Which Linux Distribution?

Okay, you've seen the stories, heard your friends rave, and now you finally want to give Linux a try. So where do you start? Do you have to get an engineering degree or something? Do you have to hire a geek for a week? How do you get this Linux thing started? And what about all those different Linux distributions? Which one do you choose, and how are they all different?

Where to Start. Well, there are lots of questions. You start with acquiring a CD-ROM-based distribution of Linux. A distribution is simply a collection of operating system essentials and various utility and server programs and applications so you don't need to go out and buy anything more. Basically, you've got almost everything on the CD-ROM you'll ever need. So which distribution is right for you? That's your first decision.

There must be about fifteen or twenty distributions that I've heard of over the years. Some are no longer available, some are primarily European, so you don't hear much about them in the US, and others are part of the BIG FIVE distributions: Caldera, Debian, Redhat, Slackware, and SuSE.

Linux is Linux, but... It's true that any distribution will give you Linux, and this is an important point to remember. All the distributions will most likely give you the XFree86 X server, some command shells, the Linux kernel and libraries, and also a host of servers and applications. But each distribution will also embody a different philosophy about upgrades, commercial addons and support, and software package management.

The two major philosophies about upgrades are 1) upgrade in place and keep on working productively, and 2) reinstall afresh for each distribution, and restore data and configurations as appropriate. The first approach is preferred if you're in a production environment and don't want to hassle with upgrades much. The second approach is good if you like to ``clear the decks'' every so often. It's a good way of house cleaning and avoiding layer after layer of leftovers from previous upgrades. Personally, I like to do a fresh install once every year or two, but most of the time I like to upgrade in place.

I'll talk about Caldera, Red Hat, Debian, Slackware, and SuSE.

Caldera. Caldera has been probably the most commercial of the distributions until recently. I say that because they have always chosen to bundle commercial software with their distribution, such as the Netscape commercial web servers and various commercial products from Corel and others.

Also, they tend to upgrade a little more slowly than other distributions, reflecting their desire for software stability and production. They use Red Hat's package manager (RPM) and many of LST's (the distribution is based on this fine German distribution's design) administration tools.

Caldera has yet to include GNU libc development libraries in their distribution, though they do provide runtime support for glibc binaries in their latest 1.3 distribution. (GNU C libraries offer mostly advantages and few disadvantages over the standard libc5 libraries included in most all Linux distributions.)

In my opinion, Caldera offers the easiest installation routines of anyone. They are probably the most expensive and offer the most support to both business and individuals. They tend to lag a little on the software updates and revisions to their versions. It's a clean and polished distribution whose audience is interested more in commercial support and added software than some other distributions.

Red Hat. Red Hat Linux is perhaps the most often heard of Linux distribution of late. And for good reason: it's a fine and very popular distribution. Their installation routine is easy, their quality has been high, and they recently have been very clever in their marketing and in their business model. They have formed powerful alliances with IBM, Intel, and Macmillan publishing. Theirs is usually the distribution of choice that is bundled with various Linux books, whereas it used to be Slackware that was bundled. They've also put themselves in various media outlets and have also earned several quality awards from trade magazines in the industry. Their marketing savvy has been matched only by their technical quality.

Unfortunately, in their aggressive move from a libc5 based system to a new and improved glibc system (aka libc6), there were several small problems that gained quite a bit of press and lost many brownie points from technical reviewers. The move was ambitious, they were the first distribution to do it, and it was less than a trouble-free transition. Still, their glibc distribution is completely stable now, and any problems with their glibc would probably not be distribution-specific at this point.

Red Hat recently has included a separate CD with loads of commercial ``lite'' software in addition to their source and binary CDs. So it no longer seems that Caldera is the most commercial of the Linux vendors.

Red Hat created RPM (the Red Hat Package Manager system) that has been adopted by numerous other distributions. The Red Hat philosophy is based on easy upgradability, ease of system administration, and commercial support: they are even defining a program for certification of Linux support technicians. The distribution is easy to install and use for both newbies and experienced professionals.

