Comparison of Linux distributions: Difference between revisions
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| retail version available (€99 [http://www.caixamagica.pt/CM11/) |
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! {{rh}} | [[CentOS]] |
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Revision as of 19:22, 16 November 2007
- Ways to explore different Linux distributions are discussed in Linux distribution.
| Linux kernel | |
|---|---|
| Controversies | |
| Distributions | |
| Organizations | |
| Adoption | |
| Media | |
| Professional related certifications | |
Technical variations include support for different hardware devices and systems or software package configurations. Organizational differences may be motivated by historical reasons. Other criteria include security, including how quickly security upgrades are available; ease of package management; and number of packages available.
These tables compare each noteworthy distribution's latest stable release on wide-ranging objective criteria. It does not cover each operating system's subjective merits, branches marked as unstable or beta, nor compare Linux distributions with other operating systems.
General
Basic general information about the distributions: creator or producer, release date and latest version, and so forth.
| Distribution | Creator | Producer | First Public Release (yyyy-MM-dd) | Based Distribution | Latest Stable Version | Release Date | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 Studio | Daniel James, Free Ekanayaka | 64 Studio Ltd. | 2005-05-09 | Debian | 2.0 | 2007-07-27 | multimedia |
| aLinux | Jay Klepacs | Jay Klepacs | ? pre-1999-08-19 (1.1) | Red Hat Linux | 12.8 | 2006-11-08 | desktop |
| Alpine Linux | Natanael Copa | Natanael Copa | 2005-01-05 | Gentoo Linux | 1.6.1 | 2007-05-04 | embedded systems, live CD, server |
| ALT Linux | ALT Linux Team | ALT Linux Team | 2001-03-21 | Mandrake Linux | 4.0 | 2007-08-27 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Annvix | Vincent Danen | Vincent Danen | 2003-11-? | Mandrake Linux | 1.2-RELEASE | 2006-02-23 | server |
| Arch Linux | Judd Vinet | dev team | 2002-03-11 | none | 2007.08-2 | 2007-10-07 | general purpose |
| Ark Linux | Bernhard Rosenkraenzer | dev team | 2003-01-25 | none | 2007.1 | 2007-08-17 | desktop |
| Arudius | Haidut | dev team | 2005-11-04 | none | 0.5 | 2006-02-06 | information assurance, security |
| Asianux | Red Flag Linux, Miracle Linux, Haansoft Linux | dev team | 2004-06-? | RHEL | 2.0 | 2005-08-31 | workstation, server |
| Aurox | Software-Wydawnictwo Sp. z oo | Aurox Sp. z oo | 2002-09-? | Fedora | 12.0 | 2006-08-31 | general purpose |
| BLAG | Brixton Linux Action Group | Brixton Linux Action Group | 2002-10-22 | Fedora | 60001 | 2007-05-06 | desktop |
| Caixa Mágica | Daniel Neves José Guimarães Paulo Trezentos |
Caixa Mágica | 2000-10-28 | SUSE | 11 |
2006-11-15 | desktop, server |
| CentOS | CentOS Project | CentOS Project | 2003-12-? | RHEL | 5.0 | 2007-04-12 | server |
| CRUX | Per Liden | CRUX Linux community | 2001-01-20 | none | 2.3 | 2007-03-20 | desktop |
| Damn Small Linux | John Andrews | dev team | 2003-?-? | Knoppix | 3.4 | 2007-07-03 | general purpose |
| Debian GNU/Linux | Ian Murdock | Debian Project | 1993-08-16 | none | 4.0 (etch) | 2007-04-08 | General purpose |
| DeLi Linux | Henry Jensen | Henry Jensen | 2002-10-? | none | 0.7.1 | 2006-10-17 | desktop |
| DeMuDi | AGNULA | AGNULA | 2002-04-? | Debian | 1.2.1 | 2005-11-03 | producing audio, video |
| dyne:bolic | Jaromil | Jaromil | 2001-06-? | none | 2.4.2 | 2007-03-09 | producing audio, video |
