I was just wondering what the core differences between different versions of linux are. also do all linux apps run on different versions of linux, also if there all made from the x86 platform wouldn's the different versions just be cosmetic, i am probably completely backwards, i was just curious. "ment Distributors not versions"
Linux is an open-source kernel1, a project to make an open-source clone of UNIX which was originally begun by Linus Torvalds to follow up on another similar project called GNU2. The GNU operating system was to have its own kernel, "Hurd", but that was not to be, as Linux picked up where it left off. The majority of the rest of the operating system is made up of GNU itself. That's why it's often called GNU/Linux, but can be shortened to just "Linux" and people will still know what you mean. Since the code is open-source, it can be compiled for any hardware architecture including but not limited to x86, PPC, Alpha, Sparc, ARM, HPPA, x86-64. m68k, and MIPS. Linux is one of the most flexible and extensible operating systems in existence. As for the differences between the different distributions of Linux, most are relatively minor but can have a profound impact on the look, feel and functionality of the operating system. Which each distro will share quite a bit of code in common, each distro has a focus and target userbase. This focus determines which packes they include "out of the box" with the distribution, the age and relative known stability of these packages, how they're packed, the support lifespan of the distribution, language(s), installation method, default desktop environment, etc. For instance: my firewall runs Linux, my servers run Linux, my wife's PC runs Linux and my workstation also runs Linux. However, my servers run CentOS, a totally free version of the popular Red Hat Enterprise Linux. I like the totally non-interactive update system, yum, which automatically keeps my servers current, as well as the extreme level of stability and the longevity of support for each OS version release. They also employ the security subsystem SELinux which further increases the already robust user-privilege seperation inherent in the Linux platform. My desktop runs Debian "Etch", because I love how friendly, powerful and usable it is to the proficient Linux user. It also has well over 15,000 software packages in its primary repositories, which makes it one of the more flexible Linux distributions available. As for my wife, she runs Mandriva Linux which is arguably one of the best desktop Linux distributions available. It's fantastic for multimedia, meticulously organized, painfully easy to use, and it "just works". She's had the same OS installation for about 3 years now, and it's faster today than when she first installed it. So, any questions? 1. The Kernel is the central-most portion of the operating system. Think of the kernel as the conductor in an orchestra. 2. "GNU's Not Unix" -- a free, open-source implementation of the POSIX UNIX standard.
Im still not sure I know what the differences are between say Debian and Red Hat etc. The only differences I can see is how X is configured which isnt Linux itself but something which runs on Linux. It might as well be Open Office or The Gimp. Is it just the versions of the core GNU packages which make Red Hat and Debian different? Making my own personal Linux system has had lots (mostly very silly) questions attached and usually the first response to one of my questions is "what distro are you using?" How does it matter?, other than they run different package managers. Even that is irrelevant because the package manager I use can install RPM, Debian and Slackware binaries, not that Ive ever tried that feature. I use gpaco and if I ever need to, superpaco from the paco package..o0(paco)0o. a source code pacKAGE oRGANIZER for Unix/Linux
Certain packages and compiled especially for a specific distribution. The most important of these is the kernel itself, which can be custmized to the disitribution with patches by the vendor. While in an LFS system, you basically have vanilla packages of the core components, in a distribution you can have special Ubuntu, Debian, Mandriva SUSE etc packages. E.g. openoffice for mandriva may be slightly different to the plan vanilla one. True the primary platform is for x86, but that doesn't mean that x86 code for Windows will run on linux. While they all have one thing in common (the Linux kernel), as I said sometimes the packages like X, applications and the kernel can be customised.
ok not to be rude, i knew alot of that stuff already i was just asking and got answered by zues, is that they are all basically the same, i've used mandriva and Suse before, anyways i just had that thought pop into my head as i was thinking about a distro i might get and was suggesting to my dad
Here is a very good (and graphic) depiction of the 'layers' of a linux system. Actually there are many key diffences between linux distros. First of all, there is no 'version' of linux to my knowledge. The kernel has various versions but when refering to 'linux' you are refering to an entire system that is composed of many other things, including GNU userland, that are not even linux specific. Here are some key differences in distros: 1: package manager. This is more than just a GUI 'click and install' facade. There is an entire backend to this system that is very different in various distros with the biggest difference being between 'styles' of packages. The big ones are RPM, debian, gentoo, arch, slackware. They are not really interchangable. You can install RPMs in gentoo but this is not recommended because the system layout is VERY different and most likely will not be compatible. Linux software will run on just about any linux system but it must be packaged for your specific distro or built from source. When you build from source the compiler configures the build based on cues from your system layout and so on. 2: Installation. Installations vary from extremely complex and hands-on to 3 clicks and your done. This is really only a matter of preference but every distro is different in this respect. Some distros make their own installer and some borrow from others. 3: system configuration and admin. This is a big difference between distros and way too much to talk about here. If you can't maintain your system then it is useless so this is a key difference. Alright, that is enough for now.
