The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of distributions of the Linux operating system.
The tables specifically do not include subjective viewpoints on the merits of each operating system. For this kind of information, please see operating system advocacy.
Most of the distributions on this page are hard disk-based. On DistroWatch you can find particular distributions that run from LiveCD or USB-pendrive, such as flash-puppy.
To compare Linux distributions with other operating systems, please see comparison of operating systems.
Please note that Mandriva was formerly Mandrakesoft, creator of Mandrakelinux, now Mandriva Linux.
General
Basic general information about the distributions: creator/company, license/price etc.
| Creator | First public release date | Predecessor | Latest stable version | Cost (USD) | Preferred license | Target audience | Origin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux | Judd Vinet | March 2002 | None | 0.7 | Free | GPL | Enthusiast | Canada |
| Aurox | Aurox | September 2002 | Fedora | 10.2 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Poland |
| Debian | Debian Project | August 1993 | None | 3.1r0a (sarge) | Free | any DFSG-free | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Worldwide |
| Fedora Core | Fedora Project | November 2003 | Red Hat Linux | 4 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | USA |
| Gentoo | Gentoo Foundation | March 2002 | Enoch | 2005.0 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Worldwide |
| Impi | Guateng Linux Users Group | November 2003 | Originally Debian | 2005 UP2 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | South Africa |
| Knoppix | Klaus Knopper | ? | Based on Debian | 3.9 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Germany |
| Linspire | Linspire, Inc | March 2002 | Based on Debian | 5-0 | $49.95 | GPL/Commercial | Workstation | USA |
| Lunar Linux | Chuck Mead | March 2002 | Sorcerer GNU/Linux | 1.5.0 | Free | OSI Approved | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Worldwide |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | Lycoris | December 2001 | Caldera OpenLinux | 1.4 | $40-$75 | A Lycoris License | Workstation | USA |
| Red Flag Linux | RedFlag | September 1999 | Based on Red Hat Linux | 4.1 | Free, desktop version | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | China |
| Mandriva Linux | Mandriva | July 1998 | Red Hat Linux | Limited Edition 2005 | Free (Download edition) | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | France |
| MEPIS | Warren Woodford | September 2003 | Based on Debian | SimplyMEPIS 3.3.1 | Free (Download edition) | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | USA |
| PCLinuxOS | Texstar | October 2003 | Based on Mandriva Linux | Preview 9 | Free | GPL | Desktop | Texas, USA |
| PLD Linux Distribution | PLD | November 2002 | None | 1.0 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Poland |
| Slackware Linux | Patrick Volkerding | July 1993 | SLS | 10.1 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | USA |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | Eric Schabell | June 2002 | Sorcerer GNU/Linux | 0.9.3 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Worldwide |
| SUSE Linux | SUSE | March 1994 | Jurix | 9.3 | $79.95 Professional, available for free download |
GPL | Workstation, Server, Enthusiast | Germany |
| Ubuntu | Canonical Ltd | October 2004 | Based on Debian | 5.04 | Free | GPL | Workstation, Enthusiast | Isle of Man |
| Xandros Desktop OS | Xandros | October 2002 | Based on Corel Linux | 3.0 | $50-$90 or free for Open Circulation Edition. |
Proprietary | Workstation, Server | Canada |
| Creator | First public release date | Predecessor | Stable version | Cost (USD) | Preferred license | Target Audience | Origin |
Technical
Information on technical aspects of the distributions.
| Default Linux Kernel(s) | Default file system | Other major file systems supported | Architectural support (first, primary platform) |
Default online OS update tool | Default package management/ software installation tool |
Main API and language for GUI applications |
Main API and language for textual/CLI applications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux | 2.6.10-3 | ext3 | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86 (i686) | Pacman | Pacman | Various (no default) | pre-LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Aurox | 2.6.9 | ext3 | ext2, ReiserFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, NTFS | x86 | yum | RPM, yum | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Debian | 2.4.27/2.6.8 | ext3/ext2 | JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86, IA64, PPC, SPARC, SPARC64, Alpha, MIPS, ARM, PA-RISC, Mac/VME 68k, S/390 | APT | dpkg and APT | Various (no default) | pre-LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Fedora Core | 2.6.11 | ext3 | ext2, ReiserFS, FAT, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS | x86, x86-64, i386, PowerPC | up2date, yum, APT (limited) | RPM, yum | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Gentoo | 2.6.11 | User Determined | ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, Reiser4, ReiserFS | x86, x86-64, PPC, PowerPC 970, SPARC, SPARC64, Alpha, MIPS | emerge | Portage | Various (no default) | ? |
| Impi | 2.6.11.7 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | Various (no default) | ? |
| Knoppix | 2.6.11 | XFS | Probably same as Debian. | x86 | APT | dpkg and APT | Various | ? |
| Linspire | 2.6.10 | ReiserFS | ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, Reiser4 | x86 | Click-N-Run (apt-get) | Click-N-Run (apt-get) | Qt, English | Probably same as Debian. |
