One linux, two linux, red linux, blue linuxApr 24 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The best way to choose a linux distribution is based on the pro's and con's of each, and how it fits in with your desires.
One of the first problems that anyone comes across when they decide that they are going to try out linux is what distribution (or flavor) they are going to use. When you go to the specific websites looking for help, all you find are reasons that you should use that particular distribution rather than another. If you find a forum, for the most part you will find a religious war over various distributions [1]. While I, as most people, do have a preference as to what distribution is the best, I will attempt to give you as unbiased of an opinion as I possibly can. What is a distribution The first thing that we must do here is gain a little bit of vocabulary. First off, if you have no idea what linux is, this is not the place for you, I suggest you check out the sister forum to this which is aptly named, "What is Linux?"[2] and then come back here so that we can work on the next bit of Linux information. Sorry to tell you this so late, but hey, at least I told you before you went through this entire review only then to realize that you really didn't have any idea what I was talking about (though you still might after having read that stuff, but I can hope). Now, with all that settled, a distribution would be one person or groups packaging of the linux kernel and various other applications into one group that is intended to work well together and act as a somewhat coherent group for a user. What this basically means, is that a person or group puts together a distribution and works out all of the bugs (hopefully) so that the end user will have an easier time installing and using all of the software. The closest example I have of this is when you have computer companies installing windows, but with a few different programs here and there. They have done the work of putting those all together for you, so that you don't have to, its a benefit to you. The computer companies get you to buy their computers with the software packages they offer, Linux distributions can make some money, but most often they pretty much just get the warm fuzzy feeling that they helped you out. What makes distributions different There are many differences between distributions. What is actually different is the question. The differences can come in many forms, but most have to do with a difference in philosophy which leads to different choices for programs that are distributed, and more specifically to the versions of the programs that are offered [3]. There are also some other differences, some distributions have tools that they haven't open sourced for others to use, thus only those distributions can use them (these tend to be the more professional looking ones, such as Red Hat, Progeny, Mandrake, etc). This is one of the big differences that most people see and notice, and choose distributions over. Though, for the most part, most programs written for a distribution are open sourced and given away to others (Red Hat especially seems to be good at this). The other way that distributions tend to be different is through their package management system. The package management system is what can cause holy wars to erupt in linux groups everywhere. People will not talk to their own relatives over differences between rpm and dpkg, it gets really ugly (well, maybe not that ugly). To most people, the package management system is the way that the system installs and removes programs, however it does a lot more than that. However, since this isn't a deep technical discussion on package management systems (that might be for another essay), I'll just leave it at that. It is a combination of the philosophy, tools and package management systems that makes linux distributions different. Different Distributions In this section, I will try and give you a rundown on some of the different linux distributions and what my impressions of them are. I will attempt through here to give you unbiased opinions, but you know that is not really possible over all, I will due my best to subdue my true feelings on the matter. In order of popularity (amongst my friends): Mandrake[4] Philosophy: Madrake broke away from RedHat a few years back when Red Hat refused to bundle the KDE desktop environment with their distribution. Since then, Mandrake has tried to stay unbelievably cutting edge, and also put a good amount of effort into the ease of use factor. These factors make it a very good beginners distribution. Tools: Mandrake has some very fun installation tools which make the installation of Linux absolutely painless (almost less so than installing windows, in fact, i would say that it is easier than installing windows). Package Management: Madrake uses the rpm method for package management, which isn't all that surprising being that it spun off from Red Hat. However, it has made one advance beyond Red Hat in that it is has started to use Apt for Rpm for the front end to Rpm rather than the other programs that are out there. Overall impression: Overall, I would say that Mandrake is one of the best distributions for a beginning Linux user. In fact, its one of the best distributions out there period. It makes Linux almost like your run of the mill commercial operating system in its ease of installation, etc. Red hat[5] Philosophy: I'm not sure how to describe the philosophy of Red Hat, as it seems to change every once in awhile. They are a very good distribution, but they are neither the most stable, the most cutting edge, or the easiest to install (in my humble opinion). Tools: Red Hat is very good at making very useful tools and then opening them up to the rest of the linux community to use. They tend to have some very nice tools right away and then everybody has them as they spill through the community. Package Management: Red Hat is the originator of the RPM format, which is one of the two most popular package formats out there. I won't get into the religious battles about the difference between this and the other major format, but I will say that as of the last time I checked, Red Hat lacked something like apt which allows for easy automatic install and upgrade. Overall Impression: Red Hat is a great distribution for just about anybody. Its more up to date than Debian, but a little bit less so than Mandrake (and usually a bit more stable as a result). They actually have people you can call up and ask for help, which is nice (but it will cost you). This was one of my first distributions (and the one that I actually learned the most on, it was a nice easy install and then i was able to go from there). Debian[6] Philosophy: The Debian philosophy is twofold. First of all, there is an almost zealot level devotion to free software (both in the beer and speech sense). Secondly, there is the philosophy of stability. When