Comparison of Linux distributions
Technical variations of Linux distributions 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) | Base distribution | Latest release date | Purpose |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
64 Studio | Daniel James, Free Ekanayaka | 64 Studio Ltd. | 2005-05-09 | Debian | 2008-06-09 | multimedia |
Alinex | Alinex Team, University of Évora | Alinex Team, University of Évora | 2005-12-06 | Ubuntu | 2008-03-07 | general purpose |
aLinux | Jay Klepacs | Jay Klepacs | ? pre-1999-08-19 (1.1) | Red Hat Linux | 2006-11-08 | desktop |
ALT Linux | ALT Linux Team | ALT Linux Team / ALT Linux LLC | 2001-03-21 | none | 2009-02-20 | desktop, workstation, server |
Annvix | Vincent Danen | Vincent Danen | 2003-11-? | Mandrake Linux | server | |
Arch Linux | Judd Vinet | dev team | 2002-03-11 | none | 2009-02-16 | general purpose |
Ark Linux | Bernhard Rosenkraenzer | dev team | 2003-01-25 | none | 2008-05-14 | desktop |
Arudius | Haidut | dev team | 2005-11-04 | none | 2006-02-06 | information assurance, security |
Asianux | Red Flag Linux, Miracle Linux, Haansoft Linux | dev team | 2004-06-? | RHEL | 2007-09-22 | workstation, server |
Aurox | Software-Wydawnictwo Sp. z oo | Aurox Sp. z oo | 2002-09-? | Fedora | 2006-08-31 | general purpose |
BackTrack | Max Moser, Mati Aharoni & Martin J. Muench | Remote-Exploit | 2006-08-31 | Slackware | 2008-06-19 | "The Swiss Army Knife for security assessments" |
BLAG | Brixton Linux Action Group | Brixton Linux Action Group | 2002-10-22 | Fedora | 2008-07-21 [1] | desktop |
Caixa Mágica | Daniel Neves, José Guimarães, Paulo Trezentos | Caixa Mágica Software | 2000-10-28 | Mandriva Linux | 2009-06-03 | desktop, server |
CentOS | CentOS Project | CentOS Project | 2003-12-? | RHEL | 2008-06-23 | server, workstation |
Chrome OS | N/A | ? | N/A | General Purpose | ||
CrunchBang | Philip Newborough | Philip Newborough | 2008-01-30 | Ubuntu | 2009-01-19 | desktop |
CRUX | Per Liden | CRUX Linux community | 2001-01-20 | none | 2008-12-18 | general purpose |
Damn Small Linux | John Andrews | dev team | 2003-?-? | Knoppix | 2008-04-22 | portable |
Debian | Ian Murdock | Debian Project | 1993-08-16 | none | 2009-02-14 | general purpose |
Desktop Light Linux | Henry Jensen | Henry Jensen | 2002-10-? | none | 2008-05-28 | desktop |
DeMuDi | AGNULA | AGNULA | 2002-04-? | Debian | 2005-11-03 | producing audio, video |
dyne:bolic | Jaromil | Jaromil | 2001-06-? | none | 2007-09-22 | producing audio, video |
Easy Peasy | Jon Ramvi, Easy Peasy community | Jon Ramvi, Easy Peasy community | 2008-07-04 | Ubuntu | 2009-04-20 | general purpose for netbooks |
Elive | Thanatermesis | Thanatermesis | 2005-01-01 | Debian | 2007-07-05 | desktop |
EnGarde Secure Linux | Guardian Digital, Inc. | Guardian Digital, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 2008-04-? | server |
Fedora | Fedora Project | Fedora Project | 2003-11-05 | Red Hat Linux | 2009-06-09 | general purpose |
Finnix | Ryan Finnie | Ryan Finnie | 2000-03-22 | Debian | 2008-01-29 | server administration |
Foresight Linux | Ken VanDine | dev team | 2004-12-? | rPath | 2008-11-24 | desktop, workstation, gnome showcase |
Frugalware | Miklos Vajna | dev team | 2004-09-02[citation needed] | Slackware | 2009-03-22 | general purpose |
Gentoo Linux | Daniel Robbins | Gentoo Foundation, Inc. | 2002-3-? | none | 2008-07-06 [2] | general purpose |
gNewSense | Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley | dev team | 2006-11-02 | Ubuntu (8.04) | 2008-04-30 | desktop |
Gnoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-07-17 (0.4) | Knoppix | 2005-09-07 | live CD |
gnuLinEx | Regional Government of Extremadura | dev team | 2002-06-09 | Debian | 2006-06-20 | desktop |