| Elive | Thanatermesis | Thanatermesis | 2005-01-01 | Debian | 1.0 | 2007-07-05 | desktop |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | Guardian Digital, Inc. | Guardian Digital, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 3.0.15 | 2007-07-10 | server |
| Fedora | Fedora Project | Fedora Project | 2003-11-05 | Red Hat Linux | 8 | 2007-11-08 | general purpose |
| Finnix | Ryan Finnie | Ryan Finnie | 2000-03-22 | Debian | 89.1 | 2007-04-13 | server administration |
| Foresight Linux | Ken VanDine | dev team | 2004-12-? | rPath | 1.3.0 | 2007-05-31 | desktop, workstation, gnome showcase |
| Fox Linux | Luca Ferrari. Matteo Pettenuzzo, Filippo Mattaliano, Alberto Bauco, Giorgio | dev team | 2004-09-? | Fedora | 1.0 | 2005-12-26 | desktop |
| Frugalware | Miklos Vajna | dev team | 2004-09-? | Slackware | 0.7 | 2007-10-13 | general purpose |
| Gentoo Linux | Daniel Robbins | Gentoo Foundation, Inc. | 2002-3-? | none | 2007.0 | 2007-05-07 | general purpose |
| gNewSense | Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley | dev team | 2006-11-02 | Ubuntu (6.06) | 1.1 | 2007-01-22 | desktop |
| Gnoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-07-17 (0.4) | Knoppix | 2.12.b1 | 2005-09-07 | live CD |
| gnuLinEx | Regional Government of Extremadura | dev team | 2002-06-09 | Debian | 2006 | 2006-06-20 | desktop |
| GoboLinux | Hisham Muhammad, Andre Detsch | dev team | 2002-06-? | none | 013 | 2005-11-03 | desktop |
| Impi Linux | Gauteng Linux Users Group | Impi Linux (Pty) Ltd. | 2003-11-? | Debian | 6.0.1 | 2006-01-31 | Desktop |
| Kanotix | Jörg Schirottke (Kano) | dev team | 2003-12-24 | Debian, Knoppix | 2005-4 | 2005-12-31 | Live CD, Desktop |
| Knoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-01-19 (3.1) | Debian | 5.1.1 | 2007-01-04 | Live CD |
| Kurumin Linux | Carlos Morimoto | GuiadoHardware | 2003-01-? | Knoppix | 7.0 | 2007-02-21 | Desktop, Live CD |
| Linspire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian | 6.0 | 2007-10-10 | Desktop |
| Freespire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian/Ubuntu(developing) | 2.0 | 2007-08-07 | Desktop |
| Linux Mint | Clement Lefebvre | dev team | 2006-08-27 | Ubuntu | 3.0 | 2007-05-30 | Desktop |
| Lunar Linux | Chuck Mead, Lunar Penguin Project | dev team | 2002-03-? | Sorcerer | 1.6.0 | 2006-04-06 | Desktop, Workstation |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | Redmond Linux Corp. | Lycoris, Inc., Mandriva S.A. | 2001-25-? | Caldera OpenLinux | 1.4 | 2004-09-13 | |
| Mandriva Linux | Mandrakesoft S.A. | Mandriva S.A. | 1998-7-23 (5.1 (venice)) | Red Hat Linux | 2008.0 | 2007-10-09 | Desktop |
| MontaVista Linux | MontaVista Software | MontaVista Software | 1999-?-? | 5.0 | 2007-3-? | Embedded systems | |
| Musix GNU+Linux | Marcos Guglielmetti | ? | ? | Knoppix, Kanotix, Debian | 0.99 | 2007-03-05 | producing audio |
| Myah OS | Jeremiah Cheatham | ? | ? | Slackware (2.3 and earlier) | 2.3 | 2006-10-12 | general purpose |
| NimbleX | Bogdan Radulescu | Bogdan Radulescu | 2005-12-? | Slackware | 2007 | 2006-12-25 | Desktop |
| Nitix | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 4.3.2a | 2006-10-18 | Server |
| OES-Linux | Novell | Novell | 2003 | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server | OES SP2 | 2006-05-? | server |
| Paipix | António Amorim | António Amorim | 2004 | Debian | 7.10 | 2007-10-17 | General purpose, science |
| Pardus | TUBITAK | TUBITAK | 2005 | none | 2007 | 2006-11-20 | general purpose |
| Parsix | Alan Baghumian | Talar-e-Web | ? | Kanotix, Debian | 0.85 | 2006-06-19 | general purpose |
| PCLinuxOS | Bill Reynolds | dev team | 2003-11-? | Mandriva | 2007 | 2007-05-21 | desktop |