Debian comes out with an official release, you can be pretty damn sure that the distro is as stable as a rock (or perhaps a potato?). If you wish to go with more cutting edge, there are also testing distributions which are also usually fairly stable, but are a bit less so than released distros. Tools: Debian lacks the pretty tools that other distros have. Anything that they produce is completely open sourced (as per the philosophy) and thus everything makes it out into the community. Package Management: Package Management is the place where Debian shines (at least in my opinion). The DEB format along with APT is one of the greatest things of all time. It will automatically keep your system up to date if you want it to (imagine having the latest and greatest put on your system without your input... its kinda nice (though it can be abused). Installing a new program is as easy as typing 'apt-get install packageName' and Debian will go out to its server, find the package you are looking for, any dependencies it might need... then install them and configure them in order for you. Overall Impression: Debian is not for a beginner. Though the package management system could be used easily by one, the installation is one of the hardest things out there (short of some BSD installations). It is not for the faint of heart. Debian was one of my later distributions as I needed to have some knowledge before I went in screaming like a banshee. The other problem is that you have to do all of your configuring (pretty much). Nothing is set up by default (for the most part, though this is changing a bit). You end up learning a lot about your computer, but there is a lot of time involved in doing so. There is also dselect, which is very powerful, but very hard to use, I suggest just leaving that out and going with apt. Corel[7] Philosophy: Corel is the bastard son of Debian. Whose philosophy was changed to pure profit and KDE before it died (though I'm not sure, it might still be a alive somewhat). Tools: There is a fancy new installer that goes along with the Corel distribution that I hear is very nice, it takes the pain out of the Debian install. Package Management: Corel uses the DEB system Overall Impression: Corel was a great idea that just never really went anywhere. While Corel was trying to move to Linux it was great, however, they have pretty much abandoned this project (at least from what I am able to tell), so I wouldn't suggest moving over to this distro. Progeny Philosophy: Progeny is a cross between Red Hat and Debian. It was founded by the original founder of Debian, however with the intent of actually making some money. Tools: Progeny comes with a brand new installer which makes life much easier (much like installing a Red Hat distribution). It also has a few other little apps that were put in place to make life easier on the end user (which seems to be a bit against the Debian state of mind usually... j/k). Package Management: Progeny uses the DEB system, but has a replacement for dselect which is much happier to use than dselect was (though I find it tough to believe that anything could have been much harder to use than dselect). Overall Impression: Progeny is a very solid distribution which offers the advantages of the DEB package management system and the nicer features of the Red Hat install. Its not the easiest distribution in the world, but it is definitely a step forward in ease in the Debian world. Conclusions First of all, i should say that there are other Linux distributions out there, however, I felt that I would leave them out, mostly because if I included every distribution that I knew of, this review would be taking up quite a bit more of my time to write than this one already is. So, if you want information on other distributions, you can go out and find it on your own [8]. Choosing the proper distribution for you depends greatly on what you want out of the system. I'm not going to babysit you and tell you that one is inherently superior to the other. You have to look at the advantages of each one, and weigh them to get to your final decision. I will finish this up by telling you the distros that I have run. I started out running Slackware, because that was what came with a book that I had bought about Linux. I had to have a friend actually get things working for me, as I had no clue what to do. My next step in the Linux world was to Debian, this time I managed to install it myself, but I still didn't know what to do with it, I spent most of my time doing my programming homework on it, then switching back over to Windows to do anything else. After screwing up my initial Debian install, I moved to Red Hat and that is where I learned most of my early knowledge of Linux. I then switched back to Debian (as I liked it a bit more), where I stayed for quite some time. I then got involved in the Progeny beta system, and I switched between Progeny, a few BSD's, BeOS, back to Debian, and finally back to Progeny one more time, which is where I sit right now. As you can tell, I've jumped around quite a bit, trying to figure out which distro's that I like the most. There are different reasons that I like each distribution. However, I keep coming back to Debian since I like its stability, the package management system (apt is a godsend) and its political organization. I'm sure you were taken aback by that last statement. Debian is organized as a loose Republic which puts out a distribution. They have yearly elections, and it seems to me that they are much closer to the system than in other distributions. I can get on an IRC channel and ask someone for help, and more than likely I will be able to find my answer very quickly, and quite often from the people who are actually putting in the time and effort to make the distribution as stable as it is. With that little history, you can see that I tend to jump around quite a bit, but right now I'm enjoying the stability of having my computer not being in a state of flux, so it looks like I'll be with Progeny (at least its by the founder of Debian, even if it isn't Debian specifically, it holds the ties well) for a while, though it would be rather easy to switch back :-) Footnotes [1] -- Most often this war is over Debian vs. Red Hat; or to be more specific dkpg vs. rpm [2] -- http://www.epinions.com/cmsw-topic-Operating_Systems-Glossary-What_Is-Linux [3] -- for the most part, just about every distribution contains the same programs as most people like the same ones and they are all free, what tends to differ is the version [4] -- http://www.epinions.com/cmsw-Operating_Systems-All-MandrakeSoft_Inc._Linux-Mandrake [5] -- http://www.epinions.com/cmsw-Operating_Systems-All-Red_Hat_Linux [6] -- http://www.epinions.com/cmsw-Operating_Systems-All-Debian_GNU [7] -- http://www.epinions.com/cmsw-Operating_Systems-All-Corel_Linux [8] -- http://www.linux.org is a great place to start  |
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