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How are certain Linux distros substantively different? [closed]

How are certain Linux distros substantively different? [closed]

Context: I keep trying Linux every couple of years or so, to see how it compares with Windows. I would use it to work on Mono and Java, both of which I can do. I've looked at a number of distros:

Asked by: Guest | Views: 222
Total answers/comments: 2
Guest [Entry]

"FreeBSD - This is not a Linux distribution, but rather a member of the BSD family which is mainly focused on being a mainstream server platform and supporting as much i386 hardware as possible. It supports the most x86 hardware out of all the BSDs, but likely not what you're after for a development platform unless you're programming server-side software.

OpenSuSe - More user friendly as a desktop platform. Not as much support and up to date software available, which is important for a development machine. Great for a regular end-user desktop environment though.

Ubuntu - This is probably what you're after if you're making desktop software. HUGE community support, currently ranked 4th in up-to-date software packages, and great as a desktop platform for end-users. Based on Debian.

Fedora 12 - Also great as a development platform - it's based on Red Hat Linux distribution therefore is rpm based. Currently ranked 2nd in up-to-date packages. Highly maintained, I see it as a nice mix between a desktop/server platform, you can install whatever you want and it's easily customizable. Not as popular as Ubuntu in the desktop world but heavily used in the server world. Great free alternative to Red Hat, CentOS is similar.

Other great development platforms include Arch Linux (if you're comfortable with some configuring - it's ranked 1st in updated software), and Gentoo."
Guest [Entry]

redhat and fedora are similar. Ubuntu is based off debian. The difference between distros to me seems to be the way you install packages and where stuff is. In debian/ubuntu you use .debs and in redhat/fedora/centos you use rpms. I use ubuntu for desktop and server - it's pretty easy to keep up to date and install software. I have used the redhat variety - I found this a bit more difficult to maintain.