GoboLinux | Hisham Muhammad, Andre Detsch | dev team | 2002-03-20 | none | 2008-03-30 | desktop |
gOS | Good OS LLC | Good OS LLC | 2007-11-01 | Ubuntu | 2008-02-07 | desktop |
Impi Linux | Gauteng Linux Users Group | Impi Linux (Pty) Ltd. | 2003-11-? | Debian | 2006-01-31 | desktop |
Kanotix | Jörg Schirottke (Kano) | dev team | 2003-12-24 | Debian, Knoppix | 2007-12-31 | live CD, desktop |
Kiran Linux | Kiran Shila | Kiran Shila | 2008-08-19 | Slackware | 2008-08-19 | desktop, workstation |
Knoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-01-19 (3.1) | Debian | 2008-03-27 | live CD |
KnoppMyth | Cecil Watson | dev team | ? | Debian, Knoppix | 2007-09-09 | Live Frontend, Desktop |
Kuki Linux | João Ferro | kuki bakers | ? | Ubuntu | ? | Acer Aspire One |
Kurumin Linux | Carlos Morimoto | GuiadoHardware | 2003-01-? | Knoppix | 2007-02-21 | desktop, live CD |
Linspire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian | 2007-10-10 | desktop |
Freespire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian/Ubuntu(developing) | 2007-11-30 | desktop |
Linux4One | ? | ? | 2009-02-28 | Ubuntu | 2009-04-06 | desktop |
Linux Mint | Clement Lefebvre | dev team | 2006-08-27 | Ubuntu | 2009-06-24 | desktop |
Lunar Linux | Chuck Mead, Lunar Penguin Project | Foo-Projects.org | 2002-03-? | Sorcerer | 2007-02-17 | desktop, workstation, server |
Mandriva Linux | Mandrakesoft S.A. | Mandriva S.A. | 1998-7-23 (5.1 (venice)) | Red Hat Linux | 2008-10-09 | general purpose |
MontaVista Linux | MontaVista Software | MontaVista Software | 1999-?-? | Debian | 2007-03-? | embedded systems |
Mutagenix | Dan Barber | Dan Barber | 2005-7-7 | Slackware | 2007-08-16 | rescue, general purpose |
Musix GNU+Linux | Marcos Guglielmetti | ? | ? | Knoppix, Kanotix, Debian | 2007-03-05 | producing audio |
NexusWare Core | Performance Technologies, Inc | dev team | 1998-?-? | Debian and others | 2008-02-02 | embedded systems |
NimbleX | Bogdan Radulescu | Bogdan Radulescu | 2005-12-? | Slackware | 2006-12-25 | desktop |
Nitix | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 2006-10-18 | server |
Open Enterprise Server on Linux | Novell | Novell, Inc. dev team | 2003 | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server | 2009-03-24 | server |
openSUSE | SUSE Linux / Novell | Novell, Inc. & openSUSE Project | 1994-03-? | SUSE Linux | 2008-12-18 | desktop, server |
OpenWRT | ? | OpenWrt team | ? | ? | 2009-?-? [3] | portable |
Paipix | António Amorim | António Amorim | 2004-?-? | Debian | 2007-10-17 | science |
Pardus | TUBITAK | TUBITAK | 2005-?-? | none | 2008-09-14 | general purpose |
Parsix | Alan Baghumian | Parsix Project | 2005-01-25 | Kanotix, Debian | 2007-10-05 | desktop |
PCLinuxOS | Bill Reynolds | dev team | 2003-11-? | Mandriva | 2009-03-11 | desktop |
Pie Box Enterprise Linux | PixExcel | PixExcel | 2004-04-19 | Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2006-08-15 | general purpose |
Puppy Linux | Barry Kauler | Puppy Foundation | 2002-07-12 (0.4) | none | 2008-11-03 [4] | portable |
QiLinux | QiLinux team | QiLinux team | 2003-10-31 (1.0alpha2) | none | 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 | 2005-11-11 | general purpose |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Red Hat | Red Hat | 2002-03-26 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 AS (Pensacola) | Fedora | 2008-05-21 | business workstation, server |
Red Hat Linux | Red Hat | Red Hat | 1995-05-13 (1.0) | none | 2003-03-31 | server, workstation |
Rocks | UCSD Supercomputing Center, Clustercorp | UCSD Supercomputing Center, Clustercorp | 2000-11-? Rocks 1.0 | Red Hat Linux | 2008-11-? Rocks 5.1 (V.1) | business workstation, server |
Rxart | Pixart SRL | Pixart SRL | 2000-03-? | Debian | 2006-04-16 | desktop, workstation, server |
