InformationWeek

May 12, 1999

Which Linux?

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With the growth in Linux distributions, deployment decisions are getting more complicated. Does the growing variety imply market fragmentation? Will any single version of Linux achieve the critical mass it needs to make an impact on business computing? With all the choices, how do you decide which Linux distribution to run?

Discuss it in LangaLetter threads.

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Fred Langa is a senior consulting editor and columnist for Windows Magazine. Fred's free weekly newsletter is available via subscribe@langa.com. You can contact him at fred@langa.com or via his website at http://www.langa.com.

By Fred Langa

With the new 2.2x Linux Kernel now in high-volume production, I've been making the rounds of Linux vendors to scope out the newest distributions.

But man, there's a lot! And while not all are using the newest kernel, there still are enough current choices to give anyone pause.

For example, over at Linux.Org, they list the following English-language distributions:

These range from tiny, single-diskette implementations (the last four in the list) that cost little or nothing up through massive $130 packages that toss in a wealth of tools and utilities.

Of course, you're not limited to just the current distributions: Over at CheapBytes, for example (http://www.cheapbytes.com) you can pick from 32 different flavors of English-language Linux distributions ranging from $1.99 CDs of older builds through the current $124 "Linux OS, the Professional Edition."

So how do you know which version to pick?

One approach (unless you're looking for a specialty application such as a fit-on-a-floppy version) is to look for a current distribution using the 2.2 Kernel, and then add your own personal filters from there.

Price is one possible filter: Most distributions are priced around $40 (SuSE, Caldera, Mandrake, MkLinux). Curiously, Red Hat Software has opted for premium pricing--around $80.

You can look at add-ons. For example, Caldera's OpenLinux ships with a polished, commercial-quality partitioner (PartitionMagic) instead of the rough-cut partitioners you get with some other distributions. SuSE 6.1 includes a copy of StarOffice 5 Personal Edition and a Personal Edition of Corel WordPerfect 8 as well. The Linux Pro distribution includes "...the Linux Encyclopedia; a 1,600+ page reference manual of information with tutorials on setup, configuration, kernel hacking, plus all Linux Usenet News group postings and Mini-Howtos."

Or you can look for ease of setup. Yggdrasil Linux, for example, is trying to produce a plug-and-play Linux distribution that auto-installs with essentially zero user input on supported hardware.

Or, consider tech support. Red Hat, for instance, probably comes the closest to the kind of tech support you'd get from any mainstream operating system supplier--although you pay for it in the extra up-front cost of the software.

OK, which one?

All this choice is great, and indicates just how robust the Linux movement is. But it also begs several questions:

Do all these versions imply fragmentation of the Linux market? With so many versions in competition, can any one achieve the critical mass necessary to really make it to the big time with widespread deployment on business desktops? Or will Linux suffer the fate of Unix two decades ago, splitting into increasingly smaller, increasingly incompatible, and increasingly irrelevant niches?

How do you choose which distribution to run? I've run three of the versions above, but, frankly, there were several on the Linux.Org list I'd never even heard of before. In this week's discussion area, let's pool our knowledge and help each other sort out the burgeoning choices we all face in Linux!