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10 Linux Distros You Need To Know
10 Linux Distros You Need To Know

-- Information Week



Wondering which Linux distribution is right for your organization? Check out our quick guide to find the distro with the features and capabilities you need.



Linux, originally developed as a free-to-use operating system, is growing more powerful, capable, and user-friendly by day. Currently there are a large number of Linux versions, called distributions or "distros" for short, available in the market, each followed by a large group of users and developers who are working to further enhance the product. To identify the best fit for your organization, it's important to know the capabilities and limitations of these distros.



The Linux operating system is basically a kernel or a wrapper over the physical hardware that enables applications to interact with the underlying processing machinery. Since it is open source, organizations are free to use its core elements to build and release their own distros. A large number of organizations have already developed several flavors of Linux distros targeting different audiences and adding flexibility and choices based on their requirements.



There are now hundreds of distros, with different capabilities and functionalities, available on the market. Some of them provide a superior graphical user interface (GUI), while others are known for faster performance. Only a few are known for their commercial support, and even fewer are preferred for their simplified or faster deployment mechanisms. To develop or expand a Linux environment, one option is to develop a distro from scratch, potentially matching all of your requirements but also requiring huge amounts of time and effort. Alternatively, many Linux distros are available for commercial use.



Identifying the Linux distro that can serve all of an organization's needs can be a tricky task. Here are some of the most commonly used Linux distros, with a high-level analysis of their strengths and weaknesses to help organizations determine which will best meet their requirements.



Debian

Debian, one of the most stable Linux distros, enjoys a reputation as one of the best-tested and most bug-free distributions. It was the first open-source distro to include a package-based software management system, which makes it easy to install or remove software and even upgrade the system without re-installation.



It comprises more than 37,500 packages and provides native support for most common tasks, including document editing, application development, support for business applications, and playing games. For this reason, Debian is the mother of a large number of Linux distros.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For Debian with Desktop: Pentium 4, 1-GHz system, 128-MB of RAM (256 recommended), and 5-GB hard drive



Pros: High stability makes it suitable for running critical workloads; widest range of hardware supported.



Cons: Due to extra care with stability and hardware support, new changes may take some time to come to market.



Ubuntu

Ubuntu is one of the most commonly used desktop Linux distros, with a good number of user-friendly tools including an attractive Web-based infrastructure, a Wiki-style documentation for help, and an innovative bug-reporting facility that aids continuous and ongoing improvements to the product.



Ubuntu originated from Debian, but carries its own software repositories, including GNOME, Firefox, and LibreOffice, which makes it a popular choice. Although primarily focused on desktop and server versions, it now also extends support to mobile and cloud-based experiences.



Recommended hardware configurations:

For Ubuntu Desktop Edition: 700-MHz processor, 512-MB RAM, 5-GB hard drive, VGA capable of 1024x768 screen resolution, a CD/DVD drive or a USB port for the installer media, and Internet access are helpful



For Ubuntu Server (CLI): 300-MHz x86 processor, 192-MB RAM, 1-GB hard drive, graphics card and monitor capable of 640x480 screen resolution, CD drive



Pros: Beginner-friendly; good supporting documentation



Cons: Limited security support for non-LTS variants



Linux Mint

Linux Mint, also known as "Ubuntu improved," is an enhanced version of Ubuntu, with a large number of improvements designed specifically to make it more user friendly than other Linux distros available in the market.



It is loved mainly because of the nice collection of "minty" tools (like mintDesktop for configuring desktops, mintUpdate for simplified software updates, and mintMenu for easier navigation) which makes it a fast, simple, and secure operating system. Also, its proprietary multimedia codecs provide support for full multimedia playback, like Adobe Flash videos and DVDs, which most other Linux distributions lack.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For Linux Mint 17 Qiana: x86 processor (Linux Mint 64-bit requires a 64-bit processor; Linux Mint 32-bit works on both 32-bit and 64-bit processors), 512-MB RAM (1-GB recommended), 5 GB of disk space, graphics card supporting 800×600 resolution, DVD drive or USB port



Pros: Novice-friendly, user-friendly, native support for multimedia



Cons: Security advisories are often not issued



Fedora

The Fedora Linux distro, known for its bleeding-edge technology adoption, always strives to quickly adopt and deliver new technology to its users. Red Hat (started in 1995) split its mainstream Red Hat Linux product into two branches in 2004: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), its commercial product, and Fedora, the test-bed platform for testing new features before releasing them into production as RHEL.



Fedora has wide user-community support and has made many contributions in bringing enterprise-grade features to virtualization technologies, as well as service management into mainstream Linux distros. It is available in three different flavors: Workstation, Server, and Cloud.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For Fedora: 1-GHz or faster processor, 1 GB of system memory, 10 GB of unallocated drive space



Pros: Innovative, fast adopter of new technology, secure



Cons: More oriented towards enterprise-grade features than desktop-user related functionalities



Red Hat Enterprise Linux

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is considered the first commercial distribution of Linux, intended for enterprise-grade servers and workstations. It is based on the Fedora project, but uses trademark laws to prevent further redistribution of its software. Reports suggest that more than 90% of Fortune Global 500 companies use Red Hat products and services.