Sabayon Linux | lxnay Design | dev team | ? | Gentoo | 2009-04-13 | desktop |
Satux | Institute of Technology JRSC (iTJRSC) | Institute of Technology JRSC (iTJRSC) | 2007-?-? | Debian | 2007[5] | desktop, end user |
Scientific Linux | CERN, Fermilab | dev team | 2004-5-10 | RHL/RHEL | 2008-06-28 | science |
sidux | sidux team | sidux team | 2007-02-21 | Debian Sid | 2008-12-23 | desktop |
SimplyMEPIS | Warren Woodford | MEPIS LLC. | 2003-09-05 | Debian | 2009-02-22 | desktop |
Slackware | Patrick Volkerding | dev team | 1993-07-16 | SLS | 2008-05-02 | desktop, workstation, server |
SLAX | Tomas Matejicek | Tomas Matejicek | 2002-06-16 | Slackware | 2008-04-18 | live CD |
SMS - Slack Mini Server | gerasimos_h | gerasimos_h | 2007-08-10 | Slackware | 2009-07-05 | server, live CD |
SliTaz GNU/Linux | Christophe Lincoln | dev team | 2009-04-16 | none | 2009-04-16 | live CD |
Source Mage GNU/Linux | Ryan Abrams, Eric Schabell | dev team | 2002-06-? | Sorcerer | 2009-02-11 | general purpose |
SUSE Linux | SUSE Linux / Novell | Novell, Inc. dev team | 1994-03-? | Slackware, Jurix[6] | 2008-05-21 | business desktop, server |
Symphony OS | Ryan Quinn | Ryan Quinn & Jason Spisak | ? | Debian | 2006-12-13 | desktop |
SYS | W.Landgraf | W.Landgraf | 2007-11-? | Slackware | 2009-06-02[7] | desktop, development, server |
Trustix Secure Linux | Comodo Group, Inc. | Comodo Group, Inc. | 2000-02-? | Red Hat Linux | 2007-03-06 | server |
Ubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2004-10-20 | Debian | 2009-04-23 | desktop, server |
Kubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-04-08 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
Xubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2006-06-01 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
Edubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-10-13 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | computer lab |
Gobuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2007-10-18 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
Ubuntu Studio | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2007-05-11 | Debian | 2008-11-30 | multimedia |
Ututo GNU/Linux | Diego Saravia, Daniel Olivera | UTUTO dev-team | 2000-?-? | Gentoo Linux | 2009-03-15 | general purpose |
VectorLinux | Robert S. Lange | dev team | 1999-?-? | Slackware | 2007-05-17 | desktop |
Xandros | Xandros Corp. | Xandros, Inc. | 2002-10-22 | Corel Linux | 2006-06-21 | desktop |
XBMC Live | The XBMC Project | Team-XBMC | 2008-11-14 | Ubuntu | 2008-11-14 | multimedia |
Yellow Dog Linux | Terra Soft Solutions | Fixstars Solutions | 1999 | Fedora, CentOS | 2009-06-29 | desktop, workstation |
Yoper | Andreas Giradet | The Yoper Team | 2003-03-05 | none | 2007-10-03 | desktop, workstation, server |
Zenwalk Linux | Jean-Philippe Guillemin | dev team | 2004-05-21 (as Minislack) | Slackware | 2009-03-07 | desktop, server |
Distribution | Creator | Producer | First public release (yyyy-MM-dd) | Base distribution | Latest release date | Purpose |
Cost
The following distributions are completely without cost: aLinux, ALT Linux, Annvix, Arch Linux, Ark Linux, Arudius, Asianux, Aurox, BLAG Linux and GNU, CentOS, CRUX, Damn Small Linux, Debian, DeLi Linux, DeMuDi, Devil-Linux, dyne:bolic, Easy Peasy, Edubuntu, EnGarde Secure Linux, Fedora, Finnix, Foresight Linux, Freespire, Frugalware, Gentoo, gNewSense, gnuLinEx, GoboLinux, Gobuntu, Impi Linux, Kanotix, Knoppix, Knoppmyth, Kubuntu, Kurumin Linux, Linux Mint, Lunar Linux, Musix GNU+Linux, NimbleX, NUbuntu, openSUSE, Paipix, Pardus, Parsix, PCLinuxOS, Puppy Linux, QiLinux, SabayonLinux, Satux, Scientific Linux, sidux, Slackware, SLAX, SliTaz GNU/Linux, Source Mage GNU/Linux, Symphony OS, SYS, Trustix, Ubuntu, Ututo GNU/Linux, Super OS, Xubuntu, XBMC Live, Yoper and Zenwalk.
