|
|
Advertisements |
|
|
|
Comparison of Linux distributions
By Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Linux_distributions
Become a member of TranslationDirectory.com at just
$12 per month (paid per year)
Technical variations of Linux distributions include support for different
hardware devices and systems or software package configurations. Organizational
differences may be motivated by historical reasons. Other criteria include
security, including how quickly security upgrades are available; ease
of package management; and number of packages available.
These tables compare each noteworthy distribution's latest stable release
on wide-ranging objective criteria. It does not cover each operating system's
subjective merits, branches marked as unstable or beta, nor compare Linux
distributions with other operating systems.
Contents
1 General
2 Cost
3 Technical
4 Architecture support
5 Package management and installation
6 Live media
7 Security features
General
Basic general information about the distributions: creator or producer, release date and latest version, and so forth.
Distribution |
Creator |
Producer |
First public release |
Base distribution |
Latest release date |
Purpose |
64 Studio |
Daniel James and Free Ekanayaka |
64 Studio Ltd. |
2005 |
Debian |
2008 |
multimedia |
Alinex |
Alinex Team and University of Evora |
Alinex Team and University of Evora |
2005 |
Ubuntu |
2008 |
general |
aLinux |
Jay Klepacs |
Jay Klepacs |
2001 |
Red Hat Linux |
2010 |
desktop |
Alpine Linux |
Alpine Linux Team |
Alpine Linux Team |
2006 |
none |
2010 |
general |
ALT Linux |
ALT Linux Team |
ALT Linux Team / ALT Linux LLC |
2001 |
none |
2010 |
general, supercomputer |
Annvix |
Vincent Danen |
Vincent Danen |
2003 |
Mandriva Linux |
2007 |
server |
Arch Linux |
Judd Vinet |
dev team |
2002 |
none |
2010/Rolling |
general |
Ark Linux |
Bernhard Rosenkranzer |
dev team |
2003 |
none |
2008 |
desktop |
Asianux |
Red Flag Linux, Miracle Linux, Haansoft Linux |
dev team |
2004 |
RHEL |
2007 |
server, workstation |
BackTrack |
Max Moser, Mati Aharoni, and Martin J. Muench |
Remote-Exploit |
2006 |
Debian |
2010 |
auditing |
BLAG Linux and GNU |
Brixton Linux Action Group |
Brixton Linux Action Group |
2002 |
Fedora |
2008 |
desktop |
Bharat Operating System Solutions |
C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) |
C-DAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) |
2007 |
Debian |
2008 |
general |
Caixa Magica |
Daniel Neves, Jose Guimaraes, Paulo Trezentos |
Caixa Magica Software |
2000 |
Mandriva Linux |
2009 |
general |
CentOS |
CentOS Project |
CentOS Project |
2003 |
RHEL |
2010 |
server, workstation |
Chakra GNU/Linux |
Chakra Project |
Chakra Project |
2009 |
Arch Linux |
2010 |
general |
Google Chrome OS |
Google |
Google |
TBA |
Ubuntu |
TBA |
netbooks |
ClearOS |
Peter Baldwin |
ClearFoundation |
2000 |
CentOS |
2010 |
server, gateway, network |
CrunchBang Linux |
Philip Newborough |
Philip Newborough |
2008 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
CRUX |
Per Liden |
CRUX Linux community |
2001 |
none |
2010 |
general |
Damn Small Linux |
John Andrews |
dev team |
2003 |
Knoppix |
2008 |
portable, lightweight |
Debian |
Ian Murdock |
Debian Project |
1993 |
none |
2010 |
general |
DeLi Linux |
Henry Jensen |
Henry Jensen |
2002 |
none |
2008 |
desktop |
DeMuDi |