Besides having a vast user community, Red Hat also runs training and certification programs like Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA) or Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE) to further expand the talent base. Red Hat Linux is considered to be a stable and secure platform, and it provides regular and extended lifecycle support for production releases.



Minimum hardware configuration:

For Management servers: Dual-core Intel 64 or AMD64 CPU, 4-GB RAM (excluding OS), 25-GB hard drive space, one network interface card (NIC) with bandwidth of at least 1 Gbps



For Host servers (hypervisors): Dual-core Intel 64 or AMD64 CPU, Intel VT or AMD-V extensions enabled in BIOS, 2-GB RAM, 12-GB hard drive space, one NIC with bandwidth of at least 1 Gbps



Pros: Enterprise ready, secure, scalable



Cons: Costly



CentOS

CentOS is basically the community-run free version of RHEL. It's a rebuild of the same source code, with some minor variations in the build environment (causing differences in binary packages) and QA processes. Most importantly, support is provided by the open community (as opposed to RHEL, for which Red Hat provides enterprise-grade support).



CentOS is suitable for open-source projects like OpenStack, which require a stable platform with selectively updated components. It provides a base for experiments with open-source cloud, storage, network, and infrastructure technologies on a reliable enterprise-grade platform.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For CentOS 7: 1-GB/logical CPU, 10-GB hard drive space



Pros: Enterprise-grade, free, five years of free security updates



Cons: Latest updates of RHEL are not available immediately



OpenSUSE/SUSE Linux Enterprise

OpenSUSE is a free-to-use Linux distro sponsored by Novell. In 2003, Novell purchased SUSE Linux and continued to improve it as a free-to-use product. Based on this, it also developed several commercial products, commonly known as SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.



Originally (before the origin of Ubuntu), OpenSUSE was considered the most user-friendly Linux distro, as it provided intuitive desktop environments (KDE and GNOME), good system administration utilities (YaST), and many more handy features that were not present in any other distros at that time.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For OpenSUSE 13.2: Pentium III 500-MHz or higher processor, 1 GB of RAM, 3-GB hard disk space (5-GB for a graphical desktop), support for sound and graphics cards, 800x600 display resolution, bootable CD/DVD drive or USB stick for installation or support for booting over network



For SUSE Linux Enterprise Server: 512 MB of RAM, (512 MB swap recommended), 2-GB hard drive space, 16-GB for snapshot/rollback of the OS



For SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop: AMD64 or Intel64 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 4-GB disk space, 1024x768 display resolution, 3D accelerated (openGL) graphics chipset



Pros: Simplified management tools, good documentation



Cons: Desktop version is resource heavy



Arch Linux

Arch Linux is a simple, flexible, and lightweight Linux distro which is easy to configure to requirements. The installation disk takes users to a terminal to perform basic installation, system configuration, disk partition, and OS installation. It works on a rolling-release model in which, after a one-time installation process, the newer versions of every bit of software are automatically updated over time, without any need for a fresh install.



This Linux distro is considered more developer-friendly (rather that user-friendly), suitable for curious geeks interested in knowing every bit and piece of the platform.



Recommended hardware configuration:

Arch Linux: Runs on any i686 compatible machine, with a minimum of 256-MB RAM, 800-MB hard disk space (which can be reduced based on requirements)



Pros: Good customization options, good software management infrastructure



Cons: Lack of stability



Slackware Linux

Slackware Linux, one of the oldest Linux distros still in use, is known to be a user-friendly and stable platform. Similar to Arch Linux, Slackware also requires users to manually perform all installations and configurations. Though this requires additional effort, it makes the environment bug-free, since it still follows Linux standards (such as the Linux File System Standard) and includes no Slackware-specific enhancements. A complete installation of Slackware comprises most common applications and utilities like networking utilities, C/C++ development environments, email servers, X Window System, and much more.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For Slackware Linux: 486 processor and above, 64-MB RAM, 5-GB hard drive space (for full install), CD or DVD drive or a bootable USB flash stick or PXE server/network card



Pros: Bug-free, stable, lightweight



Cons: Complex upgrade process



Mageia/Mandriva

Mageia, started in 2010 as a fork of another Linux distro, Mandriva, is considered one of the newest Linux distros. It is a community-run project, managed by an elected board of members.



Primarily a desktop distribution, Mageia is equipped with a superior system administration tool, a graphical software management module, and powerful system installers capable of performing installations on hard drives even from a live desktop session.



Recommended hardware configuration:

For Mageia Linux: Any AMD, Intel, or VIA processor; 512-MB RAM; 1-GB hard drive space (6 GB for a full setup); CD or DVD depending on the ISO used (network, USB key installation available); any ATI, Intel, Matrox, nVidia, SiS, or VIA graphic card; any AC97, HDA, or Sound Blaster sound card



Pros: Novice-friendly, good support for multiple languages



Cons: Concerns over a clear future roadmap



Conclusion

In addition to the Linux distributions covered here, there are still many more available in the marketplace, all developed for slightly different functional requirements. However, the Linux distros covered in this list are among the most commonly used distributions, serving the most common needs of the maximum number of users. Unless there are some very specific requirements, this list should be helpful in identifying the right match for an organization's needs.