| PLD Linux Distribution | 2002-11-19 | none | 2.0 | 2007-04-01 | desktop, administrators | ||
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | PixExcel | PixExcel | 2004-04-19 | Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 4.4 | 2006-08-15 | general purpose |
| Puppy Linux | Barry Kauler | Puppy Foundation | 2002-07-12 (0.4) | none | 3.01 | 2007-10-15 [1] | desktop |
| QiLinux | QiLinux team | QiLinux team | 2003-10-31 (1.0alpha2) | none | 2.0 | 2006-08-01 | desktop, server |
| Red Flag Linux | Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NewMargin Venture Capital | Red Flag Software Co., Ltd. | 1999-09-20 | Asianux | 5.0 | 2005-11-11 | general purpose |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Red Hat & Fedora Project | Red Hat & Fedora Project | 2000-03-27 (RHL 6.2E (Zoot)) | Red Hat Linux | RHEL 5 (Tikanga) | 2007-03-14 | business workstation, server, mainframe |
| Red Hat Linux | Red Hat | Red Hat | 1995-05-13 (1.0) | none | 9 (Shrike) | 2003-03-31 | server, workstation, mainframe |
| Rxart | Pixart SRL | Pixart SRL | 2000-03-? | Debian | 3-0 | 2006-04-16 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Sabayon Linux | lxnay Design | dev team | ? | Gentoo | 3.4f | 2007-09-07 | desktop |
| Scientific Linux | CERN, Fermilab | dev team | 2004-5-10 | RHL/RHEL | 5.0 (Boron) | 2007-05-04 | science |
| sidux | Stefan Lippers-Hollmann (slh) | sidux team | 2007-02-21 | Debian Sid | 2007-03.1 (Gaia) | 2007-08-15 | desktop |
| SimplyMEPIS | Warren Woodford | MEPIS LLC. | 2003-09-05 | Debian | 6.5 | 2007-04-04 | Desktop |
| Slackware | Patrick Volkerding | dev team | 1993-07-16 | SLS | 12.0 | 2007-07-02 | desktop, workstation, server |
| SLAX | Tomas Matejicek | Tomas Matejicek | 2002-06-16 | Slackware | 1.5.1.8 | 2006-11-24 | general purpose live CD |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | Ryan Abrams, Eric Schabell | dev team | 2002-06-? | Sorcerer | 0.9.6.3 | 2007-03-27 | general purpose |
| SUSE Linux | S.u.S.E. GmbH, SUSE, GmbH | Novell, Inc. dev team | 1994-03-? | Slackware | 10.3 | 2007-10-04 | business desktop, server |
| openSUSE | S.u.S.E. GmbH, SUSE, GmbH | Novell, Inc. dev team | 1994-03-? | Slackware | 10.3 | 2007-10-04 | desktop |
| Symphony OS | Ryan Quinn | Ryan Quinn & Jason Spisak | ? | Debian | 2006-05 Beta | 2006-12-13 | desktop |
| Trustix Secure Linux | Comodo Group, Inc. | Comodo Group, Inc. | 2000-02-? | Red Hat Linux | 3.0 | 2006-06-13 | server |
| Ubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2004-10-20 | Debian | 7.10 ('Gutsy Gibbon) | 2007-10-18 | desktop |
| Kubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-04-08 | Debian | 7.10 ('Gutsy Gibbon) | 2007-10-18 | desktop |
| Xubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2006-06-01 | Debian | 7.10 ('Gutsy Gibbon) | 2007-10-18 | desktop |
| Edubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-10-13 | Debian | 7.10 ('Gutsy Gibbon) | 2007-10-18 | computer lab |
| Gobuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2007-10-18 | Debian | 7.10 ('Gutsy Gibbon) | 2007-10-18 | desktop |
| Ututo | Diego Saravia, Daniel Olivera | UTUTO dev-team | 2000-?-? | Gentoo Linux | 2006.0 | 2006-03-04 | general purpose |
| Vector Linux | Robert S. Lange | dev team | 1999-?-? | Slackware | 5.8 SOHO | 2007-05-17 | desktop |
| Xandros | Xandros Corp. | Xandros, Inc. | 2002-10-22 | Corel Linux | 4.0 | 2006-06-21 | desktop |
| Zenwalk Linux | Jean-Philippe Guillemin | dev team | 2004-05-21 (as Minislack) | Slackware | 4.8 | 2007-10-06 | desktop, server |
Legal
Information on legal aspects of the distributions.