The following distributions have several editions, some of which are without cost and some of which do cost money : Caixa Mágica, Mandriva Linux, MEPIS and Red Flag Linux.
The following distributions cost money : Elive, Linspire,[8] Novell Open Enterprise Server,[9] Pie Box Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux,[10][11] Rxart,[12] SUSE Linux Enterprise.[13]
Note that when talking about "free software", the word "free" refers to software freedom, not monetary cost: for an explanation of the difference, see The Free Software Definition.
Technical
Information on technical aspects of the distributions.
Distribution | Linux kernel | C Compiler | Default file system | Commonly chosen desktop environment or window manager |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alinex | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
aLinux | 2.6.12 | GCC 4.1.1 | none | KDE |
ALT Linux | 2.6.25 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | KDE, Xfce |
Annvix | 2.4.32 | GCC 3.4.3 | none | |
Arch Linux | 2.6.30.2[14] | GCC 4.4.0[15] | none[16] | any |
Archie | Xfce | |||
Ark Linux | 2.6.22.3 | GCC 4.2.1 | JFS[17] | KDE |
Arudius | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.3.6 | ext3 | Fluxbox |
Asianux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
Aurox | 2.6.9 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
BackTrack | 2.6.21.5 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE, Fluxbox |
BLAG Linux and GNU | Based on 2.6.25 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | GNOME |
Caixa Mágica | ? | GCC ? | ? | ? |
CentOS | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
CrunchBang Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.1 | ext3 | Openbox |
CRUX | 2.6.27.8 | GCC 4.3.2 | none | Openbox |
Damn Small Linux | 2.4.31 | GCC 3.3.5, TCC | ext3 | JWM |
Debian | 2.6.26 | GCC 4.3.2, 4.2.4, 4.1.2, 3.4.6 | ext3 | GNOME, KDE, LXDE or Xfce (depending on installation media) |
DeLi Linux | 2.4.32 | GCC 2.95 | ext3/ext2 | IceWM |
DeMuDi | 2.6.12 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext3 | GNOME |
Dreamlinux | Xfce | |||
dyne:bolic | 2.6.18 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ext3 | Xfce |
Easy Peasy | ext3 | Gnome, Ubuntu Netbook Remix | ||
Elive | 2.6.15/2.6.18.2 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ReiserFS | Enlightenment |
EnGarde Secure Linux | 2.6.17 | None | ext3 | none |
Fedora | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.2 | ? | GNOME, KDE, Xfce (depending on spin) |
Finnix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | SquashFS | none |
Foresight Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
Frugalware | 2.6.22.9 | GCC 4.2.1 | none | none |
Gentoo | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.3 | none | none |
gnuLinEx | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext2 | GNOME |
GoboLinux | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.1.2 | ReiserFS | KDE |
gNewSense | 2.6.15.27 | GCC 4.0.3 | ext3 | GNOME |
Impi Linux | 2.6.11.7 | GCC 4.0.1 | ? | KDE |
Kanotix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
Knoppix | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.2.2 | XFS | ? |
Kurumin Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
Linspire | 2.6.14 | GCC 3.4.3 | ReiserFS | KDE |
Linux Mint | 2.6.28 | GCC 4.3.3 | ext3 | GNOME, KDE or Xfce (depending on edition) |
Lunar Linux | 2.6.26 | GCC 3.4.6 GCC 4.2.4[18] |
none | none |
Mandriva Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext3 | GNOME,KDE |
MEPIS | 2.6.22.14 | GCC ? | ReiserFS, ext3 | KDE |
Musix GNU+Linux | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.0.3 | ? | IceWM |
Mutagenix | 2.6.18 | GCC ? | ? | KDE |
NimbleX | 2.6.11 | ? | SquashFS | KDE |
Nitix | 2.4.21 | GCC 3.3.4 | ReiserFS | none |
openSUSE | 2.6.27.7 | GCC 4.3.34 | ext3 | GNOME, KDE, Xfce |
Paipix | 2.6.14 | GCC 4.0.2 | none | KDE |
Pardus | 2.6.25 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | KDE |
Parsix | 2.6.23.9 | GCC 4.2.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
PCLinuxOS | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.1 | none | KDE |
Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | GNOME |
Puppy Linux | 2.6.25.16 | GCC 3.3.4 | SquashFS containing ext2 | JWM |
QiLinux | 2.6.17 | GCC 4.0.2 | ReiserFS | KDE |
Red Flag Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.3 | ext3 | KDE |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2.6.18[19] | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
Rxart Desktop | 2.6.11 | ? | ext3 | KDE |
Sabayon Linux | 2.6.29.1 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext4[20] | KDE |
Satux | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
Scientific Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
sidux | 2.6.27.10 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext3 | KDE |
Slackware | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 [21] | KDE |
SLAX | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.2.3 | SquashFS | KDE |
SMS - Slack Mini Server | 2.6.29.5 | GCC 4.3.3 | ext4 | KDE |
SliTaz GNU/Linux | 2.6.25.5 | GCC 4.2.2 | ext3 | Openbox |
Source Mage GNU/Linux | any (iso uses 2.6.19) | GCC 4.1.2 | ext2 | none |
