Datasheet
Chapter 1: What is Ubuntu?
19
Linux Distributions
Now that you have seen the four main components required for a complete Linux system,
you may be wondering how you are going to put them all together to make a Linux system.
Fortunately, there are people who have already done that for us.
A complete Linux system package is called a distribution. Many different Linux distribu-
tions are available to meet almost any computing requirement you have. Most distributions
are customized for a specific user group, such as business users, multimedia enthusiasts,
software developers, or normal home users. Each customized distribution includes the
software packages required to support specialized functions, such as audio and video
editing software for multimedia enthusiasts, or compilers and Integrated Development
Environments (IDEs) for software developers.
The Linux distributions are often divided into three categories:
Full-core Linux distributions
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Specialized distributions
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LiveCD test distributions
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The following sections describe these different Linux distributions and show some exam-
ples of Linux distributions in each category.
Core Linux Distributions
A core Linux distribution contains a kernel, one or more graphical desktop environments,
and just about every Linux application that is available, precompiled for the kernel. It
provides one-stop shopping for a complete Linux installation. Table 1-6 shows some of
the more popular core Linux distributions.
Table 1-6: Core Linux Distributions
Distribution Description
Slackware One of the original Linux distribution sets, popular with Linux geeks
Red Hat A commercial business distribution used mainly for Internet servers
Fedora A spin-off of Red Hat, but designed for home use
Gentoo A distribution designed for advanced Linux users, containing only Linux source
code
Mandriva Designed mainly for home use (previously called Mandrake)
openSuSe Different distributions for business and home use (now owned by Novell)
Debian Popular with Linux experts and commercial Linux products
In the early days of Linux, a distribution was released as a set of floppy disks. You had to
download groups of files and then copy them onto disks. It would usually take 20 or more
disks to make an entire distribution! Needless to say, it was a painful experience.
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