AGNULA |
AGNULA |
2002 |
Debian |
2005 |
multimedia |
dyne:bolic |
Jaromil |
Jaromil |
2001 |
none |
2007 |
multimedia |
EasyPeasy |
Jon Ramvi, EasyPeasy community |
Jon Ramvi, EasyPeasy community |
2008 |
Ubuntu |
2010 |
netbooks |
ELinOS |
SYSGO |
SYSGO |
1999 |
none |
2010 |
embedded systems |
Elive |
Thanatermesis |
Thanatermesis |
2005 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
EnGarde Secure Linux |
Guardian Digital, Inc. |
Guardian Digital, Inc. |
2001 |
none |
2008 |
server |
Fedora |
Fedora Project |
Fedora Project |
2003 |
Red Hat Linux |
2010 |
general |
Finnix |
Ryan Finnie |
Ryan Finnie |
2000 |
Debian |
2009 |
maintenance |
Foresight Linux |
Ken VanDine |
dev team |
2004 |
rPath |
2009/Rolling |
general |
Freespire |
Lindows.com, Inc. |
Linspire, Inc. |
2002 |
Debian |
2007 |
desktop |
Frugalware |
Miklos Vajna |
dev team |
2004 |
Slackware |
2010 |
general |
Gentoo Linux |
Daniel Robbins |
Gentoo Foundation, Inc. |
2002 |
none |
Rolling |
general |
gNewSense |
Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley |
dev team |
2006 |
Ubuntu |
2009 |
desktop |
Gnoppix |
Klaus Knopper |
dev team |
2005 |
Knoppix |
2005 |
live |
gnuLinEx |
Regional Government of Extremadura |
dev team |
2002 |
Debian |
2006 |
desktop |
GoboLinux |
Hisham Muhammad, Andre Detsch |
dev team |
2002 |
none |
2008 |
desktop |
gOS |
Good OS LLC |
Good OS LLC |
2007 |
Ubuntu |
2009 |
desktop |
Impi Linux |
Gauteng Linux Users Group |
Impi Linux (Pty) Ltd. |
2003 |
Debian |
2006 |
desktop |
Kanotix |
Jorg Schirottke (Kano) |
dev team |
2003 |
Debian, Knoppix |
2010 |
desktop, live |
KateOS |
KateOS Team |
KateOS Team |
2004 |
Slackware |
2007 |
desktop |
Knoppix |
Klaus Knopper |
dev team |
2003 |
Debian |
2010 |
live |
KnoppMyth |
Cecil Watson |
dev team |
2004 |
Debian, Knoppix |
2009 |
desktop, live |
Kuki Linux |
Joao Ferro |
kuki bakers |
2008 |
Ubuntu |
2009 |
netbooks |
Kurumin |
Carlos Morimoto |
GuiadoHardware |
2003 |
Knoppix |
2008 |
desktop, live |
Linspire |
Lindows.com, Inc. |
Linspire, Inc. |
2002 |
Ubuntu |
2007 |
desktop |
Linux4One |
? |
? |
2009 |
Ubuntu |
2009 |
desktop |
Linux Mint |
Clement Lefebvre |
dev team |
2006 |
Ubuntu, Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
Lunar Linux |
Chuck Mead, Lunar Penguin Project |
Foo-Projects.org |
2002 |
Sorcerer |
2007 |
general |
Mandriva Linux |
Mandrakesoft S.A. |
Mandriva S.A. |
1998 |
Red Hat Linux |
2010 |
general |
MEPIS |
Warren Woodford |
MEPIS LLC |
2003 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop, server, embedded |
Micro Core Linux |
Robert Shingledecker |
Team Tiny Core |
2009 |
Tiny Core Linux |
2010 |
portable |
MintPPC |
Jeroen Diederen |
Jeroen Diederen |
2010 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
MontaVista Linux |
MontaVista Software |
MontaVista Software |
1999 |
Debian |
2007 |
embedded |
Musix GNU/Linux |
Marcos Guglielmetti |
dev team |
2008 |
Knoppix, Kanotix, Debian |
2009 |
audio |
Network Security Toolkit |
Ronald W. Henderson, Paul Blankenbaker |
dev team |
2003 |
Fedora |
2009 |
network, security |
NimbleX |
Bogdan Radulescu |
Bogdan Radulescu |
2005 |
Slackware |
2008 |
desktop |
Nitix |
Net Integration Technologies, Inc. |
Net Integration Technologies, Inc. |
2001 |
none |
2007 |
server |
Novell Open Enterprise Server |
Novell |
Novell, Inc. dev team |
