While I'm not a fanatic, I like knowing that what I use is open source, and that I can fix it and debug by hacking it up (and occasionally have) if it breaks on me.
runs
True and exactly why I use it.