There's Way More to Linux than Ubuntu: 8 Distros Compared
Posted 05/07/09 at 11:30:00 AM by Will Kraft
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Specialty Distros
In addition to the five distros we have reviewed in-depth, here are some other distros that fill a specific niche or purpose.
Puppy Linux
Puppy Linux is one of the small, ultra-lightweight desktop distros. Weighing in at only 100 MB, Puppy Linux is unique from other Live CD distros in that it can cache itself entirely in RAM, thereby allowing you to have free use of all your optical drives. (other distros like Knoppix keep the CD drive it is using locked until system reboot) Puppy Linux uses only 128 MB of RAM, so it is ideal for old equipment or for those who want to wring every last bit of performance out of their hardware. Since it runs completely in RAM without having to periodically pull data from optical media, PuppyLinux is extremely fast and responsive.
For an extreme lightweight, Puppy Linux packs in about as much software as the average Linux distro. Many of these programs are very light alternatives to things like OpenOffice.org and Gimp, but they are very useful. Puppy includes Abiword and GNUmeric for the office suite, and tools like InkscapeLight and MTPaint for graphics tools. Puppy Linux is very attractive, despite the simple JWM interface it uses.
Backtrack
Backtrack is a specialty Live CD distribution dedicated to the art of computer security. Backtrack includes various tools for penetration testing, brute-force attacks, spoofing, and other security-related subjects. To get much use out of Backtrack, you must be familiar with the various tools of the trade that the distro includes and know how to use them. Backtrack uses a KDE interface and is built on a Debian-derived architecture.
Arch Linux
Arch Linux is a distro that is designed to be fast, lightweight, and simple from a developer's point of view. Arch is similar to Gentoo, but is binary-based rather than source-based. Arch is for advanced Linux users who know what they are doing and have a firm grasp on the command line. There is no graphical frontend for package management; the Pacman package management tool is handled exclusively through the command line.
Arch is quite powerful, but it is not very beginner friendly. Although it has LiveCD functionality, it is largely text-based and there is no GUI at all out of the box. Arch's installation tool is a throwback to the multi-step menu-based installers of years past, where you must manually invoke each part of the installation procedure from a list with no clearly defined order. You must also set up your bootloader manually. This is understandably daunting to anyone other than a Linux expert.
We really advise new users with little to no prior Linux experience to choose a distro other than Arch, since Arch may be very intimidating to users who have never had to deal with something like it before.
Analysis
As you may have noticed, most Linux distros are built using the same components and include the same software. (most have Gimp, OpenOffice.org, etc.) Under most conditions, it is possible to make any software package (like a desktop environment) work on practically any distro. However, not all distros make use of these tools equally or implement them as well as any other.
Some distros are best experienced with GNOME (Ubuntu and Fedora, for instance) while others are best used with KDE. (openSUSE and Mandriva) Because of this, one of the things you must consider when choosing a distro is the desktop environment you plan to use. If you are a Linux user, you probably have a preference in regard to your desktop environment. If your preferred environment is not available, your productivity may suffer as a result. In the same way, you should consider which type of package management works best for you. Many people become overly dependent on one type of package management and are hesitant to fully commit to a different distro “family” that uses a different kind.
Next, you must address your current level of skill. If you are new to Linux, you are going to be very frustrated with something like Arch. Likewise, more advanced users may be hindered by an easy-to-use distro because the user-friendliness in a distro like Mandriva may get in the way or come across as patronizing. A fairly competent user would be best served with a distro like openSUSE, Ubuntu, or Fedora.
You must also address security. The way the distro landscape is set up, there is sometimes a trade-off between security and user-friendliness. For instance, Ubuntu is easier to use than Fedora, but Fedora provides much better security out of the box. However, Ubuntu's security can be enhanced by installing SELinux, better managing sudo on regular user accounts, and re-enabling the root password. In this way, the differences between the two can be equalized.
In the end, choosing a distro is about compromise. You must prioritize and decide which factors are the most important to you and which distros will offer it to you while forcing you to compromise the least. Despite its downsides, the Linux distro situation is better than Windows since Windows requires you to adapt to its way of doing things. Linux offers you more choices and allows your computing environment to better fit your needs.
Thanx!
Submitted by ETNPNYS on Mon, 06/15/2009 - 12:27pm
I may be a little late to the commenting game here, but I must say that this article sparked my internest in Linux (again).