2003 |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server |
2009 |
server |
openSUSE |
SUSE Linux / Novell |
Novell, Inc. and openSUSE Project |
1994 |
SUSE Linux |
2010 |
general |
OpenWrt |
? |
OpenWrt team |
2007 |
none |
2010 |
embedded |
Oracle Enterprise Linux |
Oracle Corporation |
Oracle Corporation |
2006 |
RHEL |
2009 |
server |
Pardus |
TUBITAK |
TUBITAK |
2005 |
none |
2010 |
general |
Parsix |
Alan Baghumian |
Parsix Project |
2005 |
Kanotix, Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
PCLinuxOS |
Bill Reynolds |
dev team |
2003 |
PCLinuxOS |
2010 |
desktop |
Pentoo |
Michael Zanetta, Rick Farina, Jens Pranaitis |
Pentoo |
2005 |
Gentoo |
2009 |
auditing, security |
Puppy Linux |
Barry Kauler |
Puppy Foundation |
2003 |
none |
2010 |
portable, lightweight |
Puredyne |
Aymeric Mansoux |
GOTO10, Puredyne Team |
2005 |
Ubuntu, Debian |
2010 |
art, design, audio, multimedia |
Red Flag Linux |
Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NewMargin Venture Capital |
Red Flag Software Co., Ltd. |
1999 |
Red Hat Linux |
2009 |
general |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
Red Hat |
Red Hat |
2002 |
Red Hat Linux/Fedora |
2010 |
server, workstation |
Red Hat Linux |
Red Hat |
Red Hat |
1995 |
none |
2003 |
server, workstation |
Rocks Cluster Distribution |
UCSD Supercomputing Center, Clustercorp |
UCSD Supercomputing Center, Clustercorp |
2000 |
Red Hat Linux |
2009 |
server, workstation |
Rxart |
Pixart SRL |
Pixart SRL |
2000 |
Debian |
2006 |
general |
Sabayon Linux |
lxnay Design |
dev team |
2005 |
Gentoo |
2010/Rolling |
desktop |
Scientific Linux |
CERN, Fermilab |
dev team |
2004 |
Red Hat Linux/Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
2010 |
science |
SHR |
Bobby Martin |
SHR community |
2008 |
OpenEmbedded |
2010 |
portable |
sidux |
sidux team |
sidux team |
2007 |
Debian Sid |
2009 |
desktop |
Slackware |
Patrick Volkerding |
dev team |
1993 |
Softlanding Linux System |
2010 |
general |
Slax |
Tomas Matejicek |
Tomas Matejicek |
2002 |
Slackware |
2009 |
live |
SliTaz GNU/Linux |
Christophe Lincoln |
dev team |
2008 |
none |
2010 |
portable |
Source Mage GNU/Linux |
Ryan Abrams, Eric Schabell |
dev team |
2002 |
Sorcerer |
2009 |
general |
SUSE Linux |
SUSE Linux / Novell |
Novell, Inc. dev team |
1994 |
Slackware, Jurix |
2010 |
workstation, server |
Symphony OS |
Ryan Quinn |
Ryan Quinn and Jason Spisak |
2005 |
Debian |
2008 |
desktop |
SYS |
W.Landgraf |
W.Landgraf |
2007 |
Slackware |
2010 |
general |
Tiny Core Linux |
Robert Shingledecker |
Team Tiny Core |
2009 |
? |
2010 |
portable |
Trustix |
Comodo Group, Inc. |
Comodo Group, Inc. |
2000 |
Red Hat Linux |
2007 |
server |
Ubuntu |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2004 |
Debian |
2010 |
general |
Kubuntu |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2005 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
Xubuntu |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2006 |
Debian |
2010 |
desktop |
Edubuntu |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2005 |
Debian |
2010 |
computer lab |
Gobuntu |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2007 |
Debian |
2008 |
desktop |
Ubuntu Studio |
Canonical Ltd. |
Canonical Ltd. |
2007 |
Debian |
2010 |
multimedia |
Ututo |
Diego Saravia, Daniel Olivera |
UTUTO dev team |
2000 |
Gentoo Linux |
2009 |
general |