Technical
Information on technical aspects of the distributions.
| Distribution | Linux kernel | Compiler | Default file system | Default package management tools | Package Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aLinux | 2.6.12 | GCC 4.1.1 | none | RPM | RPM |
| Alpine Linux | 2.6.20 | GCC 3.4.6 (ProPolice) | tmpfs | apk-tools | apk-tools |
| ALT Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1 | none | APT, RPM | RPM |
| Annvix | 2.4.32 | GCC 3.4.3 | none | urpmi, RPM | RPM |
| Arch Linux | 2.6.23.1 | GCC 4.2.2 | ext3 | Pacman | tgz |
| Ark Linux | 2.6.22.3 | GCC 4.2.1 | JFS file system[citation needed] | RPM, APT | RPM |
| Arudius | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.3.6 | ext3 | Slackware Pkgtools | TGZ |
| Asianux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.3 | ext3 | mlupdater, RPM | RPM |
| Aurox | 2.6.9 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | RPM, yum | RPM |
| BLAG Linux and GNU | 2.6.20.10 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | RPM, yum, APT | RPM |
| Caixa Mágica | 2.6.16.13 | GCC 3.3.5 | ReiserFS | ? | ? |
| CentOS | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | RPM, yum/up2date | RPM |
| CRUX | 2.6.20.3 | GCC 4.1.2 | ? | pkgutils | |
| Damn Small Linux | 2.4.31 | TCC | ext3 | myDSL, APT | |
| Debian | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1, 3.4.6, 3.3.6, 2.95 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| DeLi Linux | 2.4.32 | GCC 2.95 | ext3/ext2 | installpkg, upgradepkg, ports tree | |
| DeMuDi | 2.6.12 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| dyne:bolic | 2.6.18 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ext3 | none | none |
| Elive | 2.6.15/2.6.18.2 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ReiserFS | APT | deb |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | 2.6.17 | none by default | ext3 | RPM, APT | RPM |
| Fedora | 2.6.23 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | yum | RPM |
| Finnix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | SquashFS | APT | deb |
| Foresight Linux | 2.6.20.11 | GCC 3.4.4.9 | ext3 | Conary | |
| Frugalware | 2.6.22.9 | GCC 4.2.1 | none | Pacman | .tar.bz |
| Gentoo | 2.6.22.9 | GCC 4.1.2 | none | Portage | ebuild |
| gnuLinEx | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext2 | APT | deb |
| GoboLinux | 2.6.11.9 | GCC 3.4.3 | ReiserFS | Manager, Compile | recipes |
| gNewSense | 2.6.15.27 | GCC 4.0.3 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Impi Linux | 2.6.11.7 | GCC 4.0.1 | ? | ? | ? |
| Kanotix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Knoppix | 2.6.17 | GCC 3.4.3 | XFS | APT | deb |
| Kurumin Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Linspire | 2.6.14 | GCC 3.4.3 | ReiserFS | CNR "click and run" | deb |
| Linux Mint | 2.6.17.10 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Lunar Linux | 2.6.17.8 | GCC 3.4.6 GCC 4.1.1 [7] full list |
none | lin | src? |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | 2.4.27 | ? | ext3 | Update Wizard, RPM | RPM |
| Mandriva Linux | 2.6.22.9 | GCC 4.2 | ext3 | urpmi, RpmDrake[citation needed] | RPM |
| MEPIS | 2.6.15 | GCC 4.0.3 | ReiserFS, ext3 | APT | deb |
| Musix GNU+Linux | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.0.3 | ? | APT | deb |
| Myah OS | 2.6.18 | ? | ? | custom scripts | mya |
| NimbleX | 2.6.11 | ? | SquashFS | none | tgz |
| Nitix | 2.4.21 | GCC3.3.4 | ReiserFS | SoftUpdate, yum | RPM |
| Paipix | 2.6.14 | GCC 4.0.2 | none | APT | deb |
| Pardus | 2.6.18 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | PiSi | ? |
| Parsix | 2.6.11 | GCC 4.1.1 | none | APT | deb |
| PCLinuxOS | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.1 | none | APT, RPM | RPM |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | up2date,yum | RPM |
| PLD Linux Distribution | 2.6.16.45 | GCC 3.3.6 | ext3/ext2, XFS | Poldek | RPM |
| Puppy Linux | 2.6.16.7 | GCC 3.3.4 | SquashFS containing ext2 | PupGet, DotPup | .pup, .pet |
| QiLinux | 2.6.17 | GCC 4.0.2 | ReiserFS | RPM, APT | RPM |
| Red Flag Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.3 | ext3 | Red Flag Installer System,RPM | RPM |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2.6.18 [8] | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | RPM,yum | RPM |
| Rxart Desktop | 2.6.11 | ? | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Sabayon Linux | 2.6.23.1 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3/ext4 | Portage,Entropy | ebuild |
| Scientific Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | APT/yum | RPM |
| sidux | 2.6.21 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Slackware | 2.6.21.5 | GCC 4.1.2 | ReiserFS[citation needed] | Swaret, Slapt-get, installpkg, upgradepkg | TGZ |
| Slax | ? | ? | SquashFS | none | slax modules |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | any (iso uses 2.6.19) | GCC 4.1.2 | ext2 | Sorcery Package Manager | src |
| SUSE Linux | 2.6.22.5 | GCC 4.2 | ext3 | GTK YaST | RPM |