I have dabbled with Linux probably once or twice every year for the past decade... ...and I have always wound up just appreciating the polish of Windows more each time. But this time, I was REALLY turned on by the fact that Mandriva came bundled with huge usability/administration improvements, such as the device manager and the mac-like control panel stuff. I was really looking for something that would make my computer pretty and fun to use again, but unfortunately I ran into a few snags along the way... Mandriva 2009.1 failed to work properly with my video card (GeForce 4600Ti), so I ditched it for Xubuntu - lightweight and pretty. I ran into some other hardware issues here that weren't resolvable with my limited knowledge, so I ditched it and went to Kubuntu (I really like KDE 4.3). I had the same issues with my video card, so I ditched it and went to Ubuntu.
The main benefit to Ubuntu is that the user base is SO much larger than the rest that if you run into an issue, there's almost certainly somebody else out there with the same issue. That's how I found the fix for my videocard woes: a simple line of text added to a single file and a reboot. Now, my P4 2.53 and GeForce 4600Ti are as pretty and snappy as a Core 2 Duo and a 9800GT running OSX. Sweet. Combined with MS Office and Money running through Wine, the only reason I still have Windows on this machine is to sync my wife's GPS watch! Even she's using Ubuntu!
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Submitted by LesserAnimal on Mon, 06/08/2009 - 3:17am
I don't know why Debian gets ignored. My experience with Ubuntu has always felt sluggish in comparison.
PCLinuxOS Beats Them All
Submitted by ljwheeler on Sun, 05/31/2009 - 7:35am
PCLinuxOS ranks higher than any of these distros you've highlighted!
Submitted by firthh on Sat, 05/30/2009 - 8:03am
I think its great more people are discovering linux.
I am a little dissapointed about your coverage of arch linux. Yes, it no where near as easy to just install and use; but if you really want to know what you are doing with linux use should try arch linux. I was once told that arch linux should be the first distro you install if you want to use linux; and i agree with this completely IF you want to know what your doing with linux.
I had been using fedora for quite some time, and this semester at uni i took a course in unix and network programming, so after a couple of weeks of that i felt comfortable to install something other than fedora, so i installed arch linux. Arch linux takes a bit too set up but they have a lot of information on how to do all these sorts of things on there website. It is not nearly as hard as you make out. There are only a couple of files that need changing and thats mainly to get your networking to work. once it is installed PACMAN is really easy to get new packages installed. I found that in just a couple of weeks of using arch linux i had learnt much more than i had in months of using fedora.
Root password - You missed the point!
Submitted by yurimxpxman on Sat, 05/16/2009 - 3:34am
The reason Ubuntu doesn't have a separate root password is because it is very dangerous to login as a superuser, especially in a GUI. It's much safer to use your own account and give access to commands one at a time, but you can change this later if you're dumb enough.
Submitted by sablougle on Mon, 05/11/2009 - 10:11am
I love the fact that people are talking about Linux. I just wanted to remind everyone that Linux, Mac osX and Windows are all a personal choice. If you want to pay a high price for your OS buy Windows. If you want to pay a high price for your computer buy a Mac. If you love the computer you have but don't want to pay for your OS use linux. As for what distro of linux, well use their live cd's to see which one you like , or maybe to find out which one works better for you. You don't have to "follow the crowd" for a certain distro, just try a few to see which is right for you.
Submitted by pcfxer on Sun, 05/10/2009 - 12:00pm
....and again, no mention of PC-BSD. PC-BSD is THE most widely distributed packaged desktop version on a UNIX based foundation (not including Solaris, but Solaris is more POSIX than UNIX) than any other.
Editors of MaximumPC, shoot me an e-mail if you have questions I'd love to a) help you build a BSD desktop or b) install and use PC-BSD. I'd recommend going with a) so you can appreciate what PC-BSD is and understand the innards of FreeBSD.
Regards,
Brodey
Submitted by oceania68 on Sat, 05/09/2009 - 8:33pm
But, Have you ever tried the distro (in beta form) Klikit Linux.... www.klikit.org
I use it often as a main OS even though it is in beta, but I happen to not fault it. By beta standards its very stable and has a great and active community. You give it a go and see what you think... Built upon Kubuntu but with its own community feel and input.cheers all...