SUSE Linux | 2.6.27.19 | GCC 4.1.3 | ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS | GNOME, KDE, Xfce |
Symphony OS | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.1.0 | ReiserFS | Mezzo |
SYS | 2.6.26.2 (iso) / 2.6.31-rc4 (repository [22], server [23]) | GCC 4.2.4 | ext3 | KDE, GNOME, Xfce (selectable in kdm) |
Ubuntu/Edubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
Kubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext4 | KDE |
XBMC Live | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | XBMC Media Center |
Xubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | Xfce |
Ututo GNU/Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
VectorLinux | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.4.6 | ? | Fluxbox, IceWM, Xfce |
Xandros Desktop OS | 2.6.15 | GCC 3.3.5 | ReiserFS | KDE |
Yoper | 2.6 | GCC 4.0, 4.2 | ext3 | KDE |
Zenwalk Linux | 2.6.28.7 | GCC 4.2.3 | ? | Xfce |
Distribution | Linux kernel | C Compiler | Default file system | Commonly chosen desktop environment or window manager |
Architecture support
Distribution | x86 | x86-64 | IA-64 | ppc | ppc64 | sparc32 | sparc64 | arm | hppa | mips | loongson | s390 | s390x | alpha |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
64 Studio | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Alinex | Yes | 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 |
Annvix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Arch Linux | Yes | Yes | No | 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 |
Asianux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Aurox | Yes | 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 |
Caixa Mágica | Yes | Yes | Yes | 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 |
CrunchBang Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
CRUX | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Damn Small Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Debian[24] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ?[25] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
DeLi Linux | Yes | 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 |
dyne:bolic | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Eagle Linux | Yes | 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 |
EnGarde Secure Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Fedora[26] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Finnix | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Foresight Linux | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Gentoo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes[27] | Yes | Yes[28][29] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
gnuLinEx | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
GoboLinux[30] | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Impi Linux | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Kanotix | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Kurumin Linux | Yes | 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 |
Linux Mint | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Mandriva Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | 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 |
Mutagenix | Yes | No | 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 |
NimbleX | Yes | 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 | |
OES2-Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
openSUSE[31] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Paipix | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Parsix | Yes | Yes | 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 |
Pie Box Enterprise Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Puppy Linux | Yes | 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 |
Red Flag Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux[32] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No[33] | Yes | No |
Rxart Desktop | Yes | No | Yes | 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 |
Satux | Yes | No | 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 |
sidux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Slackware | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
Slax | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
SMS -Slack Mini Server | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
SliTaz GNU/Linux | Yes | 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 |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server [34] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
Symphony OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
SYS | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Edubuntu/Xubuntu | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | 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 |
VectorLinux | Yes | ? | 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 |
XBMC Live | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Yellow Dog Linux | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Yoper | Yes | No | No | No | 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 |
Distribution | x86 | x86-64 | IA-64 | ppc | ppc64 | sparc32 | sparc64 | arm | hppa | mips | loongson | s390 | s390x | alpha |
Package management and installation
Information on features in the distributions. Package numbers are only approximate.