VectorLinux |
Robert S. Lange |
dev team |
1999 |
Slackware |
2009 |
desktop |
Wolvix |
Wolven |
Wolven |
2007 |
Slackware |
2009 |
desktop |
Xandros |
Xandros Corp. |
Xandros, Inc. |
2002 |
Corel Linux |
2007 |
desktop |
XBMC Live |
The XBMC Project |
Team-XBMC |
2008 |
Ubuntu |
2009 |
multimedia |
Yellow Dog Linux |
Terra Soft Solutions |
Fixstars Solutions |
1999 |
Fedora, CentOS |
2009 |
general |
Yoper |
Andreas Giradet |
The Yoper Team |
2003 |
none |
2010 |
general |
Zenwalk |
Jean-Philippe Guillemin |
dev team |
2004 |
Slackware |
2010 |
general |
Distribution |
Creator |
Producer |
First public release |
Base distribution |
Latest release date |
Purpose |
Cost
The following distributions are available without cost: aLinux, ALT Linux, Annvix, Arch Linux, Ark Linux, Asianux, BLAG Linux and GNU, CentOS, Chakra GNU/Linux, CRUX, Damn Small Linux, Debian, DeLi Linux, DeMuDi, Devil-Linux, dyne:bolic, EasyPeasy, Edubuntu, EnGarde Secure Linux, Fedora, Finnix, Foresight Linux, Freespire, Frugalware, Gentoo, gNewSense, gnuLinEx, GoboLinux, Gobuntu, Impi Linux, Kanotix, Knoppix, KnoppMyth, Kubuntu, Kurumin, Linux Mint, Lunar Linux, Micro Core Linux, MintPPC, Musix GNU/Linux, Network Security Toolkit, NimbleX, NUbuntu, openSUSE, Pardus, Parsix, PCLinuxOS, Pinguy OS, Puppy Linux, Sabayon Linux, Scientific Linux, sidux, Slackware, Slax, SliTaz GNU/Linux, Source Mage GNU/Linux, Symphony OS, SYS, Tiny Core Linux, Trustix, Ubuntu, Ututo, Super OS, Xubuntu, XBMC Live, Yoper, Zenwalk and OpenWrt.
The following distributions have several editions, some of which are without cost and some of which do cost money: Caixa Magica, ClearOS, Mandriva Linux, MEPIS and Red Flag Linux.
The following distributions cost money (for support and system updates only): Elive, Linspire, Novell Open Enterprise Server, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Rxart, SUSE Linux Enterprise, Xandros.
Note that when talking about "free software", the word "free" refers to software freedom, not monetary cost: for an explanation of the difference, see Free Software.
Technical
The following table shows the default file system, but many Linux distributions support some or all of ext2, ext3, ext4, ReiserFS, Reiser4, JFS, XFS, GFS, GFS2, OCFS, OCFS2, and NILFS. It is possible to install Linux onto the majority of these file systems. The ext file systems, namely ext2, ext3, and ext4 are based on the original Linux file system. File systems have been developed by companies to meet their specific needs, and by hobbyists, or adapted from UNIX, Microsoft Windows, and other operating systems. Linux has full support for XFS and JFS, along with FAT (the MS-DOS file system), and HFS which is the primary file system for the Macintosh. Support for Microsoft Windows NT's NTFS file system has appeared, and is now comparable to the support available for other native UNIX file systems. CDs, DVDs, and BluRay discs' ISO 9660 and Universal Disk Format (UDF) are supported. Unlike other operating systems, Linux and UNIX allow any file system to be used regardless of the medium it is stored on, whether that medium is a magnetic disk, an optical disk (CD, DVD, etc.), a USB flash memory key, or even contained within a file located on another file system.
Similarly, many C-compilers (mainly GCC), desktop environments and window managers are widely supported.