Fedora 11 around the corner
Submitted by lsatenstein on Sat, 05/09/2009 - 6:57pm
In about 10 days from today, May 9th, Fedora11 will move from Beta to released. I can't wait.
First of all, it is boots more quickly, and from my testing for the past month, not one problem did I detect.
The standard Fedora 11 version has locked out the root password from the GUI, but with a change to two files in /etc one is able to log to root in Gnome and KDE. Sudo works as expected, asking for Roots password, not the users logon password. This allows me to share my user logon with others (software package restricted to one user). This is way way to dangerous in UBUNTU, as the access to sudo requires the users logon password. (NOTE: In installing UBUNTU, make the very first logon you create to be titled admin. Once in admin, create your own user id. ADMIN can be hidden from the list of users in the login menu where all users are shown). From Admin, edit using visudo to give group access to admin, and if you want, without having to provide password for the sudo command. Then exit Admin and from then on use your user account and password).
I added the extra repros (adobe, livna and the combinedrpmfusion one ). With F10, livna had a few more (ugly) packages then did rpmfusion. These were important for some multi-media.
If I have to fault two distributions (UBUNTU and Fedora), it is for poor webcam support. When will linux get it working. There are certainly more desktop users then there are server users and webcam functionality is essential. (My webcam was the X1000 from Microsoft, one of the most widely sold units-- still no support).I use Ubuntu and Fedora concurrently, and its hard to tell which I like better. Perhaps I am biased slightly, but I started with Fedora 4, and so, I know the insides a little better then I do UBUNTU.
In closing. with UBUNTU, I assign a root password, and login from the virtual terminals. (ctl-alt-f1 to ctl-alt-f7)
To force root password
from admin in UBUNTU
sudo su
provide user's login passwd
then
passwd root
ENTER UNIX PASSWORD
xxxxxxx
etc.
(Mr) Leslie Satenstein
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Submitted by rob41 on Sat, 05/09/2009 - 6:28pm
I believe Linux will become the OS leader. Some day. For many people it's the best choice right now but until Linux becomes capable of playing any game Windows can, (and just as well!), I won't even consider it.
The inability to play any game is a huge short coming. It doesn't matter to me weather it can play anything or weather the game developers just aren't supporting Linux. The outcome is the same.
Also, I have way better things to do than gather tar balls and screw around with all that sudo apt get crap. I don't want to be a programer and I don't want to learn another language.
I also don't want to keep getting MS products but here's the thing. MS is suited the the vast majority of users because of ease of use, program compatibility, and it's actually getting better and more polished.
I will be very glad when Linux is as user friendly as Windows and has ALL the functionality that Windows has. I won't hesitate a second to make the switch to Linux.
And to the Linux folks who would say Linux is ready now for the average user. No it's not. A couple times a year I try another distro of Linux, go through the forums for that distro and attemt to make it as friendly as Windows. I just can't get everything I want out of Linux. And I am a very technically inclined person.
I will be so glad to say hell no to Redmond, but that day has not come yet.At least not for me and the overwhelming majority of computer users in the world.
Submitted by opensuse 11.1 on Fri, 05/08/2009 - 10:59am
First it's good to read about something other than the next release of windows.
For your fault with OpeSuse security. The root password can be set at during the installation of the OS. When the installation halts and ask you for the USER ID and password there is a check box under the password that reads I believe make this password the root password. If you uncheck that password then it will ask you for a root password as well. Since most poeple that enjoy OpenSuse are the only users they are typically in the root account so the password choice is there. It's your fault for the security.
Next, the lack of software did you try the one-click install on the OpenSuse website? If you need software goto:
http://software.opensuse.org/search This is the opensuse one click search page from which you can install most packages.
Also OpenSuse is geared towards using either GNOME or KDE desktops. Somethings I find in GNOME much easier to use that with KDE. While it seems KDE 4 + is currently moving to become the eye-candy desktop of the future. GNOME is also there with its newest desktop version. Also one can use the older KDE 3.5 and other variants of GUI's to find the one that works for the user.
Submitted by finalzone on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 11:10pm
<cite>Fortunately, FreshRPMs.net is able to partially compensate for this problem.</cite>
Starting from Fedora 10, RPM Fusion replaced Freshrpms and Livna. I think the article should be updated to reflect the change.
