Distributions

How many is too many?

It was recently suggested that there are too many Linux distributions. Apparently Michael Dell of Dell Computers agrees. But is it true?

As of this writing the LWN Distributions List contains 431 active(*) distributions. (*)Some portion of those are not, in fact, even remotely active projects. However we are very conservative about removing projects, and on several occasions when we moved a project to the non-active section of the list we received email saying the project was indeed active, just really slow.

This leaves us with some questions. Do we need hundreds of Linux distributions? How much overlap is there in all those distributions? Why do people want to create their own Linux distributions?

We probably don't need hundreds of Linux distributions, but there is actually less overlap than it might seem. Many distributions are created for a specific purpose. Regardless of the purpose, there is usually more than one way of doing something so there's likely to be some overlap in even the most specialized of categories as different projects take a different approach to solving the problem.

Many distributions are highly customized for a particular organization. The chances are no one outside of that organization will be all that interested, but they are open projects so we list them. Likewise there are many distributions that have been localized for a particular country or language. There are a wide variety of embedded distributions for an equally wide variety of hardware and applications. There are distributions that focus on security or the desktop or education (for children of all ages), or multimedia experience.

The media tells us that we are "not there yet" on the desktop so we obviously do need the competition there. Some projects work only with certain types of hardware, and it is projects like these that allow our mainstream distributions to support more processors.

When we eliminate the specialized categories we are left with only seventy distributions. Not hundreds at all. There are several different philosophies on package management; RPM- based, .deb types, source-based, and few others like Conary and Pacman. There are many small consulting firms, who sell and support their own brand of Linux. If these consulting firms are making a living, more power to them.

For hardware manufacturers like Mr. Dell, focusing on the leading distributions should be sufficient. If that's still too many, chose a subset. If Linux runs well on the hardware, then the other distributions can be installed by those whose tastes are less than mainstream. Natural selection will take care of the rest, one way or another.

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OpenLab 4 (Perdita) - Release Anouncement

OpenLab International has announced (click below) the international release of OpenLab4. OpenLab4 is an all-encompassing GNU/Linux software distribution, catering to desktop, power and server users alike. OpenLab4 allows for the use of varied computer technologies, ranging from obsolete to state-of-the-art, from stand-alone PC, fat-client to diskless workstation configuration.

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SuSE 10 Arrives (eWeek)

eWeek takes a look at SUSE Linux 10.0. "Like Linux Pro before it, SuSE Linux 10 is designed both to be a cutting-edge Linux distribution for enthusiasts while providing the easy-to-use KDE and GNOME interfaces for less-experienced desktop users. This distribution comes with GNOME 2.12 and KDE 3.4.2. In addition to its desktop, SUSE Linux 10.0 includes more than 1,500 open-source Linux applications and packages that can be optionally installed for Web hosting, application development and home networking." Here's the official announcement.

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Ubuntu 5.10RC

The final release candidate for Ubuntu 5.10 ("Breezy") is now available; here's your chance to test things out before next week's release. Inside the announcement (click below) you'll find download information, a list of important new features in 5.10, and information to sign up to get free CD mailed to you. The Kubuntu Breezy Release Candidate is also available.

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Mandriva Linux 2006 available to Club members

Members of Mandriva Club are probably already aware of the release of Mandriva Linux 2006, currently only available to club members. "2006 is the first version after the merger of Mandriva, Conectiva and Lycoris. It is the most user-friendly, ergonomic and yet most powerful Mandriva Linux ever. Starting today Club members and offical contributors to the distribution are entitled to download various editions of the distribution, all including commercial applications and plugins such as Flash, Java and the graphics drivers from NVIDIA and ATI."

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Ubuntu launches "The Fridge"

Ubuntu Chief Refrigeration Engineer Jeff Waugh has sent out an announcement for The Fridge, intended to be "an information hub for the Ubuntu community, bringing together news, grassroots marketing, advocacy, team collaboration, and great original content."

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Debian Project news

The official Debian Wiki has been announced. "The original wiki pages from wiki.debian.net have been converted and moved to wiki.debian.org. Thanks to Michael Ivey for hosting the previous wiki for the last four years and to Don Armstrong and various others for assisting in the migration."

The Board of Directors of Software in the Public Interest, Inc. will hold its quarterly meeting on Tuesday, October 18, 2005, at 19:00 UTC in #spi on irc.oftc.net. The public is welcome at all SPI meetings.

Bill Allombert covers the Debian menu transition, part 2.

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Debian Weekly News

The Debian Weekly News for October 11, 2005 looks at a Debian-based underwater vehicle, a series of articles on using a Debian-based firewall, wiki spam, reviving the Debian FAQ, and several other topics.

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Fedora Weekly News

Fedora Weekly News #17 covers the release of Firefox 1.5 Beta 2, OOoCon Interviews & Keynotes, Dogtail, Fedora Security Basics, Yumex 0.42-6 released for FC4, setting up Linux iSCSI on FC4, updated Fedora Core 4 ISO for PPC, and more.

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Gentoo Weekly Newsletter

The Gentoo Weekly Newsletter for the week of October 10, 2005 is out. Topics this week include Gnome 2.12 moving to unstable, Gentoo at the Linux World Expo London, Oberhausen GUM, and more.