| Symphony OS | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.1.0 | ReiserFS | APT, OneClick | RPM |
| Ubuntu Edubuntu Xubuntu | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | APT | deb |
| Ututo GNU/Linux | 2.6.15 | ? | ? | UTUTO Package Manager | ebuild? |
| Vector Linux | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.4.6 | ? | slapt-get, gslapt, installpkg | tgz |
| Xandros Desktop OS | 2.6.15 | GCC 3.3.5 | ReiserFS | APT | deb |
| Zenwalk Linux | 2.6.21.3 | GCC 4.1.2 | XFS | netpkg, installpkg, upgradepkg | |
| Linux kernel | Compiler | Default file system | Default package management tools | Package format |
Architecture support
| Distribution | x86 | x86-64 | IA-64 | ppc | ppc64 | sparc32 | sparc64 | arm | hppa | mips | sh | s390 | s390x | alpha | 68k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 Studio | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| aLinux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Alpine Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| ALT Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Annvix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Arch Linux | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ark Linux | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Arudius | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Asianux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Aurox | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| BLAG Linux and GNU | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Caixa Mágica | Yes | ? | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| CentOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Damn Small Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Debian[1] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dropped |
| DeLi Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| DeMuDi | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| dyne:bolic | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Elive | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Fedora | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Finnix | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Foresight Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Frugalware | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Gentoo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| gnuLinEx | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| GoboLinux[9] | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Impi Linux | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Kanotix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Knoppix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Kurumin Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Linspire | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Linux Mint | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Lunar Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mandriva Linux | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| MEPIS | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Musix GNU+Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Myah OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| NimbleX | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Nitix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| OES-Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Paipix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Pardus | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Parsix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| PCLinuxOS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| PLD Linux Distribution | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | ? | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | ? | No |
| Puppy Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| QiLinux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Red Flag Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Rxart Desktop | Yes | No | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Sabayon Linux | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Scientific Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| sidux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Slackware | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Slax | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| SUSE Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Symphony OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ubuntu Kubuntu Edubuntu Xubuntu | Yes | Yes | Yes | Dropped | No | Partial | Partial | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| UTUTO GNU/Linux | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Vector Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Xandros Desktop OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Yellow Dog Linux | No | No | No | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Zenwalk Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Features
Information on features in the distributions.