Technical
Distribution |
Default file system |
Install-time desktop environment or window
manager selection |
64 Studio |
? |
GNOME |
Alinex |
ext3 |
GNOME |
aLinux |
none |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
ALT Linux |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces, Xfce |
Annvix |
none |
? |
aptosid |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Arch Linux |
none |
any |
Ark Linux |
JFS |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Asianux |
ext3 |
K Desktop Environment 3 |
BackTrack |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
BLAG Linux and GNU |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Caixa Magica |
? |
? |
CentOS |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Chakra GNU/Linux |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
ClearOS |
ext3 |
GNOME |
CrunchBang Linux |
ext3 |
Openbox or Xfce |
CRUX |
none |
Openbox |
Damn Small Linux |
ext3 |
JWM |
Debian |
ext3 |
GNOME |
DeLi Linux |
ext3/ext2 |
IceWM |
DeMuDi |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Dreamlinux |
ext3 |
Xfce |
dyne:bolic |
SquashFS, ext3 |
Xfce |
EasyPeasy |
ext3 |
GNOME, Ubuntu Netbook Edition |
Elive |
SquashFS, ReiserFS |
Enlightenment |
EnGarde Secure Linux |
ext3 |
none |
Fedora |
ext4 |
GNOME |
Finnix |
SquashFS |
none |
Foresight Linux |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Frugalware |
none |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Gentoo |
none |
KDE Plasma Workspaces (Live CD) |
gnuLinEx |
ext2 |
GNOME |
GoboLinux |
ReiserFS |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
gNewSense |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Impi Linux |
? |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
KateOS |
? |
Xfce |
Kanotix |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Knoppix |
XFS |
LXDE |
Kurumin |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Linspire |
ReiserFS |
K Desktop Environment 3 |
Linux Mint |
ext4 |
GNOME |
Lunar Linux |
none |
any |
Mandriva Linux |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
MEPIS |
ext3, ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
MintPPC |
ext3, ext4 |
LXDE |
Musix GNU/Linux |
? |
IceWM |
Network Security Toolkit |
ext4 |
GNOME, Fluxbox |
NimbleX |
SquashFS |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Nitix |
ReiserFS |
none |
openSUSE |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
OpenWrt |
yaffs |
None |
Pardus |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Parsix |
ext3 |
GNOME |
PCLinuxOS |
none |
KDE Plasma Workspaces, GNOME, LXDE, Xfce, Enlightenment, Openbox |
Pentoo |
SquashFS |
Enlightenment |
Puppy Linux |
SquashFS containing ext2 |
JWM |
Red Flag Linux |
ext3 |
K Desktop Environment 3 |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Rxart Desktop |
ext3 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Sabayon Linux |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces, GNOME |
Scientific Linux |
ext3 |
GNOME |
SHR |
ext3, JFFS2, ubifs |
Enlightenment's Illume 2 |
Slackware |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces, Xfce |
Slax |
SquashFS |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
SliTaz GNU/Linux |
ext3 |
Openbox |
Source Mage GNU/Linux |
ext2 |
none |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop |
ext3 |
GNOME |
Symphony OS |
ReiserFS |
Mezzo |
SYS |
ext3 |
KDE SC, GNOME, Xfce (selectable in kdm) |
Ubuntu/Edubuntu |
ext4 |
GNOME |
Kubuntu |
ext4 |
KDE Plasma Workspaces |
Xubuntu |
ext4 |
Xfce |
Ututo |
ext3 |
GNOME |
VectorLinux |
? |
Fluxbox, IceWM, Xfce |
Wolvix |
ext3 |
XFCE, OpenBox |
Xandros Desktop OS |
ReiserFS |
K Desktop Environment 3 |
XBMC Live |
ext3 |
XBMC Media Center |
Yellow Dog Linux |
? |
Enlightenment |
Yoper |
ext3 |
KDE SC |
Zenwalk |
ext4 |
Xfce |
Distribution |
Default file system |
Install-time desktop environment or window
manager selection |
Architecture support
Distribution |
x86 |
x86-64 |
IA-64 |
ppc |
ppc64 |
sparc32 |
sparc64 |
arm |
hppa |
mips |
loongson |
s390 |
s390x |
alpha |
64 Studio |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
aLinux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Alinex |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
ALT Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Annvix |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Arch Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Ark Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Asianux |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Backtrack |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
BLAG Linux and GNU |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Caixa Magica |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
CentOS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Chakra GNU/Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
ClearOS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
