Basic general information about the distributions: creator or producer, release date and latest version, and so forth.
| Distribution | Creator | Producer | First public release (yyyy-MM-dd) | Base distribution | Latest release date | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 Studio | Daniel James, Free Ekanayaka | 64 Studio Ltd. | 2005-05-09 | Debian | 2008-06-09 | multimedia |
| Alinex | Alinex Team, University of Évora | Alinex Team, University of Évora | 2005-12-06 | Ubuntu | 2008-03-07 | general purpose |
| aLinux | Jay Klepacs | Jay Klepacs | ? pre-1999-08-19 (1.1) | Red Hat Linux | 2006-11-08 | desktop |
| ALT Linux | ALT Linux Team | ALT Linux Team / ALT Linux LLC | 2001-03-21 | none | 2009-02-20 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Annvix | Vincent Danen | Vincent Danen | 2003-11-? | Mandrake Linux | server | |
| Arch Linux | Judd Vinet | dev team | 2002-03-11 | none | 2009-02-16 | general purpose |
| Ark Linux | Bernhard Rosenkraenzer | dev team | 2003-01-25 | none | 2008-05-14 | desktop |
| Arudius | Haidut | dev team | 2005-11-04 | none | 2006-02-06 | information assurance, security |
| Asianux | Red Flag Linux, Miracle Linux, Haansoft Linux | dev team | 2004-06-? | RHEL | 2007-09-22 | workstation, server |
| Aurox | Software-Wydawnictwo Sp. z oo | Aurox Sp. z oo | 2002-09-? | Fedora | 2006-08-31 | general purpose |
| BLAG | Brixton Linux Action Group | Brixton Linux Action Group | 2002-10-22 | Fedora | 2008-07-21 [1] | desktop |
| Caixa Mágica | Daniel Neves, José Guimarães, Paulo Trezentos | Caixa Mágica Software | 2000-10-28 | Mandriva Linux | 2008-02-20 | desktop, server |
| CentOS | CentOS Project | CentOS Project | 2003-12-? | RHEL | 2008-06-23 | server |
| CrunchBang | Philip Newborough | Philip Newborough | 2008-01-30 | Ubuntu | 2009-01-19 | desktop |
| CRUX | Per Liden | CRUX Linux community | 2001-01-20 | none | 2008-12-18 | general purpose |
| Damn Small Linux | John Andrews | dev team | 2003-?-? | Knoppix | 2008-04-22 | general purpose |
| Debian | Ian Murdock | Debian Project | 1993-08-16 | none | 2009-02-14 | general purpose |
| Desktop Light Linux | Henry Jensen | Henry Jensen | 2002-10-? | none | 2008-05-28 | desktop |
| DeMuDi | AGNULA | AGNULA | 2002-04-? | Debian | 2005-11-03 | producing audio, video |
| dyne:bolic | Jaromil | Jaromil | 2001-06-? | none | 2007-09-22 | producing audio, video |
| Elive | Thanatermesis | Thanatermesis | 2005-01-01 | Debian | 2007-07-05 | desktop |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | Guardian Digital, Inc. | Guardian Digital, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 2008-04-? | server |
| Fedora | Fedora Project | Fedora Project | 2003-11-05 | Red Hat Linux | 2008-11-25 | general purpose |
| Finnix | Ryan Finnie | Ryan Finnie | 2000-03-22 | Debian | 2008-01-29 | server administration |
| Foresight Linux | Ken VanDine | dev team | 2004-12-? | rPath | 2008-11-24 | desktop, workstation, gnome showcase |
| Frugalware | Miklos Vajna | dev team | 2004-09-02[citation needed] | Slackware | 2008-09-09 | general purpose |
| Gentoo Linux | Daniel Robbins | Gentoo Foundation, Inc. | 2002-3-? | none | 2008-07-06 | general purpose |
| gNewSense | Brian Brazil and Paul O'Malley | dev team | 2006-11-02 | Ubuntu (8.04) | 2008-04-30 | desktop |
| Gnoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-07-17 (0.4) | Knoppix | 2005-09-07 | live CD |
| gnuLinEx | Regional Government of Extremadura | dev team | 2002-06-09 | Debian | 2006-06-20 | desktop |
| GoboLinux | Hisham Muhammad, Andre Detsch | dev team | 2002-03-20 | none | 2008-03-30 | desktop |