Slackware. I started with Slackware 2.2 years ago. I'd probably still be using it if it weren't for my Diamond video card not working properly under Xfree86 in those days. Red Hat included Metro-X, a commercial X server that included support for my video card, and that was mainly why I switched. But I still like Slack's rustic ``BSD feel'' and ``in-the-trenches'' way of doing things. It's a favorite distribution of Unix geezers.

My main problem with Slackware is that it doesn't have a refined dependency-checking package management system like DPKG or RPM. However, it's possible to use external package managers with Slackware that pretty much close this gap. There is an RPM HOWTO for Slackware, for example, and there are various front ends to tar that try to do what RPM and DPKG do. I've never tried any of these so I can't comment on how they work.

If you want to get your hands dirty and don't mind taking a little longer to get a fully functional system, and you don't mind more complicated upgrades, this distro is for you. You can learn a lot of Unix with this distribution, as well as get a lot of work done.

Debian. This is perhaps my personal favorite distribution. It's an old-time distribution that's been a favorite among engineers and scientists because of the wealth of engineering and programming tools included in the distribution.

Debian is the least-commercial distribution in that its philosophy most closely mirrors that of the Free Software and GNU organizations. Consequently, you won't find commercial applications on its distribution CD, but you will find gobs of extremely well-written and debugged open source software. Because of the lack of commercial incentive, Debian distribs only are issued when they are fully debugged. Consequently, Debian has earned more technical brownie points than Red Hat during the shift to the GNU C libraries; Debian went a little slower and learned from, among other things, Red Hat's mistakes. Their 2.0 distribution has been as bulletproof as their earlier distributions, whereas Red Hat's was a little shakey around the 5.0 days (it's fine now at 5.2, however). Debian and Red Hat are the only two distributions to transition fully to the new GNU C libraries.

Debian uses a dual distribution scheme; there are ``stable'' and ``unstable'' distribution paths. The idea is very close to the production and developmental kernel source trees. If you're a developer and are willing to put up with a few occasional headaches, then get the bleeding edge ``unstable'' distribution (at this moment it's ``Slink''). If you just need to get your work done and don't care about the latest and greatest software, use the ``stable'' distribution (currently it's ``Hamm''). It's a good approach so both classes of user get what they want.

Debian is easily upgradeable using DPKG, their dependency checking package manager that is every bit as good, and perhaps even better than, RPM. Whereas Glint is the RH front end to their package manager, Dselect is the current front end to DPKG. It's a text based interface and is a little awkward and dated with so many packages in the distribution nowadays. A new front end is in development and is called Deity. It's gorgeous and will probably move Debian to the top of the Linux distro heap when it becomes available.

APT is another Debian project underway; it will allow you to automatically upgrade your system as upgrades become stable and available. The intent is to do away with the hassel of big upgrades by keeping your system current on a nightly basis, so to speak. You configure your upgrade rules, and your system is updated at night. You practically never have to ``do an upgrade'' again, as I understand it. It's an ambitious and very clever idea.

SuSE. The official SuSE 5.3 distribution is a wopper: 5 CDs chok full of software, servers, utilities, and applications. You could probably fill your whole system with this single installation. It's that big.

SuSE also ships a very good system administration tool called YaST (Yet another Setup Tool). They also include their own commercial X Server and an X configuration tool called SaX (SuSE advanced X-Configuration). This German company really lives up to the polished engineering heritage of its country. It's a highly polished distribution and it gives a very cosmopolitan Linux perspective. This is the most popular distribution in all of Europe right now. I haven't used this distro extensively, so I can't comment in depth about it. But what I've seen and tried has impressed me.

The best way I can describe it is calling it ``Red Hat or Caldera in a BMW.'' It's very solid and polished.

Conclusion. I don't really have much opinion on ``which distribution is best.'' I hear this question all the time, and there is no ``correct'' answer, as far as I'm concerned. It's up to you. If you need convenience and ease, choose Red Hat, Caldera, or SuSE. Slakware is a good learning tool for scientists and students learning Unix. It's also a great Linux distribution in its own right. Debian takes the middle ground, I think. Above all, just pick one or more distributions that interest you and go with that. And if you want to try something different, do so without apologies. Linux has always been about you chosing your own destiny.