Caldera Openlinux
http://www.calderasystems.com
Developed by Caldera Systems, OpenLinux is marked as being easy to install, with a business focus. It goes a long way to bringing ease of use and user friendly functionality to Linux. It is strongly orientated, therefore, toward the non – technical user. Included in the distribution is the simple installation tool “Lizard”. This graphical interface is very user friendly and the installation can be started from within the Windows environment. Hardware installation, for the most part is automatic with good detection of most peripherals.
Debian GNU/Linux
http://www.debian.org
Debian Linux is a different kind of Linux distribution. Rather than being developed by one isolated individual or group, Debian is being developed openly in the full spirit of Linux development.
Fundamental to Debian are its package management tools. This allows users to maintain their computer systems with ease. It is so powerful that many people have been known to switch to Debian solely because of it. It orientates itself however towards more experienced users and developers. For that audience, it represents the leading edge of Linux and open source development.
Linux Mandrake
http://www.linux-mandrake.com
Mandrake is at present one of the industry leaders in Linux distros and is well known for its good looks, ease of installation, well rounded package selection and customized wizards and setup tools. The installation program, DrakX is colorful and attractive and patiently walks you through the required steps to install mandrake Linux. Mandrake comes with an impressive list of third party software. Mandrake is produced by MandrakeSoft and is available from major software retailers and directly from their website. As of writing, they are up to version 9.0
Red hat Linux
http://www.redhat.com
Presently at build 8.0 Red hat is one of the most popular distributions. The release of Red Hat 8.0 has seen an enormous growth in Linux as well as the deployment of a world wide support network, the Red Hat Network.
Red Hat is useful for new users insecure in their knowledge of computing. It has also proven itself as a reliable, and powerful Linux distribution for mission critical serving environments.
Slackware
http://www.slackware.com
Slackware is one of the oldest distributions and is produced by Walnut Creek CD-ROM. It does not possess all the user friendly attributes of its brethren and is best suited to those who have a thorough understanding of UNIX & Linux.
Slackware tries to maintain its link with the UNIX heritage of Linux by conforming strictly to UNIX conventions and not overwhelming experienced users with commercial functionality. In this way it is very similar to Debian GNU/Linux – the two have a related history.
SuSE Linux
http://www.suse.com
Suse is a popular European distribution based in Germany. SuSE Linux has been best noted for its slick installation courtesy of YaST ( yet another setup tool) which closely resembles that of Calderas OpenLinux. SuSE Linux has been RPM compliant since release 5. The default window manager is KDE, which has been redesigned by SuSE to sport a number of enhancements.
Turbo Linux
http://www.turbolinux.com/
Turbolinux is the leading supplier of Linux operating systems in Asia Pacific. The product portfolio also includes multiplatform clustering and distributed computing software to bring high-availability and high throughput to the enterprise. Turbolinux is now part of UnitedLinuxTM, a global, uniform distribution of Linux for business supported by a majority of enterprise system and software vendors.
Gentoo Linux
http://www.gentoo.org/
Gentoo Linux is a versatile and fast, completely free Linux distribution for x86, PowerPC, Sparc and Sparc64 that's geared towards Linux power users. Unlike other distros, Gentoo Linux has an advanced package management system called Portage. Portage is a true ports system in the tradition of BSD ports, but is Python-based and sports a number of advanced features including dependencies, fine-grained package management, "fake" (OpenBSD-style) installs, path sandboxing, safe unmerging, system profiles, virtual packages, config file management, and more.
Portage allows you to set up Gentoo Linux the way you like it -- with the optimization settings that you want, and with optional build-time functionality (like GNOME, KDE, mysql, ALSA, LDAP support, etc.) enabled or disabled as you desire. If you don't want GNOME on your system, your apps won't have optional GNOME support enabled, and if you do, then they will. That's why we prefer thinking of Gentoo Linux as a meta-distribution or Linux technology engine. You decide what kind of system you want, and Portage will create it for you.
Lycoris Desktop/LX
http://www.lycoris.com/
Desktop/LX is an operating system designed with your ease of use in mind. Desktop/LX loads ready for Internet access, office productivity, multimedia, entertainment, and more.
Desktop/LX presents you with a clean slate on which to work. A simple and familiar layout will help you start working right away. Desktop/LX uses drag and drop, so linking to and working from the desktop is a breeze.
Everytime you boot Desktop/LX or if you add a USB device, My Linux System automatically detects new supported drives. You can also use the Rescan Hardware link in the left pane to list new devices.
Which distribution is the right one for me?
Linux distributions can vary significantly in their focus and application base. They all have one thing in common however. The Linux kernel powers each Linux distribution and choosing the right one for you will depend on how you like to use your computer.
If you intend to use Linux for desktop productivity, Red Hat, mandrake, Caldera, & SuSE are probably for you. If you intend to deploy Linux into a non graphical, server type environment than Red hat, Debian and Slackware make good choices. For those who want to accelerate to the realm of Linux hackerdom, you will need Debian or Slackware to get you there! wink.gif
Some quick URL's:
www.linuxdoc.org - HOW-TO's... gotta love em'.
www.rpmfind.net - finds RPM for your distribution.
www.linuxnewbie.org - general "newbie" tips and how-to
www.distrowatch.com - provides a package comparison table.
www.linuxiso.org - Want to download Linux distribution ISO? No need to look furthur, LinuxISO has it all
Which Distro for which purpose:
HARDWAREREWISE:
468, 8-16MB RAM, 500MB HD:
- good for masquerading, firewall, for desktop use not recommended but possible with twm, blackbox
P90-P200, 32-64 MB RAM, 2GB HD:
- perfect routing, firewall, mail server, small fileserver, runs a lean desktop fairly well
P200-PIII, >128MB RAM, >4GB HD:
- routing, firewall, fileserver, MTA, database, just anything depending on the amount of clients and speed of HD's (RAID).
LAPTOP:
<P133, <64MB RAM
- debian/slack, with gnome1.2, windowmaker, blackbox.
fairly new one:
- any distro, with gnome/kde/windowmaker, depending on RAM...
SOFTWAREWISE:
Desktop:
GNOME 1.4
- Debian, RedHat.. With min. hardware spec P200 128MB...
KDE 2.x
- Mandrake, SuSE, Debian, Slack... with min. hardware specs P200 128MB....
Server:
dedicated masquerading (routering) Server for HOME and small PRODUCTION
- min. 486.... , floppy based distro or slack, debian, *BSD...
masquerading, Fileserver, Email server (MTA)
- min P90 32MB RAM for 2-5 client with small email volume...., P200 128MB RAM for >5clients with procmail as MDA, RAID setup for IMAP and high email traffic.