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DistroWatch Weekly, Issue 121

The DistroWatch Weekly for October 10, 2005 is out. "A very busy week of exciting new releases is behind us, but that doesn't mean that this week will be any less interesting - in fact, we expect a new KDE 3.4.3 on Wednesday, while the "Breezy Badger" family of Ubuntu Linux and its partner projects are scheduled for release on Thursday. Also in this issue: we'll analyse the events of the past week, introduce Mandriva 2006 Discovery Live, feature WIENUX 1.0, continue with the usual release summaries, and conclude with a handful of interesting new distributions."

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Ark Linux 2005.2 Release Candidate with KDE 3.5 Beta 1 (KDE.News)

KDE.News looks at Ark Linux 2005.2. "Ark Linux is a very KDE centric desktop Linux distribution, aimed at making Linux easily usable to everyone while remaining technically sane. Aside from the move to KDE 3.5, this release features even more KDE integration including OpenOffice.org KAddressBook integration, and the usual round of speedups and bugfixes. The Ark Linux team are planning to release 2005.2 final at the same time as KDE 3.5 is released."

Ark Linux 2005.2 rc3 was released this week.

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Pie Box Enterprise Linux 3 AS U6 now available

Pie Box Enterprise Linux 3 Advanced Server Update 6 has been announced (click below). This update includes improved support for dual-core processors, kernel and user support for 2 terabyte partitions on block devices, driver updates, security updates, bug fixes and more.

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64 Studio 0.4.0 alpha released

Release 0.4.0 alpha of 64 Studio, an audio distribution aimed at 64 bit platforms, is out. "Our latest monthly release of 64 Studio, version 0.4.0 alpha, is now available by apt. The distribution is now based mostly on Debian Etch, but the Etch installer is not yet available, so please use the 0.3.0 iso image as an installer and then run the 64studio-upgrade script, as root, to pull the 0.4.0 update from our apt server."

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Fedora updates

Fedora Core 4 updates: mysql (update to MySQL 4.1.14), nut (update to 2.0.2), mc (bug fixes), cdrtools (fixed mkisofs), udev (bug fixes and features), wget (update to 1.10.1), xpdf (apply upstream patch to fix resize/redraw bug), cman-kernel (rebuilt against kernel-2.6.13-1.1526_FC4), dlm-kernel (rebuilt against kernel-2.6.13-1.1526_FC4), GFS-kernel (rebuilt against kernel-2.6.13-1.1526_FC4), gnbd-kernel (rebuilt against kernel-2.6.13-1.1526_FC4).

Fedora Core 3 updates: libwpd (fix import that causes glitches on export), nut (update to 2.0.2), mc (bug fixes), udev (fix issues with recent kernel updates), wget (update to 1.10.1), xpdf (apply upstream patch to fix resize/redraw bug).

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Mandriva updates

Mandriva has updated freetype2 (fix an invalid subpixel rendering), mozilla-thunderbird-nb (corrects a packaging bug), shorewall (fixes a bug in the way chkconfig handled shorewall upgrades), postgresql (bug fixes), ghostscript (bug fixes), drakxtools (new version of the HPLIP driver suite).

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Review: Ubuntu 5.10 Breezy Badger (Linux.com)

Linux.com reviews the Ubuntu (and Kubuntu) 5.10 release, also known as Breezy Badger. "The default set of applications includes Firefox, Evolution, OpenOffice 2, Gaim, a BitTorrent client, Gnomemeeting, the GIMP, and a number of other productivity and entertainment applications for desktop use. The odds are good that this set of applications will be sufficient for many users -- and if not, it's easy enough to add new ones. Ubuntu includes two GUI package management tools, Synaptic and Gnome App Install. Synaptic is a front end for the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT), and is somewhat complex. It's simpler than using apt-get for many users, but it still may be a bit arcane for users who aren't familiar with Linux package management."

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Review: MitraX live CD (Linux.com)

Linux.com reviews MitraX, a live CD from Serbia. "MitraX 0.3.1 is based on Slackware Linux, with the 2.6.9 kernel, and uses FVWM-95 as its window manager. Nenad Mitrovic, the creator of MitraX, has carefully selected the software packages. If you look at the software that comes with this distribution, it's clear that MitraX is a tool for network administrators, but also well-suited for desktop use. You can watch a movie, listen to music, write a document, send an email, create a spreadsheet, process a photo, or back up data from your hard disk. It is perfect for burning to a wallet-size CD, and could be used in many situations. It is incredible what can you do with this live CD, which only takes up 50MB."

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Wolvix: Leader of the Pack (TuxMachines)

TuxMachines.org has a review of Wolvix. "In summation, Wolvix is all that it claims and more. I found the entire experience quite enjoyable and easy. Despite its small size, it's complete with wonderful assortment of included applications and utilities. It's fast and stable! I didn't experience one lockup, freeze, or crash. The unified desktop experience gives it polished look and feel. I was highly impressed with this offering and can recommend it to anyone. In fact, I suggest you download and try it out for yourself today. It is definitely at least a 9 out of 10!"

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