Distribution | Approximate number of pre-compiled packages | Approximate number of source packages | Default package management tools | Package Format | Default installer | Graphical installation procedure |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alinex | 20300 | APT | DEB | Yes | ||
aLinux | 1200 | RPM | RPM | No | ||
ALT Linux | 8300[35] | APT (apt-rpm), RPM | RPM | Yes | ||
Annvix | APT, RPM | RPM | ||||
Arch Linux | 15000 | Pacman | tar.gz | No | ||
Archie | ||||||
Ark Linux | 4000 | RPM, APT | RPM | Yes | ||
Arudius | Slackware Pkgtools | tgz | No | |||
Asianux | mlupdater, RPM | RPM | Yes | |||
Aurox | 3000 | RPM, yum | RPM | Yes | ||
BLAG | 10000 [36] | RPM, yum, APT | RPM | Yes | ||
Caixa Mágica | 16000 | urpmi, APT (apt-rpm) | RPM | Yes | ||
CrunchBang Linux | 23000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
CRUX | 1155 | pkgutils | tgz | No | ||
CentOS | 1660 | RPM, yum/up2date | RPM | Yes | ||
Damn Small Linux | 610 | myDSL, APT | .dsl, .tar.gz, .uci, .unc, deb | No | ||
Debian | 25113 | 12123 | APT | deb | Debian-Installer | Yes |
Desktop Light Linux | 150 | No | ||||
DeMuDi | 875 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Dreamlinux | 23000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
dyne:bolic | none | none | Yes | |||
Elive | 20000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
EnGarde Secure Linux | 500 | RPM, APT | RPM | |||
Fedora | 8000 | yum | RPM | Anaconda | Yes | |
Finnix | 350 | APT | deb | No | ||
Foresight Linux | 15000 | Conary, PackageKit[37] | Yes | |||
Frugalware | 3000 | Pacman | .tar.bz | Yes | ||
Gentoo | 80 | 13000 | Portage | ebuild | Yes[38] | |
gnuLinEx | 200 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
GoboLinux | 2000 | Manager,[39] Compile, InstallPackage | recipes,tar.bz2 | Yes | ||
Impi Linux | No | |||||
Kanotix | 1200 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
KateOS | ||||||
Knoppix | 3600 | APT | deb | No | ||
Kurumin | APT | deb | Yes | |||
Linspire | 2200 | CNR "click and run" | deb | Yes | ||
Linux Mint | 23000 | APT, mintInstall | deb | Ubiquity | Yes | |
Lunar | 3120 | lin | source | Yes | ||
Mandriva Linux | 20000 | urpmi, rpmdrake[40] | RPM | DrakX | Yes | |
MEPIS | 20000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Musix GNU+Linux | 1300 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Mutagenix | tgz | Yes | ||||
Mythbuntu | 26000 | APT | deb | Ubiquity | ||
NimbleX | 500 | none | tgz | No | ||
Nitix | SoftUpdate, yum | RPM | Yes | |||
openSUSE | 22000 | YaST, Zypper | RPM | YaST | Yes | |
Paipix | 2000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Pardus | 1600 | PiSi | .pisi | Yes | ||
Parsix | APT | deb | Yes | |||
PCLinuxOS | 5025 | APT, RPM | RPM | Yes | ||
Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 1500 | up2date, yum | RPM | Yes | ||
Puppy | 300 | PupGet, DotPup | .pup, .pet | Yes | ||
QiLinux | 2500 | RPM, APT | RPM | Yes[41] | ||
Red Flag | Red Flag Installer System, RPM | RPM | Yes | |||
Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 3000 | RPM, yum | RPM | Yes | ||
Rxart | 5000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Sabayon Linux | 12000 | Portage, Entropy | ebuild | Yes | ||
SAM Linux | ||||||
Satux | dpkg,apt-get | deb | Yes | |||
Scientific | APT/yum | RPM | Yes | |||
sidux | 23000 | APT | deb | Yes | ||
Slackware | 544 | installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz | No | ||
Slax | 2050 | none | .lzm | |||
SMS - Slack Mini Server | 600 | installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz, .txz .lzm | No | ||
SliTaz GNU/Linux | 1400 | Tazpkg | .tazpkg | Yes | ||
Source Mage GNU/Linux | 5514 | Sorcery Package Manager | src | Yes | ||
SUSE | 22000 | YaST, Zypper | RPM | YaST | Yes | |
Symphony OS | APT, OneClick | RPM | Yes | |||
SYS | 6000 | installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz | No | ||
Ubuntu,Kubuntu,Xubuntu | 26000 | APT | deb | Ubiquity | Yes | |
