Distribution Comparison
There is an oft-asked question in many a newsgroup and irc channel that seeks answering: which one is the best linux distro for me? I have yet to see the question happily answered. Unfortunately, most people that ask the question come from the good old M$ Windoze mindset - used to seeing each and every windows version (there's different versions?) with a similar simple 'point and click' interface and all the familiar programs with maybe (gosh!) pinball added on.
Unfortunately, when this question is asked, there is no simple way to answer. It is true that each and every distribution of linux can be made to behave, look, and act like any other distribution, but the reality is that there are some extreme differences between them. This is one of the failings of the "Open Source" mindset - each and every person has a different version of what is "simple" and what makes sense. This of course leads to mass confusion on the part of 'end-users'.
I will attempt to answer this with my own experiences. Bear in mind that I have not tried every distribution to date (there are far too many for that!) but here are some things that might help.
If you are a linux "newbie" straight from the heart of Windows, I would suggest Ubuntu
- Comes with most of the applications you may need in an office environment
- Very comprehensive hardware support
- Decent community support available at www.ubuntuguide.org
- Has an optional "live" cd option and USB stick edition to try the distribution out without actually installing it.
- Excellent installation system that automatically resolves package dependencies
- Has 'Long Term Support' editions that offer lengthy upgrade and security update time frames
If you are a dedicated Windows user that is interested in seeing what all the hubbub is about, I suggest two distributions: Ubuntu and Knoppix
- Both distributions have a "live" cd option where you can try it out without actually installing onto your system.
- Each distribution offers a distinctly different desktop manager (KDE and Gnome) that showcases two of the more popular interfaces available from Linux
- Both distributions offer comprehensive hardware support that should detect most devices in your computer system
If you are a hardcore "techie" that wants to find out how Linux works from the ground up, I suggest Linux from Scratch
You require an installed distribution or Live CD environment first in order to build Linux from Scratch. I suggest Ubuntu. Alternatively, the Linux From Scratch project also has a Live CD available with the requisite tools and packages and already available.
- You get to build your own linux distribution from scratch
- You gain a comprehensive understanding of the processes that make a Linux distribution work
- You end up with a distribution that is lightweight and has only the items that you want installed
- You will have a hobby for a good year
If you tried Linux from Scratch but found it too hard, I suggest Debian
- Stable, solid, productive
- You get what you put into it
- Comprehensive package installation system that auto-magically resolves any dependencies
- Debian is based on the concept of customization with ease - with several available prebuilt packages, you can pick and choose the exact components you want installed.
You are probably wondering why the well known RedHat, Fedora, CentOS, and SuSE distributions are not mentioned here. The simple facts are, while I respect both Redhat and Fedora Core as decent and generally well supported bases for server software, it is my opinion that they fall short as a desktop distribution.
The built in (by default) use of SELinux makes for a very secure (though sometimes frustrating) server environment. The same is not true of a desktop environment where you don't necessarily want the varying restrictions that can cause issues - for example plugging in a USB drive should not require specialized handling to let the operating system know that the new filesystem is indeed safe to load
While many pundits out there can argue that SELinux can be turned off and you get the same effect, in my opinion turning such security ON should be the option available by default, as it will be the system administrators that actually know what they are doing. So... kudos to Redhat, Fedora, and also CentOS for making good solid server operating systems, but that discussion will be for a separate article.
It should also be mentioned that I can honestly recommend both Debian and Ubuntu as viable server operating systems - and Ubuntu actually has a separate installer for the 'server specific' roll out.