| gOS | Good OS LLC | Good OS LLC | 2007-11-01 | Ubuntu | 2008-02-07 | desktop |
| Impi Linux | Gauteng Linux Users Group | Impi Linux (Pty) Ltd. | 2003-11-? | Debian | 2006-01-31 | desktop |
| Kanotix | Jörg Schirottke (Kano) | dev team | 2003-12-24 | Debian, Knoppix | 2007-12-31 | live CD, desktop |
| Kiran Linux | Kiran Shila | Kiran Shila | 2008-08-19 | Slackware | 2008-08-19 | desktop, workstation |
| Knoppix | Klaus Knopper | dev team | ? pre-2003-01-19 (3.1) | Debian | 2008-03-27 | live CD |
| KnoppMyth | Cecil Watson | dev team | ? | Debian, Knoppix | 2007-09-09 | Live Frontend, Desktop |
| Kurumin Linux | Carlos Morimoto | GuiadoHardware | 2003-01-? | Knoppix | 2007-02-21 | desktop, live CD |
| Linspire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian | 2007-10-10 | desktop |
| Freespire | Lindows.com, Inc. | Linspire, Inc. | 2002-03-? | Debian/Ubuntu(developing) | 2007-11-30 | desktop |
| Linux Mint | Clement Lefebvre | dev team | 2006-08-27 | Ubuntu | 2009-02-06 | desktop |
| Lunar Linux | Chuck Mead, Lunar Penguin Project | Foo-Projects.org | 2002-03-? | Sorcerer | 2007-02-17 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Mandriva Linux | Mandrakesoft S.A. | Mandriva S.A. | 1998-7-23 (5.1 (venice)) | Red Hat Linux | 2008-10-09 | general purpose |
| MontaVista Linux | MontaVista Software | MontaVista Software | 1999-?-? | Debian | 2007-03-? | embedded systems |
| Mutagenix | Dan Barber | Dan Barber | 2005-7-7 | Slackware | 2007-08-16 | rescue, general purpose |
| Musix GNU+Linux | Marcos Guglielmetti | ? | ? | Knoppix, Kanotix, Debian | 2007-03-05 | producing audio |
| NexusWare Core | Performance Technologies, Inc | dev team | 1998-?-? | Debian and others | 2008-02-02 | embedded systems |
| NimbleX | Bogdan Radulescu | Bogdan Radulescu | 2005-12-? | Slackware | 2006-12-25 | desktop |
| Nitix | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | Net Integration Technologies, Inc. | 2001-?-? | none | 2006-10-18 | server |
| Open Enterprise Server on Linux | Novell | Novell, Inc. dev team | 2003 | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server | 2007-10-08 | server |
| openSUSE | SUSE Linux / Novell | Novell, Inc. & openSUSE community | 1994-03-? | SUSE Linux | 2008-12-18 | desktop, server |
| Paipix | António Amorim | António Amorim | 2004-?-? | Debian | 2007-10-17 | science |
| Pardus | TUBITAK | TUBITAK | 2005-?-? | none | 2008-09-14 | general purpose |
| Parsix | Alan Baghumian | Parsix Project | 2005-01-25 | Kanotix, Debian | 2007-10-05 | desktop |
| PCLinuxOS | Bill Reynolds | dev team | 2003-11-? | Mandriva | 2007-05-21 | desktop |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | PixExcel | PixExcel | 2004-04-19 | Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2006-08-15 | general purpose |
| Puppy Linux | Barry Kauler | Puppy Foundation | 2002-07-12 (0.4) | none | 2008-11-03 | portable |
| QiLinux | QiLinux team | QiLinux team | 2003-10-31 (1.0alpha2) | none | 2006-08-01 | desktop, server |
| Red Flag Linux | Institute of Software, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NewMargin Venture Capital | Red Flag Software Co., Ltd. | 1999-09-20 | Asianux | 2005-11-11 | general purpose |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Red Hat | Red Hat | 2002-03-26 Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 AS (Pensacola) | Fedora | 2008-05-21 | business workstation, server |
| Red Hat Linux | Red Hat | Red Hat | 1995-05-13 (1.0) | none | 2003-03-31 | server, workstation |
| Rxart | Pixart SRL | Pixart SRL | 2000-03-? | Debian | 2006-04-16 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Sabayon Linux | lxnay Design | dev team | ? | Gentoo | 2008-12-31 | desktop |