| Distribution | Number of packages | GUI installation procedure | Default desktop environment or window manager |
|---|---|---|---|
| aLinux | About 1200 | No | KDE |
| Alpine Linux | About 400 | No | none |
| ALT Linux | About 6700 | Yes | KDE |
| Arch Linux | About 6000 + 9000 in AUR (contrib) | No | none |
| Ark Linux | 3500 (core) + 500 (contrib) | Yes | KDE |
| Arudius | ? | No | Fluxbox |
| Asianux | ? | Yes | KDE |
| Aurox | About 3000 | Yes | KDE |
| BLAG | Over 9000 | Yes | GNOME |
| CentOS | 1499 (base), 95 (extras), 66 (plus)[citation needed] | Yes | GNOME |
| Damn Small | ? | No | Fluxbox |
| Debian | Over 26,000 [10] | Yes | GNOME |
| DeLi Linux | About 150 | No | IceWM |
| DeMuDi | About 875 | Yes | GNOME |
| dyne:bolic | ? | Yes | Xfce |
| Elive | Around 400 from Elive + 19725 from Debian[citation needed] | Yes | Enlightenment |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | About 500 | ? | none |
| Fedora | Nearly 8000 | Yes | GNOME |
| Finnix | About 350[citation needed] | No | none |
| Foresight Linux | Over 15,000 (about)[citation needed] | Yes | GNOME |
| Frugalware | About 3,000[2] | Yes | none |
| Gentoo | 12,000 (about)[11] | Yes[3] | none |
| gnuLinEx | 200 (about)[citation needed] | Yes | GNOME |
| GoboLinux | 636[citation needed] | Yes | KDE |
| Impi Linux | ? | No | KDE |
| Kanotix | CD: 1200 (about) | Yes | KDE |
| Knoppix | CD: 1000 (about) DVD: 2600 (about) |
No | KDE |
| Kurumin | ? | Yes | KDE |
| Linspire | over 2200 | Yes | KDE |
| Linux Mint | 19,500 (about) | Yes | GNOME |
| Lunar | 3120 |
Yes | none |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | ? | Yes | KDE |
| Mandriva Linux | ? | Yes | KDE |
| MEPIS | 2,700 on the DVD + Ubuntu's repositories | Yes | KDE |
| Musix GNU+Linux | 1,300 (about)[citation needed] | Yes | IceWM |
| Myah OS | ? | Yes | KDE |
| NimbleX | 500 (about)[citation needed] | No | KDE |
| Nitix | ? | Yes | none |
| Paipix | 2,000[citation needed] | Yes | KDE |
| Pardus | over 1,600 | Yes | KDE |
| Parsix | ? | Yes | GNOME |
| PCLinuxOS | 5025+ (Sept. 2006)[citation needed] | Yes | KDE |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 1500 (about) | Yes | GNOME |
| PLD Linux Distribution | 13,500 (about) | No | none |
| Puppy | 300 (about) | Yes | JWM |
| QiLinux | 2,500 (about) | Yes[4] | KDE |
| Red Flag | ? | Yes | KDE |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2,208 (x86 Server) - 2,992 (x86_64 Desktop) | Yes | GNOME |
| Rxart | 5,000 (about) | Yes | KDE |
| Sabayon Linux | 12,000 (about) (same as Gentoo)[citation needed] | Yes | KDE |
| Scientific | ? | Yes | GNOME |
| sidux | 18200 (about) | Yes | KDE |
| Slackware | 544 (22-12-2006)[citation needed] | No | none |
| Slax | 2045 (about) | ? | KDE |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | 5,514 | Yes | none |
| SUSE | About 22000[12] | Yes | GNOME, KDE, Ximian Desktop (Enterprise Desktop/Server) |
| Symphony OS | ? | Yes | Mezzo |
| Ubuntu | About 23,000[13] | Yes | GNOME |
| Kubuntu | About 23,000 (same as Ubuntu) | Yes | KDE |
| Xubuntu | About 23,000 (same as Ubuntu) | Yes | Xfce |
| Ututo | About 5,000 | ? | ? |
| Vector Linux | ? | Yes | none |
| Xandros Desktop OS | ? | Yes | KDE |
| Zenwalk Linux | ? | Yes | Xfce |
Security features
 |
| Distribution | AppArmor | Exec Shield | grsecurity | PaX | RSBAC | SELinux |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine Linux | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Gentoo | Optional | Optional | Optional | Optional | ||
| CentOS | Yes | Yes | ||||
| EnGarde Secure Linux | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Fedora | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Lunar Linux | Optional | Optional | Optional | |||
| Mandriva Linux | Yes | |||||
| Pardus | Yes | |||||
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | Yes | Yes | ||||
| PLD Linux Distribution | Yes | Optional | ||||
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Yes | Yes | ||||
| SUSE Linux | Yes | |||||
| Ubuntu | Yes |
See also
Notes
- ^ http://www.debian.org/ports/
- ^ The Frugalware Developer Team. "Quick reference" (HTML). Frugalware 0.7 (Sayshell) Documentation. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- ^ Can be installed graphically (GTK+ and ncurses), but traditionally done by command line (install cd, livecd, netboot, and from distributions).
- ^ Ncurses-based first stage and then KDE-based second stage installation GUI.
External links
- Comparison of Linux Distibutions - A detailed comparison complete with statistics on market share.
- DistroWatch - Compares all significant Linux distributions in detail, and was a source for some information shown here.
- LWN.net Linux Distribution List - A comprehensive list of hundreds of distributions, including historical ones.
- Linux Distribution Guide from LinuxLinks.com
- ReviewLinux.Com - A Web Site with Linux Reviews as well as Latest Linux News..