First: can I find hardware drivers to download for linux ? And if so are they compatible with all the different distributions ? I mean is a driver the same for any linux distribution or does each distribution require a different driver ?

Same question for any software program. Can I just download a general program for any general linux and know it will work on anything, debian, red hat or whatever, or does each distribution require a different download ?

This is very confusing for me.

Also Are all the distributions binary compatible (for example all those for Intel 86) or are they all different binary programs ? What is the fundamental difference between the distributions ? Are they all completely different programs ?


Sorry and thanks for any help....

Please post your thread in only one forum. Posting a single thread in the most relevant forum will make it easier for members to help you and will keep the discussion in one place. This thread is being closed because it is a duplicate.