CrunchBang Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
CRUX |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Damn Small Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Debian |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
DeLi Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
DeMuDi |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
dyne:bolic |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Elive |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
EnGarde Secure Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Fedora |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Finnix |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Foresight Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Frugalware |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Gentoo |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
gnuLinEx |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
GoboLinux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Impi Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Kanotix |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Knoppix |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Kurumin |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Linspire |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Linux Mint |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Lunar Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Mandriva Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
MEPIS |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
MintPPC |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Musix GNU/Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Network Security Toolkit |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
NimbleX |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Nitix |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
OES2-Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
openSUSE |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Pending |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
OpenWrt |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Oracle Enterprise Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Pardus |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Parsix |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
PCLinuxOS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Pentoo |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Puppy Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Red Flag Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Rxart Desktop |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Sabayon Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Scientific Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
SHR |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
sidux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Slackware |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Slax |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
SliTaz GNU/Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Source Mage GNU/Linux |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
Symphony OS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
SYS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Tiny & Micro Core Linux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Ubuntu/ Kubuntu/ Xubuntu/ Lubuntu |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Ututo |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
VectorLinux |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Xandros Desktop OS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
XBMC Live |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yellow Dog Linux |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yoper |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Zenwalk |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Distribution |
x86 |
x86-64 |
IA-64 |
ppc |
ppc64 |
sparc32 |
sparc64 |
arm |
hppa |
mips |
loongson |
s390 |
s390x |
alpha |
Package management and installation
Information on features in the distributions. Package numbers are only approximate.
Distribution |
Approximate number of pre-compiled packages |
Approximate number of source packages |
Default package management tools |
Package Format |
Default installer |
Graphical installation procedure |
Alinex |
20300 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
aLinux |
1200 |
|
RPM |
RPM |
|
No |
ALT Linux |
8300 |
|
APT (APT-RPM), RPM |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Annvix |
|
|
APT, RPM |
RPM |
|
|
Arch Linux |
4720 i686 / 4755 x86_64 |
23616 |
Pacman |
.pkg.tar.xz |
AIF |
No |
Ark Linux |
4000 |
|
RPM, APT |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Asianux |
|
|
mlupdater, RPM |
RPM |
|
Yes |
BLAG |
10000 |
|
RPM, yum, APT |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Caixa Magica |
16000 |
|