| Satux | Institute of Technology JRSC (iTJRSC) | Institute of Technology JRSC (iTJRSC) | 2007-?-? | Debian | 2007 | desktop, end user |
| Scientific Linux | CERN, Fermilab | dev team | 2004-5-10 | RHL/RHEL | 2008-06-28 | science |
| sidux | sidux team | sidux team | 2007-02-21 | Debian Sid | 2008-12-23 | desktop |
| SimplyMEPIS | Warren Woodford | MEPIS LLC. | 2003-09-05 | Debian | 2007-12-23 | desktop |
| Slackware | Patrick Volkerding | dev team | 1993-07-16 | SLS | 2008-05-02 | desktop, workstation, server |
| SLAX | Tomas Matejicek | Tomas Matejicek | 2002-06-16 | Slackware | 2008-04-18 | live CD |
| SMS - Slack Mini Server | gerasimos_h | gerasimos_h | 2007-08-10 | Slackware | 2009-02-28 | server, live CD |
| SliTaz GNU/Linux | Christophe Lincoln | dev team | 2008-03-22 | none | 2008-03-22 | live CD |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | Ryan Abrams, Eric Schabell | dev team | 2002-06-? | Sorcerer | 2007-03-27 | general purpose |
| SUSE Linux | SUSE Linux / Novell | Novell, Inc. dev team | 1994-03-? | Slackware, Jurix | 2008-05-21 | business desktop, server |
| Symphony OS | Ryan Quinn | Ryan Quinn & Jason Spisak | ? | Debian | 2006-12-13 | desktop |
| Trustix Secure Linux | Comodo Group, Inc. | Comodo Group, Inc. | 2000-02-? | Red Hat Linux | 2007-03-06 | server |
| Ubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2004-10-20 | Debian | 2008-10-30 | desktop, server |
| Kubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-04-08 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
| Xubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2006-06-01 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
| Edubuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2005-10-13 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | computer lab |
| Gobuntu | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2007-10-18 | Debian | 2008-07-03 | desktop |
| Ubuntu Studio | Canonical Ltd. | Canonical Ltd. | 2007-05-11 | Debian | 2008-11-30 | multimedia |
| Ututo | Diego Saravia, Daniel Olivera | UTUTO dev-team | 2000-?-? | Gentoo Linux | 2006-03-04 | general purpose |
| VectorLinux | Robert S. Lange | dev team | 1999-?-? | Slackware | 2007-05-17 | desktop |
| Xandros | Xandros Corp. | Xandros, Inc. | 2002-10-22 | Corel Linux | 2006-06-21 | desktop |
| Yellow Dog Linux | Terra Soft Solutions | Fixstars Solutions | 1999 | Fedora, CentOS | 2008-11-19 | desktop, workstation |
| Yoper | Andreas Giradet | The Yoper Team | 2003-03-05 | none | 2007-10-03 | desktop, workstation, server |
| Zenwalk Linux | Jean-Philippe Guillemin | dev team | 2004-05-21 (as Minislack) | Slackware | 2009-03-07 | desktop, server |
| Distribution | Creator | Producer | First public release (yyyy-MM-dd) | Base distribution | Latest release date | Purpose |
Cost
The following distributions are completely without cost: aLinux, ALT Linux, Annvix, Arch Linux, Ark Linux, Arudius, Asianux, Aurox, BLAG Linux and GNU, CentOS, CRUX, Damn Small Linux, Debian, DeLi Linux, DeMuDi, Devil-Linux, dyne:bolic, Edubuntu, EnGarde Secure Linux, Fedora, Finnix, Foresight Linux, Freespire, Frugalware, Gentoo, gNewSense, Gnoppix, gnuLinEx, GoboLinux, Gobuntu, Impi Linux, Kanotix, Knoppix, Knoppmyth, Kubuntu, Kurumin Linux, Linux Mint, Lunar Linux, Musix GNU+Linux, NimbleX, NUbuntu, openSUSE, Paipix, Pardus, Parsix, PCLinuxOS, Puppy Linux, QiLinux, SabayonLinux, Satux, Scientific Linux, sidux, Slackware, SLAX, SliTaz GNU/Linux, Source Mage GNU/Linux, Symphony OS, Trustix, Ubuntu, Ututo GNU/Linux, Xubuntu, Yoper and Zenwalk.
