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I've been using Linux in some form intermittently for the past ten years or so, but have only really been in to it for the past few months.
What are the major differences between distributions? Ultimately I know that package management and branding are the big ones, but would it be easier to do task x with distribution y? Why so?
Andy Mikula
Posted 2009-07-15T07:47:34.380
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I think two main difference is
Just pointing to these two big difference will somewhat change your behaviour in doing task.
For example you could easily install a package on Ubuntu using apt but not so simple when using rpm. Having a difference in Window Manager can also change how you interact with the system.
hendrasaputra
Posted 2009-07-15T07:47:34.380
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There are two major flavors of Linux distros out there. Debian and Red Hat based distributions account for a large percentage of the distributions out there.
The major difference between them is the package management. If they are Debian based, they most likely use the dpkg& apt/deb system; if it's a Red Hat system, it most likely uses yum/rpm. A lot of distros pop up because someone was unsatisfied with the package management, so most will have some form of graphical interface that is different, but the underlying system is the same.
If you learn how to use apt-get and yum, you'll cover 80% of the distros out there, and 99% of the systems you'll most likely encounter.
Each distro will do something a little different with the window manager. Most major distros choose between KDE and Gnome, with Gnome seeming to be the popular one at the moment. The great thing about Linux though, is that you can change the window manager if you like (go Window Maker!).
If you learn the command line, there is not "much" of a difference, but the GUI changes between distros will definitely sway your choice. Also, some distros ship with drivers that will make it easy for certain hardware like video cards.
I highly recommend Linux Mint for home systems, and vanilla Debian, Ubuntu (server edition), or CentOS for servers.
Mark Turner
Posted 2009-07-15T07:47:34.380
Reputation: 901
+1 for most of your comments. I would disagree about using vanilla Ubuntu for servers though. Ubuntu has a specific server distribution which removes a lot of the X-fluff that just isn't required for a headless box sat in a rack... – Russell Heilling – 2009-07-15T08:29:26.400
Agreed. I'll make an edit to reflect that. – Mark Turner – 2009-07-15T08:52:37.420
I would say openSUSE, which RPM based, could stand as a third major distro. Much better than Fedora IMO, but not wanting to start a flame war. A few other distros such as Arch with their own package management systems are also gaining followings, but perhaps not "major" yet. – Evan – 2009-07-17T03:29:27.897
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Even though the package managers are different, my understanding (though I don't use Linux regularly) is that most packages are available some way or another with any distro. Also, the window systems / desktop environments are different, but you can install alternates anyway. The only other thing I can think of right now would be the simple difference in communities surrounding distros.
I'm pretty sure that you'll be able to find a way to do whatever you want to do.
jtbandes
Posted 2009-07-15T07:47:34.380
Reputation: 8 350
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As others have suggested the package management, default software choices (especially desktop environment), and configuration file layouts are the most obvious differences between distributions.
I however think more important then this is different philosophies that the distributions follow. To name a few:
gacrux
Posted 2009-07-15T07:47:34.380
Reputation: 1 611
4Andy, correct. But from a casual user point of view usually you just go with what is given in the installation package right? – hendrasaputra – 2009-07-15T08:21:19.727
1Most distros will allow you to install any window manager but you may find that support for one is favoured over the other. – Mark – 2009-07-15T08:22:26.760
1Hmmm, fair enough. I wouldn't really consider myself to be a 'casual user', but I know what you mean. – Andy Mikula – 2009-07-16T15:58:39.223
I've never understood why people find RPM so hard... – Evan – 2009-07-17T03:26:28.010
4I can run whichever Window Manager I want with any distro through, right? – Andy Mikula – 2009-07-15T08:05:07.050