Ututo | 5000 | UTUTO Package Manager | ebuild | |||
Vector Linux | slapt-get, gslapt, installpkg | tgz | Yes | |||
Xandros Desktop OS | APT | deb | Yes | |||
XBMC Live | APT | deb | No | |||
Yoper | 2000 | Smart | RPM | No | ||
Zenwalk Linux | netpkg, installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz | Yes | |||
Distribution | Approximate number of packages | Approximate number of source packages | Default package management tools | Package Format | Default installer | Graphical installation procedure |
Live CDs/DVDs/USBs
Distribution | Size in MB | RAM Use in MB | Boots from CD-ROM | Boots from DVD[clarification needed] | Installable Live CD | Installable Over USBs | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ALT Linux Desktop or Lite | 700 | Yes | Yes | No | |||
Archie | Yes | Yes | |||||
Ark Linux | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Austrumi | 50 | Yes | Yes | ||||
BackTrack | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
CentOS | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Damn Small Linux | 50 | 8 to 16 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Debian Live | 50 to 5120 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Dreamlinux | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
dyne:bolic | 650 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Elive | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Feather Linux | 128 | 48 to 96 | Yes | Yes | |||
Fedora Live CD |
683 | 256 to 1024 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Finnix | 100 to 130 | 28 to 64 | Yes | Yes | No | ||
Freespire | 700 | 128 to 768 | Yes | No | Yes | ||
iloog | 700 | Yes | No | ||||
Inquisitor live CD | 210 | 96 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Kanotix | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Knoppix CD edition |
700 | 128 to 320 | Yes | Yes | Only DVD edition is maintained | ||
Knoppix DVD "Maxi" edition |
4812.8 | No | Yes | ||||
Knoppix STD | 497 | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | |||
Gnoppix | 4812.8 | No | Yes | No longer updated | |||
gOS | 700 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
Linux Mint | 700 | 256 to 768 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Mandriva One | 700 | 128 to 768 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Mandrake | |||||||
MCNLive | 350 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Morphix | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Musix | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
NimbleX | 200 | 96 to 320 | Yes | Yes | |||
nUbuntu | 265 | Yes | Yes | ||||
openGEU | 700 | 192 to 512 | Yes | Yes | |||
openSUSE | 700 | 128 to 768 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Oralux | 500 | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | |||
Parted Magic | 30 | Yes | Yes | ||||
PCLinuxOS | 130 to 700 | 96 to 512 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
Phlak | 500 | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | |||
Puppy Linux (standard edition) | 70 | 32 to 192 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
pure:dyne | 542 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Red Hat Linux | |||||||
Sabayon Linux Live CD | 695 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
Sabayon Linux Live DVD | 4000 | No | Yes | Yes | |||
SAM Linux | 683 | Yes | Yes | ||||
sidux | 400 to 1999 | 193 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
SimplyMEPIS | 706 | 128 to 512 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
SLAX | 200 | 96 to 320 | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
SMS - Slack Mini Server | 283 to 950 | 128 to 786 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
SliTaz GNU/Linux | 29 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
SystemRescueCD | 160 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