The following distributions have several editions, some of which are without cost and some of which do cost money : Caixa Mágica, Mandriva Linux, MEPIS and Red Flag Linux.
The following distributions cost money : Elive, Linspire,[6] Novell Open Enterprise Server, Pie Box Enterprise Linux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux,[8][9] Rxart,[10] SUSE Linux Enterprise.
Note that when talking about "free software", the word "free" often refers to software freedom, not monetary cost: for an explanation of the difference, see The Free Software Definition.
Technical
Information on technical aspects of the distributions.
| Distribution | Linux kernel | C Compiler | Default file system | Default desktop environment or window manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alinex | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| aLinux | 2.6.12 | GCC 4.1.1 | none | KDE |
| ALT Linux | 2.6.25 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | KDE, Xfce |
| Annvix | 2.4.32 | GCC 3.4.3 | none | |
| Arch Linux | 2.6.28[12] | GCC 4.3.2[13] | none[14] | none |
| Archie | Xfce | |||
| Ark Linux | 2.6.22.3 | GCC 4.2.1 | JFS[15] | KDE |
| Arudius | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.3.6 | ext3 | Fluxbox |
| Asianux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
| Aurox | 2.6.9 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
| BLAG Linux and GNU | 2.6.25.10-libre | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Caixa Mágica | ? | GCC ? | ? | ? |
| CentOS | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| CrunchBang Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.1 | ext3 | Openbox |
| CRUX | 2.6.27.8 | GCC 4.3.2 | none | Openbox |
| Damn Small Linux | 2.4.31 | GCC 3.3.5, TCC | ext3 | JWM |
| Debian | 2.6.26 | GCC 4.3.2, 4.2.4, 4.1.2, 3.4.6 | ext3 | GNOME, KDE or Xfce (depending on installation media) |
| DeLi Linux | 2.4.32 | GCC 2.95 | ext3/ext2 | IceWM |
| DeMuDi | 2.6.12 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Dreamlinux | Xfce | |||
| dyne:bolic | 2.6.18 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ext3 | Xfce |
| Elive | 2.6.15/2.6.18.2 | GCC 3.4.3 | SquashFS, ReiserFS | Enlightenment |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | 2.6.17 | None | ext3 | none |
| Fedora | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.2 | ? | GNOME, KDE, Xfce (depending on spin) |
| Finnix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | SquashFS | none |
| Foresight Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Frugalware | 2.6.22.9 | GCC 4.2.1 | none | none |
| Gentoo | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.3 | none | none |
| gnuLinEx | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext2 | GNOME |
| GoboLinux | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.1.2 | ReiserFS | KDE |
| gNewSense | 2.6.15.27 | GCC 4.0.3 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Impi Linux | 2.6.11.7 | GCC 4.0.1 | ? | KDE |
| Kanotix | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
| Knoppix | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.2.2 | XFS | ? |
| Kurumin Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.1 | ext3 | KDE |
| Linspire | 2.6.14 | GCC 3.4.3 | ReiserFS | KDE |
| Linux Mint | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME, KDE or Xfce (depending on edition) |
| Lunar Linux | 2.6.26 | GCC 3.4.6 GCC 4.2.4[16] | none | none |
| Mandriva Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext3 | GNOME,KDE |
| MEPIS | 2.6.22.14 | GCC ? | ReiserFS, ext3 | KDE |
| Musix GNU+Linux | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.0.3 | ? | IceWM |
| Mutagenix | 2.6.18 | GCC ? | ? | KDE |
| NimbleX | 2.6.11 | ? | SquashFS | KDE |
| Nitix | 2.4.21 | GCC 3.3.4 | ReiserFS | none |
| openSUSE | 2.6.25.5 | GCC 4.3.1 | ? | GNOME, KDE, Xfce |
| Paipix | 2.6.14 | GCC 4.0.2 | none | KDE |
| Pardus | 2.6.25 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | KDE |
| Parsix | 2.6.23.9 | GCC 4.2.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| PCLinuxOS | 2.6.16 | GCC 3.3.1 | none | KDE |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.6 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Puppy Linux | 2.6.21.7 | GCC 3.3.4 | SquashFS containing ext2 | JWM |
| QiLinux | 2.6.17 | GCC 4.0.2 | ReiserFS | KDE |
| Red Flag Linux | 2.6.9 | GCC 3.4.3 | ext3 | KDE |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 2.6.18[17] | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Rxart Desktop | 2.6.11 | ? | ext3 | KDE |
| Sabayon Linux | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3/ext4[citation needed] | KDE |
| Satux | 2.6.22 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Scientific Linux | 2.6.18 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| sidux | 2.6.27.10 | GCC 4.3.2 | ext3 | ? |
| Slackware | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 [18] | KDE, Xfce[citation needed] |
| SLAX | 2.6.24.4 | GCC 4.2.3 | SquashFS | KDE, Fluxbox, Xfce (Popcorn edition)[clarification needed] |
| SMS - Slack Mini Server | 2.6.27.7 | GCC 4.2.4 | ext3 | KDE |
| SliTaz GNU/Linux | 2.6.24.2 | GCC 4.2.2 | ext3 | JWM |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | any (iso uses 2.6.19) | GCC 4.1.2 | ext2 | none |
| SUSE Linux | 2.6.16.46 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, XFS | GNOME, KDE, Xfce |
| Symphony OS | 2.6.16 | GCC 4.1.0 | ReiserFS | Mezzo |
| Ubuntu Edubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | GNOME |
| Kubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | KDE |
| Xubuntu | 2.6.27 | GCC 4.1.2 | ext3 | Xfce |
| Ututo GNU/Linux | 2.6.15 | GCC 3.3.5 | ext3 | GNOME |
| VectorLinux | 2.6.13 | GCC 3.4.6 | ? | Fluxbox, IceWM, Xfce |
| Xandros Desktop OS | 2.6.15 | GCC 3.3.5 | ReiserFS | KDE |
| Yoper | 2.6 | GCC 4.0, 4.2 | ext3 | KDE |
| Zenwalk Linux | 2.6.28.7 | GCC 4.2.3 | ? | Xfce |
| Distribution | Linux kernel | C Compiler | Default file system | Default desktop environment or window manager |
Architecture support
| Distribution | x86 | x86-64 | IA-64 | ppc | ppc64 | sparc32 | sparc64 | arm | hppa | mips | loongson | s390 | s390x | alpha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 Studio | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| aLinux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Alinex | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| ALT Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Annvix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Arch Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ark Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Arudius | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Asianux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Aurox | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| BLAG Linux and GNU | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Caixa Mágica | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| CentOS | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CrunchBang Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| CRUX | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Damn Small Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Debian[19] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | ?[20] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DeLi Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| DeMuDi | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| dyne:bolic | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Eagle Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Elive | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Fedora[21] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Finnix | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Foresight Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Frugalware | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Gentoo | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes[citation needed] | Yes | Yes[citation needed] | No | No | No | Yes |
| gnuLinEx | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| GoboLinux[22] | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Impi Linux | Yes | Yes | ? | ? | No | ? | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Kanotix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Knoppix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Kurumin Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Linspire | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Linux Mint | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Lunar Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mandriva Linux | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| MEPIS | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Mutagenix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Musix GNU+Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| NimbleX | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Nitix | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | |
| OES2-Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | No |
| openSUSE[23] | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Paipix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Pardus | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Parsix | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| PCLinuxOS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Puppy Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| QiLinux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Red Flag Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Rxart Desktop | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Sabayon Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Satux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Scientific Linux | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| sidux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Slackware | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Slax | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| SMS -Slack Mini Server | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| SliTaz GNU/Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server [26] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | No |
| Symphony OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Edubuntu/Xubuntu | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| UTUTO GNU/Linux | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| VectorLinux | Yes | ? | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Xandros Desktop OS | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Yellow Dog Linux | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Yoper | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Zenwalk Linux | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Distribution | x86 | x86-64 | IA-64 | ppc | ppc64 | sparc32 | sparc64 | arm | hppa | mips | loongson | s390 | s390x | alpha |
Package management and installation
Information on features in the distributions. Package numbers are only approximate.
