How the GNU/Linux Community Ranks Distros: Giants, Challengers, Petty Officers
,----[ Quote ]
| Looking at Distrowatch and daily news stories, I suggest that many
| distributions that have existed for more than a couple of years tend to fall
| into four main tiers. On the first tier are about half a dozen that have the
| attention of the majority of users. In fact, for some users, especially new
| ones, one or more first tier distros could be GNU/Linux, for all they know.
|
| On the second tier are distributions that attract a dedicated, but small
| following. And on the third tier, those that, while not necessarily inferior
| to those on higher tiers, occupy specialized niches and hold little in
| popular appeal.
|
| Finally, there are the rest: Distros too new to have found their place, and
| those that, for one reason or the other, are unlikely to attract much
| attention.
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http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/article.php/3728791
"Too many distros" FUD also debunked below.
Related:
The distro jungle
,----[ Quote ]
| People who are new to Linux are often confused by the large number of
| distributions to choose from. The good news is that you can safely ignore
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| most of them. This article helps you choose a distribution for getting
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^
| started with your Linux exploration—and helps you understand just what
| it is you've just chosen.
`----
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-linux-distros/?S_TACT=105AGX59&S_CMP=GR&ca=dgr-btw01distrojungle
Distros Don’t Drive Development
,----[ Quote ]
| Lots of press and people focus on Linux distributions when they check out
| what happens in Linux land. This and that distro come in new releases and
| they offer this and that brand new feature. This is also true of the many
| linux podcasts. They give credit to distros for new things that pop up.
`----
http://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2007/10/28/distros-dont-drive-development/
More distros = more choice
,----[ Quote ]
| With more than 300 active distributions (distros), Linux is on a roll. Linux
| distros primarily differ in terms of features since they are built on
| variants of the same kernel (32-bit/64-bit; with various features of the
| kernel enabled or disabled). “All the Linux distributions come from the same
| upstream kernel and what distinguishes each distribution is how they provide
| support, get ISVs to certify the ISV applications on the specific
| distribution, and how IHVs (Independent Hardware Vendor) get to do the same,”
| feels Nandu Pradhan, President & Managing Director, Red Hat India.
`----
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20080211/opensource03.shtml
Ubuntu 7.10 & Fedora 8 Performance Compared
,----[ Quote ]
| The bottom line is with our hardware we had used and these common Phoronix
| benchmarks, the performance of Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.10 was deadlocked. There
| was no clear winner. If you are trying to decide between taking the Ubuntu or
| Fedora route, you're best off looking at the distribution's features and what
| they mean to you.
`----
http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&item=912&num=1
Schism
,----[ Quote ]
| When someone says a recent Linux Distro is 100 times better than another
| recent Linux distro, I worry a little that schism has lead to computer
| religion. Taken on its face, examined rationally, you have to ask "how can
| that be?". They all feed off the same kernel stock, and pull in the same sets
| of office projects and same GUI projects and so forth.
`----
http://on-being-open.blogspot.com/2007/09/schism.html
Why Having 500+ Distros is a Good Thing
,----[ Quote ]
| Perhaps next time the author might think about what they're
| saying...because limiting the number of distros out there is
| absolutely NOT the way to go to accomplish anything other
| than limiting innovation.
`----
http://linux-blog.org/index.php?/archives/186-Why-Having-500+-Distros-is-a-Good-Thing.html
Staffing for Linux, not distribution X
,----[ Quote ]
| What doesn’t change is that you hired them to do what they’re doing: run
| Linux - and the next step in generality is to first recognise that Linux, the
| BSDs, and Solaris are all variations on a theme and then to conclude that
| people who are good with one of these are likely to be equally effective with
| the other two.
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http://blogs.zdnet.com/Murphy/?p=912
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