Submitted by anonuser on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 12:56pm
"Fedora is designed as a desktop-oriented distribution. All server functionality has been separated into the official Red Hat Enterprise Linux distribution, available from Red Hat."
Ever since I started using Linux I have been using Fedora. It was what I was first acquainted with and I actually find it more pleasant than Ubuntu. I certainly wouldn't call it a desktop-oriented distribution. The Wikipedia article describes it as a general-purpose operating system, and like some other distributions, the installer includes all of the typical [free] server software as well as an interface for choosing the role of the installation (Workstation, Web Server, etc.). Whatever isn't on the installation media is likely to be in the online repos, with the exception of non-free software which can be added from third party sources as the unofficial Fedora guides detail.
I also would have liked to see Gentoo rated. As I get more familiar with Linux, I am interesting in moving towards Gentoo. I really like the idea of optimizing the installation and installing everything from source and at the same time through a package manager. I've played with it a little bit and it was pleasant, though there is somewhat of a learning curve (which is why I'm still using Fedora now).
Submitted by jher on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 12:10pm
I disagree with your evaluation of ubuntu. Sure, tag me as a ubuntu-nut up front but frankly I have over 15 years of experience as a unix admin and I think your view of the "security" and "administration" of ubuntu to be flawed.
Firstly, ubuntu is targeted towards the individual user whereas the other distros (save knoppix) are targeted towards multi-users. With that in mind, the sudo access style is brilliant. There isn't any point to separation of root/user on a single user machine.
You cite the "stealing a single password" as a problem when you should know as well as anyone that password theft is rarely the way people break into machines. Typical violation are through buffer overflows or incorrect configurations on webservers/php/sql/etc. These things are covered with ubuntu with the default packages and dpkg.
Secondly, you touch upon the administration as poor vs. fedora. Give me a break, fedora's system is confusing, incomplete and typically a royal pain in the *SS. I administrate hundreds of cores of redhat (fedora's base) on a daily basis and frankly i'd rather shoot myself than run/administrate a fedora box. With ubuntu its all clean cut and straight-forward. Screw the "central control". Even windows is just a bunch of buttons in a central location.
Submitted by Queenof1 on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 12:04pm
I'm thinking of going with Ubuntu or Fedora since I'm brand new to Linux.
Submitted by MeTo on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 9:03pm
Try Linux Mint it is a Ubuntu based Distro. Try the live CD first it is slow loading but you can try it out before you install. I poped in the CD and rebooted the machine (your bios has to be set to boot to CD) and two min. later i was on the internet it configuared everything for me. if you like it you can install it by it self or duel boot with your current OS.
Linux Mint,Duel boot/Vista,AMD Athlon+ x2 5600,3 Gig ram,500 Gig HDD,ATI 1300 Video.
Submitted by nkingcade on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 11:41am
since all things in most Linux distros are configurable, this comparison makes no sense. The Linux world is where you look for a distro you like and shape it into what you need. This is a Fedora commercial.
Submitted by 1369ic on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 10:17am
Slackware 8.1 was my first distro after using Apple products at home for almost 20 years and using Windows at work. It was simple to install. So is 12.2. Arch takes more work, but once you're done you've got a beautiful system.
Slackware and Arch verusus Fedora and OpenSuse is kind of like my Mini versus a fire truck. Sure the fire truck is big and shiny and does a ton of stuff. It's just stupid to take it down to the corner for bread or drive it around on Sunday listening to the radio. And the beauty of Slack and Arch is that they are very easy to add things to, so if you do eventually want to run the space program from your desktop, you pretty much can.
The field is big enough for all tastes. If you want to mandate things
you should go to work for Apple or Microsoft where that's the nature of
the beast and everyone bows to that tin god already. In my experience it's not the Linux way.
Submitted by N25PHILLY on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 10:42am
I don't see how adding something that actually gives you an idea why things won't install like they should takes anything away from linux. If you want to feel super cool because you're dorkiest than the average person, but someone of us don't want to go through hours of BS to get to that payout
So far....
Submitted by GreenTurtle on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 9:24am
Ubuntu Hardy has been the greatest for me so far.
Submitted by zfs on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 9:04am
I would love to see your comments in regards to Opensolaris. ZFS, logical domains, dtrace, etc. Opensolaris has a TON of great stuff to offer and is free as well..