| Distribution | Approximate number of pre-compiled packages | Approximate number of source packages | GUI installation procedure | Default package management tools | Package Format | Default installer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alinex | 20300 | Yes | APT | DEB | ? | |
| aLinux | 1200 | No | RPM | RPM | ? | |
| ALT Linux | 8300[27] | Yes | APT (apt-rpm), RPM | RPM | ? | |
| Annvix | APT, RPM | RPM | ? | |||
| Arch Linux | 15000 | No | Pacman | tgz | ? | |
| Archie | ? | ? | ? | |||
| Ark Linux | 4000 | Yes | RPM, APT | RPM | ? | |
| Arudius | ? | No | Slackware Pkgtools | tgz | ? | |
| Asianux | ? | Yes | mlupdater, RPM | RPM | ? | |
| Aurox | 3000 | Yes | RPM, yum | RPM | ? | |
| BLAG | 10000+ [28] | Yes | RPM, yum, APT | RPM | ? | |
| Caixa Mágica | 16000+ | Yes | urpmi, APT (apt-rpm) | RPM | ? | |
| CrunchBang Linux | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| CRUX | 1155 | No | pkgutils | tgz | ? | |
| CentOS | 1660 | Yes | RPM, yum/up2date | RPM | ? | |
| Damn Small Linux | 610 | No | myDSL, APT | .dsl, .tar.gz, .uci, .unc, deb | ? | |
| Debian | 25113 | 12123 | Yes | APT | deb | Debian-Installer |
| Desktop Light Linux | 150 | No | ? | ? | ? | |
| DeMuDi | 875 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Dreamlinux | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| dyne:bolic | ? | Yes | none | none | ? | |
| Elive | 20000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| EnGarde Secure Linux | 500 | ? | RPM, APT | RPM | ? | |
| Fedora | 8000 | Yes | yum | RPM | Anaconda | |
| Finnix | 350 | No | APT | deb | ? | |
| Foresight Linux | 15000 | Yes | Conary, PackageKit[29] | ? | ||
| Frugalware | 3000 | Yes | Pacman | .tar.bz | ? | |
| Gentoo | 80 | 13000 | Yes | Portage | ebuild | ? |
| gnuLinEx | 200 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| GoboLinux | 2000 | Yes | Manager, Compile, InstallPackage | recipes,tar.bz2 | ||
| Impi Linux | ? | No | ? | ? | ? | |
| Kanotix | 1200 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| KateOS | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Knoppix | 3600 | No | APT | deb | ? | |
| Kurumin | ? | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Linspire | 2200 | Yes | CNR "click and run" | deb | ? | |
| Linux Mint | 23000 | Yes | APT, mintInstall | deb | Ubiquity | |
| Lunar | 3120 | Yes | lin | source | ? | |
| Mandriva Linux | 20000 | Yes | urpmi, rpmdrake[32] | RPM | DrakX | |
| MEPIS | 20000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Musix GNU+Linux | 1300 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Mutagenix | ? | Yes | ? | tgz | ? | |
| Mythbuntu | 23000 | ? | APT | deb | Ubiquity | |
| NimbleX | 500 | No | none | tgz | ? | |
| Nitix | ? | Yes | SoftUpdate, yum | RPM | ? | |
| openSUSE | 22000 | Yes | YaST, Zypper | RPM | Instlux | |
| Paipix | 2000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Pardus | 1600 | Yes | PiSi | .pisi | ? | |
| Parsix | ? | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| PCLinuxOS | 5025 | Yes | APT, RPM | RPM | ? | |
| Pie Box Enterprise Linux | 1500 | Yes | up2date, yum | RPM | ? | |
| Puppy | 300 | Yes | PupGet, DotPup | .pup, .pet | ? | |
| QiLinux | 2500 | Yes | RPM, APT | RPM | ? | |
| Red Flag | ? | Yes | Red Flag Installer System, RPM | RPM | ? | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux | 3000 | Yes | RPM, yum | RPM | ? | |
| Rxart | 5000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Sabayon Linux | 12000 | Yes | Portage, Entropy | ebuild | ? | |
| SAM Linux | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Satux | ? | Yes | dpkg,apt-get | deb | ? | |
| Scientific | ? | Yes | APT/yum | RPM | ? | |
| sidux | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Slackware | 544 | No | installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz | ? | |
| Slax | 2050 | ? | none | .lzm | ? | |
| SMS - Slack Mini Server | 600 | No | installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz, .lzm | ? | |
| SliTaz GNU/Linux | 448 | Yes | Tazpkg | .tazpkg | ? | |
| Source Mage GNU/Linux | 5514 | Yes | Sorcery Package Manager | src | ? | |
| SUSE | 22000 | Yes | YaST, Zypper | RPM | ? | |
| Symphony OS | ? | Yes | APT, OneClick | RPM | ? | |
| Ubuntu | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | Ubiquity | |
| Kubuntu | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | Ubiquity | |
| Xubuntu | 23000 | Yes | APT | deb | Ubiquity | |
| Ututo | 5000 | ? | UTUTO Package Manager | ebuild | ? | |
