Various Distributions of Linux operating system and their features

Distributions are prepackaged Linux systems that are ready to install. They come in numerous flavors from the freely available to the fully commercial, and they all offer different core sets of applications, utilities, and management tools to ease the use of Linux.
             A complete Linux system package is called a distribution. Many different Linux distributions are available to meet just about any computing requirement you could have. Most distributions are customized for a specifi c user group, such as business users, multimedia enthusiasts, software developers, or average home users. Each customized distribution includes the software packages required to support specialized functions, such as audio- and videoe diting software for multimedia enthusiasts, or compilers and integrated development environments (IDEs) for software developers.

The different Linux distributions are often divided into three categories:

• Full core Linux distributions

• Specialized distributions

• LiveCD test distributions

The following sections describe these different types of Linux distributions and show some examples of Linux distributions in each category.

Core Linux Distributions

A core Linux distribution contains a kernel, one or more graphical desktop environments, and just about every Linux application that is available, pre compiled for the kernel. It provides one-stop shopping for a complete Linux installation. Table below shows some of the more popular core Linux distributions.

Distribution	Description
Slackware	One of the original Linux distribution sets, popular with Linux geeks
Red Hat	A commercial business distribution used mainly for Internet servers
Fedora	A spin-off from Red Hat but designed for home use
Gentoo	A distribution designed for advanced Linux users, containing only Linux source code
openSUSE	Different distributions for business and home use
Debian	Popular with Linux experts and commercial Linux products

               In the early days of Linux, a distribution was released as a set of floppy disks. You had to download groups of files and then copy them onto disks. It would usually take 20 or more disks to make an entire distribution! Needless to say, this was a painful experience.

                 Nowadays, with home computers commonly having CD and DVD players built in, Linux distributions are released as either a CD set or a single DVD. This makes installing Linux much easier.

                 However, beginners still often run into problems when they install one of the core Linux distributions. To cover just about any situation in which someone might want to use Linux, a single distribution must include lots of application software. They include everything from high-end Internet database servers to common games. Because of the quantity of applications available for Linux, a complete distribution often takes four or more CDs.

Specialized Linux Distributions

A new subgroup of Linux distributions has started to appear. These are typically based on one of the main distributions but contain only a subset of applications that would make sense for a specific area of use.

                   In addition to providing specialized software (such as only office products for business users), customized Linux distributions also attempt to help beginning Linux users by auto detecting and auto configuring common hardware devices. This makes installing Linux a much more enjoyable process.

                  Table below shows some of the specialized Linux distributions available and what they specialize in.

Distribution	Description
CentOS	A free distribution built from the Red Hat Enterprise Linux source code
Ubuntu	A free distribution for school and home use
PCLinuxOS	A free distribution for home and offi ce use
Mint	A free distribution for home entertainment use
dyne:bolic	A free distribution designed for audio and MIDI applications
Puppy Linux	A free small distribution that runs well on older PCs

 

                 Many of the specialized Linux distributions are based on the Debian Linux distribution. They use the same installation files as Debian but package only a small fraction of a full blown Debian system.
The Linux LiveCD
              A relatively new phenomenon in the Linux world is the bootable Linux CD distribution. This lets you see what a Linux system is like without actually installing it. Most modern PCs can boot from a CD instead of the standard hard drive. To take advantage of this, some Linux distributions create a bootable CD that contains a sample Linux system (called a Linux LiveCD). Because of the limitations of the single CD size, the sample can’t contain a complete Linux system, but you’d be surprised at all the software they can cram in there. The result is that you can boot your PC from the CD and run a Linux distribution without having to install anything on your hard drive!
                    This is an excellent way to test various Linux distributions without having to mess with your PC. Just pop in a CD and boot! All the Linux software will run directly from the CD. You can download lots of Linux LiveCDs from the Internet and burn onto a CD to test drive.
Table below shows some popular Linux LiveCDs that are available.

Distribution	Description
Knoppix	A German Linux, the fi rst Linux LiveCD developed
PCLinuxOS	Full-blown Linux distribution on a LiveCD
Ubuntu	A worldwide Linux project, designed for many languages
Slax	A live Linux CD based on Slackware Linux
Puppy	Linux A full-featured Linux designed for older PCs

 

Many specialized Linux distributions also have a Linux LiveCD version. Some Linux LiveCD distributions, such as Ubuntu, allow you to install the Linux distribution directly from the LiveCD. This enables you to boot with the CD, test drive the Linux distribution, and then if you like it, install it on your hard drive. This feature is extremely handy and user-friendly. As with all good things, Linux LiveCDs have a few drawbacks. Because you access everything from the CD, applications run more slowly, especially if you’re using older, slower
computers and CD drives. Also, because you can’t write to the CD, any changes you make to the Linux system will be gone the next time you reboot. But advances are being made in the Linux LiveCD world that will help to solve some of these problems. These advances include the ability to:
■ Copy Linux system files from the CD to memory
■ Copy system files to a file on the hard drive
■ Store system settings on a USB memory stick
■ Store user settings on a USB memory stick
                    

Linux Distributions List: 

Approximately an average of six hundred Linux distributors providing different features. 

 1) Ubuntu: 

• Came into Existence in 2004 
• Used as Graphical Linux without the use of command line.  
• Well known distribution
• Lot of pre-installed apps 
• Easy to use 

2) Linux Mint: 

• Based on Ubuntu 
• Uses repository software. 
• Media codec and proprietary software are included 
• It uses cinnamon and desktop instead of Ubuntu's unity desktop environment 

3) Debian: 

• Came into existence in 1993. 
• Most Stable Linux distribution. 
• User Friendly. 
• Every release is based on the name of the movie Toy Story.    

4) Red Hat Enterprise / CentOS: 

• Commercial Linux distributor. 
• Red hat uses trademark law to prevent their software from being redistributed. 
• CentOS is a community project that uses red hat enterprise Linux code 
• It is a free version of RHEL 

5) Fedora: 

• Mainly focuses on free software. 
• Used ‘upstream’ software 
• Less stable

Distribution	Why To Use
Ubuntu	It works like Mac OS and easy to use.
Linux mint	It works like windows and should be use by newcomers
Debian	It provides stability but not recommended to a new user.
Fedora	If you want to use red hat and latest software
Red hat enterprise	To be used commercially
CentOS	If you want to use red hat but without its trademark.
OpenSUSE	It works same as Fedora but slightly older and more stable
Arch Linux	It is not for the beginners because every package has to be installed by yourself.