Trinity Rescue Kit | 104 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Ubuntu | 700 | 384 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Edubuntu | 700 | Yes | Yes | ||||
Kubuntu | 700 | 384 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
XBMC Live | 700 | 256 to 1024 | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Xubuntu | 700 | 256 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Distribution | Size | RAM Use | Boots from CD-ROM | Boots from DVD | Installable Live CD | Installable Over USBs |
Security features
Distribution | Compile Time Buffer Checks | Mandatory access control | Software executable space protection | grsecurity | RSBAC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Debian | Unknown | Optional (SELinux) | Optional (PaX) | Optional | Optional |
Fedora | Yes | Yes (SELinux[42]) | Yes (Exec Shield[43]) | No | No |
Gentoo[44] | Unknown | Optional (SELinux) | Optional (PaX) | Optional | Optional |
Mandriva | Unknown | Yes (AppArmor[45]) | Unknown | Unknown | Yes |
SUSE | Unknown | Yes (AppArmor[46]) | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
See also
References
- ^ BLAG Linux And GNU - BLAG 90001 (oxygen) Released
- ^ Gentoo Linux - Gentoo Linux 2008.0 released
- ^ http://openwrt.org/
- ^ http://www.puppylinux.org/downloads/official-releases/puppy-linux-411
- ^ satux
- ^ http://ftp1.us.proftpd.org/pub/historic-linux/di-stributions/jurix/README.txt
- ^ http://ftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/linux/SYS/
- ^ Linspire.com - Products
- ^ How to Buy: Novell Open Enterprise Server 2
- ^ redhat.com | Red Hat Enterprise Linux
- ^ redhat.com | Red Hat Enterprise Linux Desktop Operating Systems
- ^ Linux- RXART- Soluciones Linux - Linux Solutions
- ^ SUSE Linux Enterprise Operating Systems from Novell
- ^ Pkg: kernel26 - Arch Linux Package Details
- ^ Pkg: gcc - Arch Linux Package Details
- ^ Official Arch Linux Install Guide: Set Filesystem Mountpoints
- ^ Installing - ArkWiki
- ^ http://foo-projects.org/git/?p=lunar/moonbase.git;a=blob_plain;f=compilers/gcc/DETAILS;hb=HEAD
- ^ redhat.com | Knowledgebase
- ^ http://forum.sabayonlinux.org/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=16766
- ^ Installing Slackware 12 on Linux Software RAID and LVM2
- ^ ftp://ftp5.gwdg.de/pub/linux/install/sys/
- ^ http://guyane.dyn-o-saur.com/info.php
- ^ Debian - Ports
- ^ Jurij Smakov. "Retiring the sparc32 port". debian-devel-announce (Mailing list).
{{cite mailing list}}
: Text "date 2007-07-18" ignored (help) - ^ Fedora Architecture Specific Notes
- ^ "Gentoo Linux ARM Handbook".
- ^ "Gentoo Linux/MIPS Frequently Asked Questions".
- ^ "Gentoo/MIPS Linux Hardware Requirements".
- ^ GoboLinux - the alternative Linux distribution
- ^ openSUSE download page
- ^ Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server Version comparison chart
- ^ RHEL 4 is the last version to support 31-bit s390. RHEL 5 only supports 64-bit s390x.
- ^ SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Tech Specs
- ^ http://sisyphus.ru/
- ^ BLAG :: View topic - rolling or frozen
- ^ Foresight Linux | 1.4.1 Release Notes
- ^ Can be installed graphically (GTK+ and ncurses), but traditionally done by command line (install cd, live cd, netboot, and from distributions).
- ^ GoboLinux - the alternative Linux distribution
- ^ Mandriva 2008 release notes
- ^ Ncurses-based first stage and then KDE-based second stage installation GUI.
- ^ "Mandatory Access Control with SELinux" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ "Fedora Core 1 Release Notes - Kernel Notes". Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ "Hardened Gentoo - 4. Subprojects". Retrieved 2007-12-24.
- ^ "Mandriva Linux 2008 Release Notes: Apparmor has replaced RSBAC as the in-kernel application security tool".
- ^ "AppArmor".
External links
- 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.
- PolishLinux.org Compare distros - Detailed comparison of Linux distributions (outdated)
- How to choose a Linux distro