Thanks
I wish speed and performance
Submitted by MAXPCreader07 on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 8:22am
I wish speed and performance was compared among the various distros.
Very timely article
Submitted by Lodis4 on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 6:32am
I just finished a rant about the fact that so much attention is paid to Ubuntu and many other very good releases are neglected.
Thank You for this article. No one is going to agree with everything but with the varying levels of skill and knowledge out there this was a good high level overview. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Fedora (currently 9)
Elive
Debian
Sabayon
Submitted by Mikey1091 on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 5:29am
No PCLinuxOS? I'm suprised! PCLinuOS is my favorite distro.
Cheap Web Hosting from Nova Internet Services! http://www.novaservices.biz/
Submitted by N25PHILLY on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 4:58am
Fedora - not the most exciting distros, but very nice and well polished. I can't get it to run right in a VM at all though
Mandriva - My favorite KDE Linux. It's simple and works very well
Opensuse - I've found that when it works it's awesome, but I've installing it in a number of computers and VM's and it seems to be prone to bad installs and breeaking quickly after install
Ubuntu/Kubuntu - Ubuntuis nice and my favorite gnome desktop. Dont bother with Kubuntu unless you are masocistic (spelling?)
Knoppix - Great for dealing with problems, but one you hope you never have to use. I carry a copy with me whereever I go.
Puppy - Not just a live CD, although since it only actually installs one in a blue moon it might as well be.
Arch Linux - It's 2009, graphical installers shouldn't be optional. This is a pain in the ass for the sake of being a pain in the ass
I haven't used backtrack, time to do some downloading...
Some other options not listed here:
Slackware - See Arch Linux
Solaris - Not really Linux, but feels like it. Do not install unless you make sure you're hardwareis compatible. A bit of a pain in VM
PC-BSD - Again not linux, but runs KDE by default and almost looks exactly like Kubuntu on first boot. Runs like a dream in VM, on my old laptop, not so much
Debian - Never had so many troubles with media, especially since I installed straight from iso. The gnome version didn't work right in my VM, but the KDE version is really nice, likely because it's a bit behind. (no KDE 4 yet)
That's all, for now...
Submitted by MAXPCreader07 on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 8:27am
Have you considered that maybe Arch and Slackware don't want a graphical installer? Such distros are not targeted to Joe Average.
Submitted by N25PHILLY on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 8:42am
that when I say "my take" I am giving my opnion?
Submitted by arcanus on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 3:27am
What are your scores scaled to? I've used live CDs but never a distro on a production machine, what would say OS X Ease of Use be or Windows Support Availability or Software & Package Management be? Without some reference to other OSs the obvious work you put into your guide seems of limited value to those who both have run a Linux distro and want to try or have the inclination to try another one.
Submitted by Deanjo on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 3:16am
"Although security is generally good, openSUSE suffers from the same
flaw as Ubuntu: out of the box, the regular user's password can be used
to perform root-level activities."
Umm uncheck use same password for root during the account setup. Also dropping to cli is not necessary if you forget too. YaST--> Accounts will allow you to change the password if desired.
Submitted by smashingpumpin on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 1:25am
Great article! Hopefully MaxPC would do an "open source gaming" benchmarks of these distros in the near future. I'd also like to find out which one is best and runs the smoothest on a hacked PS3/360.
_______________________________________________
he's pwning with a trackpad? oh really? oh reheheheeally?
Linux Mint
Submitted by Sokkratez on Wed, 05/06/2009 - 10:10pm
Hey guys, great feature. Give Linux Mint a try some time for a future one. It's based on Ubuntu but it has really taken on a life of its own. Version 7 just went to RC which includes the 9.04 Ubuntu base and new Mint-flavored features, updates and revisions.
Submitted by konata on Wed, 05/06/2009 - 10:00pm
I think I will buy a subscription now if this stuff like this is provided in the magazines.
That's the problem!
Submitted by winmaster on Thu, 05/07/2009 - 5:39pm
They put the exact same stuff in the magazine and on the website. This article, which is free on this website, will probably show up in the magazine, which I pay good money for, in a couple of months. I can't see myself renewing my subscription because I can get the same content for free online. Come on, Maximum PC, as a subscriber, I deserve certain advantages that I am not seeing.
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The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
Submitted by GBH on Wed, 05/06/2009 - 10:51pm
Its def worth it
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