Datasheet

Part I: Getting Your Feet Wet

Packaging Linux: The Distribution

A complete Linux system package is called a distribution. A Linux distribution

contains the Linux kernel, the GNU project’s tools, and any number of open-

source software projects to provide diverse functionality for the system. By

combining all the pieces into one package, you don’t have to go hunting for

the individual pieces across the Internet.

There are lots of different Linux distributions available to meet just about any

computing requirement you could have. Most distributions are customized

for specific user groups — 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 different Linux distributions are often divided into three categories:

✓ Core Linux distributions (more about the core in a minute)

✓ LiveCD test distributions

✓ Specialized distributions

The following sections describe these different types of Linux distributions,

and show some examples of Linux distributions in each category.

A single Linux distribution often appears in several different versions to cover

more ground. For example, Fedora releases both a full core distribution, as

well as a LiveCD version that contains a subset of the full system. Many of the

specialized Linux distributions (such as Ubuntu) are based on the Debian core

Linux distribution. Ubuntu uses the same installation files as Debian, but pack-

ages only a small fraction of a full-blown Debian system.

Core Linux distributions

A core Linux distribution contains the Linux and GNU operating systems, one

or more graphical desktop environments, and just about every Linux appli-

cation that is available, ready to install and run. The core Linux distribution

provides one-stop shopping for a complete Linux installation, no matter what

your requirements are. Table 1-1 shows some of the more popular core Linux

distributions out there.