urpmi, APT (APT-RPM) |
RPM |
|
Yes |
CentOS |
1660 |
|
RPM, yum/up2date |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Chakra GNU/Linux |
|
|
Pacman |
.pkg.tar.xz |
Tribe |
Yes |
ClearOS |
|
|
RPM, yum |
RPM |
|
No |
CrunchBang Linux |
23000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
CRUX |
1155 |
|
pkgutils |
tgz |
|
No |
Damn Small Linux |
610 |
|
myDSL, APT |
.dsl, .tar.gz, .uci, .unc, .deb |
|
No |
Debian |
23200 |
12123 |
APT |
.deb |
Debian-Installer |
Yes |
DeLi Linux |
150 |
|
|
|
|
No |
DeMuDi |
875 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Draco GNU/Linux |
|
|
pkgsrc |
tar.gz, source |
|
|
Dreamlinux |
23000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
dyne:bolic |
|
|
none |
none |
|
Yes |
Elive |
20000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
EnGarde Secure Linux |
500 |
|
RPM, APT |
RPM |
|
|
Fedora |
22000 |
|
yum, , PackageKit |
RPM |
Anaconda |
Yes |
Finnix |
350 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
No |
Foresight Linux |
15000 |
|
Conary, PackageKit |
|
|
Yes |
Frugalware |
3000 |
|
Pacman |
.tar.bz |
|
Yes |
Gentoo |
00080 |
14000 |
Portage |
ebuild |
|
Yes |
gnuLinEx |
200 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
GoboLinux |
2000 |
|
Manager,Compile, InstallPackage |
recipes, tar.bz2 |
|
Yes |
Impi Linux |
|
|
|
|
|
No |
Kanotix |
1200 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
KateOS |
|
|
TGZex |
tgz |
|
Yes |
Knoppix |
3600 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
No |
Kurumin |
|
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Linspire |
2200 |
|
CNR "click and run" |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Linux Mint |
30000 |
|
APT, mintInstall |
.deb, .mint |
Ubiquity |
Yes |
Lunar |
3120 |
|
lin |
source |
|
Yes |
Mandriva Linux |
20000 |
|
urpmi, rpmdrake |
RPM |
DrakX |
Yes |
MEPIS |
20000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
MEPIS Install |
Yes |
MintPPC |
23200 |
12123 |
APT |
.deb |
Mint-installer |
No |
Musix GNU/Linux |
1300 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Mythbuntu |
35000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
Ubiquity |
|
Network Security Toolkit |
8280 |
8280 |
yum |
RPM |
Anaconda |
Yes |
NimbleX |
500 |
|
none |
tgz |
|
No |
Nitix |
|
|
SoftUpdate, yum |
RPM |
|
Yes |
openSUSE |
22000 |
|
YaST, Zypper |
RPM |
YaST |
Yes |
OpenWrt |
|
|
opkg |
opk |
opkg |
No |
Pardus |
1600 |
|
PiSi |
.pisi |
YALI |
Yes |
Parsix |
|
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
PCLinuxOS |
12000 |
|
APT, RPM |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Puppy |
700 |
|
PupGet, DotPup |
.pup, .pet |
|
Yes |
Red Flag |
|
|
Red Flag Installer System, RPM |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Red Hat Enterprise Linux |
3000 |
|
RPM, yum |
RPM |
|
Yes |
Rxart |
5000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Sabayon Linux |
12000 |
|
Portage, Entropy |
ebuild |
|
Yes |
Scientific |
|
|
APT/yum |
RPM |
|
Yes |
SHR |
3000 |
3000 |
opkg |
opk |
opkg |
Yes |
sidux |
23000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
Slackware |
544 |
|
installpkg, upgradepkg |
tgz, .txz, .tlz, .tbz |
|
No |
Slax |
2050 |
|
none |
.lzm |
|
|
SliTaz GNU/Linux |
2300 |
|
Tazpkg |
.tazpkg |
|
Yes |
Source Mage GNU/Linux |
5514 |
|
Sorcery Package Manager |
src |
|
Yes |
SUSE Linux |
22000 |
|
YaST, Zypper |
RPM |
YaST |
Yes |
Symphony OS |
|
|
APT, OneClick |
RPM |
|
Yes |
SYS |
6000 |
|
installpkg, upgradepkg |
tgz |
|
No |
Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Xubuntu |
37000 |
|
APT |
.deb |
Ubiquity |
Yes |
Ututo |
5000 |
|
UTUTO Package Manager |
ebuild |
|
|
Vector Linux |
|
|
slapt-get, gslapt, installpkg |
tgz |
|
Yes |
Wolvix |
--- |
|
installpkg, upgradepkg |
tgz, .txz |
|
Yes |
Xandros Desktop OS |
|
|
APT |
.deb |
|
Yes |
XBMC Live |
|
|
APT |
.deb |
|
No |
Yoper |
2000 |
|
Smart |
RPM |
|
No |
Zenwalk |
1200 |
|
netpkg, installpkg, upgradepkg |
tgz |
|
Yes |
Distribution |
Approximate number of packages |
Approximate number of source packages |
Default package management tools |
Package Format |
Default installer |
Graphical installation procedure |
Live media
Distribution |
Size in MB |
RAM Use in MB |
Boots from CD-ROM |
Boots from DVD |
Installable Live CD |
Installable Over USBs |
ALT Linux Desktop or Lite |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Ark Linux |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Austrumi Linux |
50 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
BackTrack |
1570 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
CentOS |
700 MB to 3.4 GB DVD |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Officially not supported |
|
ClearOS |
700 MB |
|
Yes |
|
No |
|
Damn Small Linux |
50 |
16 to 24 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Debian Live |
50 to 5120 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Dreamlinux |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
