Many people do not understand what a Linux Distribution really is. Lets get logical for a moment and provide a definition.

A Linux Distribution is a collection of GNU software, the Linux kernel (hence the name Linux), usually some installation and system management software packaged onto one or more CD's.

Anyone can build a distribution from scratch relatively easy if they have the software/hardware aptitude. In fact, there is a website dedicated to this. The website is named Linux From Scratch [1]. Some of you may be thinking, “why I don't I just create my own distro?”. There is a certain amount of work involved in building, installing and maintaining a distro. This is where companies/communities have “value add”. Lets list the “value add” of a Linux Distribution ranked by importance:

• Install – Getting the Linux kernel and GNU software copied to bootable storage.

• System Management – Setting up the kernel to work with your hardware and other administrative tasks.

• Package Maintenance – To provide security and bug fixes to the GNU/Linux software without breakage.

• Development – To provide methods that are specific to the distribution for continual advancement of the distribution.

The bullets above list the core values of any distribution. However, many distributions go above and beyond these core values to create a market for their product. For example, SUSE, they target Windows users. RedHat is known for its server offerings and BlueCurve (a look and feel scheme). MontaVista is known as the embedded Linux. One could go one step further and say that each vendor or distro has its own personality. Debian is known for development. SUSE is known for its focus on KDE, whereas, RedHat is known for its focus on Gnome. Is this bad? No. Just imagine if Microsoft had as many desktops as Linux. Microsoft would have to hire a huge number of people dedicated to each desktop, one for each. GNU/Linux makes sense. Each distro is carving out their niche for their users/customers. This is what makes GNU/Linux great. End users have the freedom of choice to pick a distro that is right for them. If someone doesn't like the available choice's, one can always create their own.

Lets look at some of the decisions that have to go into choosing the right distribution:

Corporate – Server/Workstation

• Mission critical applications

• Timely updates important

• Serves as a Gateway into the company or serves applications

• Used in Engineering/Scientific development

• GNU/Linux evolves along with the technological advancements in the hardware industry

The above bullets suggests a commercial distribution should be chosen that offers 24/7 support, security/bug fix response time and lastly, has a sound business model to insure the longevity of the distro.

Corporate – Desktop

• Easy to use standard, consistent gui interface

• Support for productivity applications

• Mail

• Web Browser

• Office applications (OpenOffice)

• Multimedia support

• Timely updates important

The corporate desktop can be tricky. A community based distribution could be chosen with the right in house GNU/Linux expertise. Or a commercial personal edition of a distro could be used, since they also usually provide security and bug fixes on a regular basis.

Home – Desktop

The home desktop is wide open. It really depends on your skill level and what you feel comfortable with. A commercial distro is for those users who require easy installation, needs the distro to work out of the box with minimal or no user intervention, no high speed Internet connection and would like security and bug fixes. Users with no high speed Internet connection would probably want to purchase a distro that offers extra application software with the product such as Suse or Mandrake Pro. If you still need to boot into Windows from time to time, find a distro that supports dual boot.

Advance users with high speed Internet connections could easily go with a community based distro and download the extra software to complete the desktop. Such as Java, Flash and other multimedia applications. A few of the top rated community based distro's are; Debian, Fedora and Gentoo.

The above paragraphs should be enough to get you on the right track to finding the perfect GNU/Linux for your needs. I've provided some links below for more information.

More information:

DistroWatch [2]

Fedora [3]

Mandrake [4]

RedHat [5]

SUSE [6]

Debian [7]

Gentoo [8]

GNU/Linux [9]

Gnome [10]

KDE [11]