| Vector Linux | ? | Yes | slapt-get, gslapt, installpkg | tgz | ? | |
| Xandros Desktop OS | ? | Yes | APT | deb | ? | |
| Yoper | 2000 | No | Smart | RPM | ? | |
| Zenwalk Linux | ? | Yes | netpkg, installpkg, upgradepkg | tgz | ? | |
| Distribution | Approximate number of packages | Approximate number of source packages | GUI installation procedure | Default package management tools | Package Format | Default installer |
Live CDs/DVDs/USBs
| Distribution | Size | RAM Use | Boots from CD-ROM | Boots from DVD | Installable Live CD | Installable Over USBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALT Linux Desktop or Lite | <700mb | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| Archie | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Ark Linux | <700mb | Yes | Yes | |||
| Austrumi | 50 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| BackTrack | ~700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| CentOS | ≈700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Damn Small Linux | 50 MB | 8 to 16 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Debian Live | 50 MB to 5 GB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Dreamlinux | 700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| dyne:bolic | ≈650 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Elive | ~700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Feather Linux | <128> | 48 to 96 MB | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fedora Live CD | 683 MB | 256 to 1024 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Finnix | 100~130 MB | 28~64 MB | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Freespire | <700> | 128 to 768 MB | Yes | No | Yes | |
| iloog | ~700MB | Yes | No | |||
| Inquisitor live CD | ~210MB | ~96MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Kanotix | ~700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Knoppix CD edition | 700 MB | 128~320 MB | Yes | Yes | Only DVD edition is maintained | |
| Knoppix DVD "Maxi" edition | 4.7 GB | No | Yes | |||
| Knoppix STD | 497 MB | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | ||
| Gnoppix | 4.7 GB | No | Yes | No longer updated | ||
| gOS | ~700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Linux Mint | ~700 MB | 256~768 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Mandriva One | ~700 MB | 128~768 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Mandrake | ||||||
| MCNLive | ~350 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Morphix | 700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Musix | ~700Mb | Yes | Yes | |||
| NimbleX | <200> | 96~320 MB | Yes | Yes | ||
| nUbuntu | ~265 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| openGEU | ~700 MB | 192~512 MB | Yes | Yes | ||
| openSUSE | ~700MB | 128~768 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Oralux | <500> | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | ||
| Parted Magic | 30 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| PCLinuxOS | between 130MB and 700 MB | 96~512 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Phlak | > 500 MB | Yes | Yes | No longer updated | ||
| Puppy Linux | 70 MB (standard edition) | 32~192 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| pure:dyne | 542 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Red Hat Linux | ||||||
| Sabayon Linux Live CD | ~695 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Sabayon Linux Live DVD | ~4000MB | No | Yes | Yes | ||
| SAM Linux | 683 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| sidux | 400 / 1999 MB | 193 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SimplyMEPIS | 706 MB | 128~512 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SLAX | <200> | 96~320 MB | Yes | Yes | ||
| SMS - Slack Mini Server | 283 / 950 MB | 128~786 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SliTaz GNU/Linux | 25 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| SystemRescueCD | ~160 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Trinity Rescue Kit | ~104 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Ubuntu | ~700 MB | 384 MB | Yes | Yes | ||
| Edubuntu | ~700 MB | Yes | Yes | |||
| Kubuntu | ~700 MB | 384 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Xubuntu | ~700 MB | 256 MB | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Distribution | Size | RAM Use | Boots from CD-ROM | Boots from DVD | Installable Live CD |
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