dyne:bolic |
650 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Elive |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Feather Linux |
128 |
48 to 96 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Fedora
Live CD |
683 |
256 to 1024 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Finnix |
100 to 130 |
28 to 64 |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Freespire |
700 |
128 to 768 |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
|
iloog |
700 |
|
Yes |
No |
|
|
Inquisitor live CD |
210 |
96 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Kanotix |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Knoppix CD
edition |
700 |
128 to 320 |
Yes |
Yes |
Only DVD edition is maintained |
|
Knoppix DVD
"Maxi" edition |
4812.8 |
|
No |
Yes |
|
|
Knoppix STD |
497 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No longer updated |
|
Gnoppix |
4812.8 |
|
No |
Yes |
No longer updated |
|
gOS |
700 |
|
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Linux Mint |
700 |
256 to 768 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Lunar Linux |
421 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Mandriva Linux One |
700 |
128 to 768 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
MEPIS |
700 to 4000 |
128 to 512 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
MCNLive |
350 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Micro Core Linux |
?8 |
?48 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Morphix |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Musix GNU/Linux |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Network Security Toolkit
Live CD/DVD |
483 to 1300 |
256 to 1024 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
NimbleX |
200 |
96 to 320 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
nUbuntu |
265 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
openGEU |
700 |
192 to 512 |
Yes |
|
Yes |
|
openSUSE |
700 |
128 to 768 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
OpenWrt |
< 100 |
< 64 |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Oralux |
500 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No longer updated |
|
Pardus |
914 |
256 to 1024 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
PCLinuxOS |
130 to 700 |
96 to 512 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Pentoo |
666 and 700 |
48 to 96 |
Yes |
Yes |
By hand |
By hand |
PHLAK |
500 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
No longer updated |
|
Puppy Linux (standard edition) |
128 |
32 to 192 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Puredyne |
542 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Red Hat Linux |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sabayon Linux Live CD |
695 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Sabayon Linux Live DVD |
4000 |
|
No |
Yes |
Yes |
|
sidux |
400 to 1999 |
193 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Slax |
200 |
96 to 320 |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Yes |
SliTaz GNU/Linux |
30 |
16 to 192 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
SystemRescueCD |
160 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Tiny Core Linux |
10 appr. |
48 appr. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Trinity Rescue Kit |
104 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Ubuntu |
700 |
384 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Edubuntu |
700 |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Kubuntu |
700 |
384 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
XBMC Live |
700 |
256 to 1024 |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Xubuntu |
700 |
256 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Distribution |
Size |
RAM Use |
Boots from CD-ROM |
Boots from DVD |
Installable Live CD |
Installable Over USBs |
Security features
Distribution |
Compile Time Buffer Checks |
Mandatory access control |
Software executable space protection |
grsecurity |
RSBAC |
Debian/Ubuntu |
Yes |
Yes (AppArmor) |
Optional (PaX) |
Optional |
Optional |
Fedora |
Yes |
Yes (SELinux) |
Yes (Exec Shield) |
No |
No |
Gentoo |
Unknown |
Optional (SELinux) |
Optional (PaX) |
Optional |
Optional |
Mandriva |
Unknown |
Yes (AppArmor) |
Unknown |
Unknown |
Yes |
SUSE Linux |
Yes |
Yes (AppArmor) |
Yes (Hardware NX and other methods in mainline kernel and toolchain ) |
No |
No |
Published - December 2010
Text is available under the Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
See Terms
of Use for details.
Submit your article!
Read more articles - free!
Read sense of life articles!
E-mail
this article to your colleague!
Need
more translation jobs? Click here!
Translation
agencies are welcome to register here - Free!
Freelance
translators are welcome to register here - Free!
|
|
|
Free
Newsletter |
|
|
|
|