| Fedora, Mandrake, and SuSE are the distributions discussed in this book. Other popular major distributions include the following: Slackware: The oldest surviving Linux distribution. It's most suitable for users who want to learn Linux thoroughly. Slackware has not focused on ease of use. It has no distribution specific utilities or tools. Its strength is consistency, stability, and security, making it very useful for servers. www.slackware.org Debian: A pure open source project. Three versions of Debian are available at all times: stable release (the current stable release); testing (contains packages that haven't been accepted into the stable release yetmore cutting-edge, but not as stable); and unstable (the distribution where active development is taking place). Debian has a reputation for being difficult to install unless you know your hardware very well, but it's working to improve the installation procedure. Once it's installed, it's easy to keep up-to-date. www.debian.org MEPIS: The newest arrival. MEPIS is based on the Debian distribution. It comes with nonfree applications, such as Java and Macromedia Flash. If you need some of the extra applications it includes, it's much easier to install MEPIS than to install the applications individually on another distribution. www.mepis.org Xandros: The easiest Linux of all. It's meant for beginners. Fewer applications are included, but the included applications work well. It's based on Debian, but designed to look as much like Windows as possible. It includes graphical tools designed for Xandros to make tasks, such as file management, easier for the user. www.xandros.org Linspire(formerly named Lindows): Another easy Linux, meant for beginners. It features quick and easy installation. It offers a one-click software installation feature that installs software from their own software pool. www.linspire.com Gentoo: A source-based Linux. Gentoo emphasizes installing most of your Linux system from source, compiling it on your computer. The installation procedure is more difficult and longer, but the result is a system that's tailored to your hardware and your needs. Gentoo has excellent documentation. www.gentoo.org
The database at DistroWatch currently includes over 300 active distributions. Most distributions are modifications of Red Hat/Fedora or Debian. If you have a specific purpose for your Linux, you can probably find a distribution that provides what you need. |
