Linux - GeneralThis Linux forum is for general Linux questions and discussion.
If it is Linux Related and doesn't seem to fit in any other forum then this is the place.
Notices
Welcome to LinuxQuestions.org, a friendly and active Linux Community.
You are currently viewing LQ as a guest. By joining our community you will have the ability to post topics, receive our newsletter, use the advanced search, subscribe to threads and access many other special features. Registration is quick, simple and absolutely free. Join our community today!
Note that registered members see fewer ads, and ContentLink is completely disabled once you log in.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us. If you need to reset your password, click here.
Having a problem logging in? Please visit this page to clear all LQ-related cookies.
Get a virtual cloud desktop with the Linux distro that you want in less than five minutes with Shells! With over 10 pre-installed distros to choose from, the worry-free installation life is here! Whether you are a digital nomad or just looking for flexibility, Shells can put your Linux machine on the device that you want to use.
Exclusive for LQ members, get up to 45% off per month. Click here for more info.
There must be thousands of Linux Distributions out there these days. I've tried ALOT, and every so often ill stumble onto one that i've heard no one talk about and which i really enjoy. Peppermint and Saline for example.
Was wondering if anyone else has found any Linux distro's in which they've really enjoyed and no one really knows about.
Location: Northeastern Michigan, where Carhartt is a Designer Label
Distribution: Slackware 32- & 64-bit Stable
Posts: 3,541
Rep:
Yeah, there are a lot of 'em -- and, you what? many are based on Slackware.
So, why not give Slackware a try -- unadulterated, as close as possible to what developers intended, rock solid, dependable and a pleasure to work with.
Yeah, there are a lot of 'em -- and, you what? many are based on Slackware.
Even for a Slackware fanboy, this takes the biscuit. There are 320 distros listed at Distrowatch. 18 are based on Slackware, as opposed to 144 on Debian. Eliminating the specialist ones, the foreign language ones, and the just plain bad ones, we have two that I know to be good (Salix and Vector) and two that other reviewers have liked (Draco and Linvo).
If you want something that's not in the Distrowatch top 50 but still good (see my reviews on this site), look at
Parsix (102 on the Distro watch hit list): Debian based, Gnome desktop
Kororaa (99): Fedora based, Gnome or KDE desktop
SalineOS (84): Debian based, Xfce desktop
ZevenOS (62): Ubuntu based, Xfce desktop tweaked to look like BeOS
You see I agree with you on SalineOS; I shall have to look at Pepermint!
Distribution: Ubuntu 11.4,DD-WRT micro plus ssh,lfs-6.6,Fedora 15,Fedora 16
Posts: 3,233
Rep:
as far as i understand there are only a handful of main 'upstream' distributions, such as redhat, debian and slackware, and a most other distributions (fedora,ubuntu,mint,scientific linux,centos,suse,peppermint and saline) are derivative distributions. then there are custom, purpose built distributions that only serve one function. are there lesser known distributions? quite a few actually, are there lesser known distributions that i've stumbled upon and used? yes and no... none of them were general use distributions, but i have used coyote linux (floppy based router distribution), dd-wrt (embeded router distribution meant as a firmware replacement for wireless routers), and floppix (floppy based mini distribution) similar to knoppix.
Apart from very specialised, purpose built distributions, I don't see a reason why I would want to run anything apart from the "upstream" or top "semi-upstream" distros. Having said that, there's one that always intrigues me. I just don't have skills or time to gain the skills to configure it (link)
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianL
Wow, well, er...why not?!? It was there, so I hopped onto it. Hopped back to Slack pretty quickly, though.
Sorry, that was mainly aimed at the distro, not your trying it.
I'm sure the creators have their reasons -- to me it looks more like a proof of concept than anything else.
Distribution: Ubuntu 11.4,DD-WRT micro plus ssh,lfs-6.6,Fedora 15,Fedora 16
Posts: 3,233
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by sycamorex
Apart from very specialised, purpose built distributions, I don't see a reason why I would want to run anything apart from the "upstream" or top "semi-upstream" distros. Having said that, there's one that always intrigues me. I just don't have skills or time to gain the skills to configure it (link)
lol, Hannah Montana linux, i wonder if she even uses it (doubtful, highly doubtful)
either way i would have to agree that although intriguing it may be to play with a lesser known distribution, and there maybe even a valid reason for such, using farther "downstream" distributions with smaller user bases carries a more significant risk of the project losing support from under you when using it, leaving you with older, more vulnerable software. no harm in playing with them though
Distribution: Debian Sid AMD64, Raspbian Wheezy, various VMs
Posts: 7,680
Rep:
Quote:
Originally Posted by sycamorex
Apart from very specialised, purpose built distributions, I don't see a reason why I would want to run anything apart from the "upstream" or top "semi-upstream" distros. Having said that, there's one that always intrigues me. I just don't have skills or time to gain the skills to configure it (link)
I missed this.
I, myself, downloaded this which is similar in its dedication but does, actually, have something new to offer. Sadly what it has to offer doesn't work on my hardware. Well, either that or I tried it on the wrong day of the week...
...and a most other distributions (fedora,ubuntu,mint,scientific linux,centos,suse,peppermint and saline) are derivative distributions...
Sort of: fedora is kind of a reverse derivative, in the sense that it is where stuff get tried out before it then goes into RedHat, so in the sense of testing and flow, RH is a derivative of Fedora. Suse (either open or SLED/SLES) isn't really a derivative of anything; yeah, sure, it started life as a slackware derivative, but it hasn't been that in any real way for years and years.
Centos and Scientific are a slightly different case; one reason for their existence is to be an exact RH 'work-alike', unlike most of these distros which have more of a 'if only Ubuntu had a different GUI' kind of focus.
Not that there is anything wrong with any of this; just pointing out that there are several different categories here. And there is more information than you ever thought you wanted (well, as a picture, anyway), here.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.