| Lunar Linux | 2.4.29/2.6.11 | User Determined | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86 (i686) | lin | lin | none | Bash (POSIX conforming) |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | 2.4.27 | ext3 | ? | x86 | Update Wizard | RPM/Software Installer | Qt, English | ? |
| Mandriva Linux | 2.6.11.6 | ext3 | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86 (i586), x86-64, PPC | urpmi | RpmDrake | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| MEPIS | 2.6.10 | ReiserFS/ext3 | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS | x86 (i586) | APT | dpkg and APT | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| PCLinuxOS | 2.6.7, 2.6.11 | ext3 | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86 (i586) | APT/Synaptic | RPM | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| PLD Linux Distribution | ? | ext3/ext2/XFS | JFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86(i386, i586, i686 and Athlon), PPC, AMD64, SPARC, SPARC64, Alpha, | Poldek | Poldek, RPM | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Slackware | 2.4.29 | ReiserFS, ext3/ext2 | JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS | x86, IA64, S/390 | Swaret, Slapt-get, many other not official | installpkg and upgradepkg | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | 2.6.8.1 2.4.25 | ext2 | ext2, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, ReiserFS | x86 (i686), x86-64, PPC | Sorcery Package Manager | Sorcery Package Manager | Various (no default) | Bash (POSIX conforming) |
| Red Flag Linux | 2.4.26 | ext3 | ReiserFS, JFS, ISO 9660 | x86 | Red Flag Installer System | RPM | Various (no default) | pre-LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| SUSE Linux | 2.6.11.4 | ReiserFS | ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS, Reiser4 | x86, IA64, x86-64, PPC | YaST2 | RPM, YaST | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Ubuntu | 2.6.10 | ext3 | ext2, NTFS, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS | x86, x86-64, PowerPC | Ubuntu Update Manager (APT) | Synaptic Package Manager | Various (no default) | LSB with C, various other (POSIX conforming) |
| Xandros Desktop OS | 2.6.9 | ReiserFS | ext2, ext3, JFS, XFS, FAT, NTFS, ISO 9660, UDF, NFS | x86 | Xandros Networks (APT) | Xandros Networks (APT) | Qt | Probably same as Debian |
| Default Linux Kernel(s) | Default file system | Other major file systems supported | Architectural support (first, primary platform) |
Default online OS update tool | Default package management/ software installation tool |
Main API and language for GUI applications |
Main API and language for textual/CLI applications |
Features
Information on features in the distributions.
| Packages | GUI installation procedure? | Default Filesystem Browser(s) | Default desktop environment | Default window manager | Default GUI styling | Default Office Suite | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux | ? | No | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
| Aurox | about 3000 | Yes | Nautilus | GNOME | Metacity | Bluecurve theme | none (all optional) |
| Debian | about 15500 | No | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
| Fedora Core | about 5000 | Yes | Nautilus | GNOME | Metacity | Bluecurve theme | OpenOffice.org/KOffice/GNOME Office |
| Gentoo | about 9000 | No[*] | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
| Impi | ? | ? | ? | KDE | ? | ? | ? |
| Knoppix | about 1000 | No | none (all optional) |
KDE | kwin | Keramik | OpenOffice.org |
| Linspire | ? | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Linspire's | OpenOffice.org/KOffice/GNOME Office |
| Lunar Linux | ? | Yes | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
| Lycoris Desktop/LX | ? | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Lycoris' (Windows-esque). |
KOffice |
| Mandriva Linux | about 4000 | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Mandrakegalaxy theme | OpenOffice.org |
| MEPIS | ? | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Plastik theme | OpenOffice.org |
| PCLinuxOS | ? | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | PCLinuxOS custom theme | OpenOffice.org |
| PLD Linux Distribution | ? | No | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
KOffice |
| Red Flag Linux | ? | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Red Flag (Windows XP-like) | OpenOffice.org |
| Slackware | ? | No | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | Plastick Theme (default KDE) | KOffice |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | ? | Yes | none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
none (all optional) |
| SUSE Linux | about 4500 | Yes | Konqueror | KDE | kwin | ThinKeramik Theme | OpenOffice.org/KOffice/GNOME Office |
| Ubuntu | ? | No | Nautilus | GNOME | Metacity | Human theme | OpenOffice.org/GNOME Office |
| Xandros Desktop OS | ? | Yes | Xandros File Manager | KDE | kwin | Xandros' | OpenOffice.org/KOffice |
| Packages | GUI installation procedure? | Default Filesystem Browser | Default desktop environment | Default window manager | Default GUI styling | Default Office Suite |
[*] Note about Gentoo: Currently there is no officially supported interactive install processes for Gentoo - just documentation to guide users through the manual process of installation. Although, there are CLI and GUI interactive install processes being developed.
See also
External links
- Rosetta Stone for Unix
- DistroWatch.com - Compares all significant Linux distributions in detail, and was a source for some information shown here.