Versatility of Linux distribution allows choice

By: Kevin Lynch

Posted: 10/1/04

Sent into the depths of the Internet, you find yourself dodging pop-ups, fending off Trojans, and running from the behemoth that is Microsoft, you find yourself wandering the depths of ibiblio.org, a repository which holds hundreds of gigabytes of Linux applications, distributions, and documentation. As you venture deeper into the directory structure, you are suddenly stopped by a tired Linus Torvalds. You feel just like Harrison Ford did when he rediscovered the Holy Grail just as Linus speaks, "Choose wisely." You never thought you would ever get this far and as a result never really gave it too much thought. All of the choices lay in front of your eyes. Which distribution of Linux do you go for? You step back to contemplate all of the choices which stand before you. There are the flashy Red Hat, Mandrake, and SUSE with all of their enterprise support and almost idiot-proof configurations sitting next to the sporty young Gentoo, the down-to-Earth Slackware, and the venerable Debian praised for its stability.

Maybe the decision is not that intense, but it still requires some thought. There are so many distribution, or distros as the Linux savvy say, choices that it can often seem overwhelming, especially to people who are just trying to see what the whole Linux craze is all about. There are so many choices out there, and if you ask for advice you will never get the same answer. However, it's really not too difficult to figure out which is the best one for you if you simply sit down and put some consideration into it.

The easiest to use distribution, and possibly the best distribution for those who do not want to see the inner workings of Linux at all or rarely, would do best going with the cookie cutter solution that is the Fedora Project. The Fedora Project is the home user descendant of Red Hat Linux, now known as Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a server oriented distribution aimed at corporate users who want the power of Linux behind their network but still want 24x7 product support. The Fedora Project, still sponsored by Red Hat, takes all of the configuration woes away from Linux and provides a seamless install much like Microsoft Windows XP does. The Fedora Project is not the only operating system which is simple to use though. Mandrake Linux is another distribution with similar goals. It is as simple to set up as the Fedora Project and offers about the same features too. In fact, there is really little difference between the two than the name and the configuration tools. Alternatively, there is yet another distribution which falls into this category called SUSE Linux. I am not very familiar with SUSE Linux but from what I have seen it is not very different from the previous two.

The main disadvantage of these easy to use products, however, is their over use of configuration tools that make things too easy. Often is the case that these tools often assume a typical system and refuse to let you make modifications without digging through tons of configuration files if something needs to be changed. This major drawback is often a deciding factor for a Linux user. Not everyone needs or wants tools that choose typical configurations without having any say in the matter.

If you often find yourself poking around things on your computer in order to figure out how things work without feeling intimidated, then perhaps other Linux distros would better fit your personality. One such distribution is Slackware Linux. Slackware, is a minimal distro, meaning that it doesn't include all of the bloat that others do. During the install, you select only what you want to use on your system. Nothing is automatically chosen and all nearly configurations must be done by hand. However, I must admit, there is really no way to easily install applications onto a Slackware system by default. There is almost no package management for new software, so to update the system you either have to compile an application from source code or wait until a new version of the distro is released.

Though Slackware fanatics will swear by it, I would recommend either Debian or Gentoo over that distro. Debian and Gentoo are very similar distributions. Debian, officially known as Debian GNU/Linux, is a distribution focused on stability and customizability. With Debian, there is no reason to install anything that will never be used. During the installation, you simply have to type in which programs you specifically want installed and after installation you simply have to repeat the process. One simple command can install and update whichever application you want. The only downside to Debian is that because it is so focused on stability, most programs are lacking all of the latest and greatest features. However, that is where relatively young high-performance Gentoo distribution comes into play. Gentoo is focused around performance and from first glance this can be seen. Gentoo has a package installation system similar to Debian, but with a twist. Instead of downloading and installing precompiled software, Gentoo compiles everything, allowing applications to be compiled specifically for the computer system in question. Compiling an application specifically for your system allows for faster execution because it doesn't need to be compatible with other systems which could differ slightly in configuration. However, this does come at a cost. Compiling takes time and it is quite common for a Gentoo installation to take nearly two days or more. Because of this, Gentoo is recommended only for recent computers that can handle the compilations and Debian is better for slower systems.

Not sure if Linux is still the operating system for you? That's easy! There are Linux distributions available that can be put onto your computer and removed without changing anything to your system. These LiveCDs are used for evaluation, system repairs, and testing of Linux. Knoppix, one such Debian based LiveCD, is a downloadable CD distribution which boots up and sets up a complete running Linux system on your computer, usually without any trouble at all. The system is fully functional, complete with the KDE Desktop environment, OpenOffice.org office suite, Mozilla browser, and a few games too. This system is great for looking at what Linux has to offer without any of the hassle. Best of all, when the computer is restarted and the CD is removed, your computer is left untouched.

These are not the only Linux distributions available, however. There are a countless number of distros and LiveCDs out there on the Internet. Some are kept up to date while others have long since been dead and inactive. However, the distros outlined in this article are most of the more popular and supported distributions of Linux and should serve as a great starting point for your own foray into the Linux world. So, now, back to the situation at hand with Linus Torvalds breathing down your neck. Which distribution would you choose? Don't forget ... choose wisely.

Kevin Lynch is a sophomore majoring in computer engineering.