The different distros of Linux

We all know that there are many many distributions of Linux out there, and we all have heard of the major ones, like Red Hat, Mandrake, slackware, etc etc. Now, since they are different distros, I would think that they would have a sort of.. differentiation between them, right? Basically meaning that each one would have its own 'speciality', so to speak.

What I'm asking is that what are the major characteristics of each distro, example:

Red Hat for lays stress on ease of use??
Slackware is more inclined toward blah blah??
etc etc.

This ofcourse would help newbies ( like me ) to get a better understanding of what the different distros offer, and which one to chose. ( cos right now, I'm torn between Red Hat 7.3, and Slackware )

Cheers :)

most start with redhat to ge teh basics then move on to another
Slackware is a bitch to start with and u have to be ready to learn a bit of stuff to get going.
If u are up to it get slackware I use it and love it.

BSDs are more secure and lite
as : openbsd and netbsd

most different distro's differentiate in what they offer you..

RedHat-SuSE and more of them BIGGER distro's come with nice point-and-click installers..
they are easyer to get started and (installed and configured)

Slackware is more of a DIY (Do It Yourself) Distro...
for example... to get the X started you have to realy know what kind of hardware you have..
you'll spend a lot of time in console mode etc..

Some distro's have their own package systems..
RedHat made the RPM system (RedHat Package Manager(management?))
Slackware useses .TGZ (TAR GZIP) packages
Debian uses yet another system
etc...

Mostly it is about: What do you want to do, and how much work do you want to do to get it..

Any linux distro can be used as a server or a desktop system..
Even as both..

Some distro's just need a lot of configuring.. others do most of the work for you..

Mandrake is a good place to start! It is one of those distro that does most of the work for you! I use it and i like it!

The basic recommendations...
Newbies....Redhat/Suse/Mandrake
Advance.....Debian
Expert.......Slackware
Insane.......BSD (ok, not really insane, but it does take more knowledge)
Speciality....other....ie Bastile, Gentoo, Yellow Dog, etc etc.

The main difference between distrobustions is the installer. Both the origainal system installer, and the way you install packages (like RPM in redhat). Other differences include the packaged software, the file system (ie, the /proc directory), and the basic security (a "hardened" distro.).

The best answer I know to give to this is to head on over to www.distrowatch.com and do a little comparison of them all.

That being said, I agree with most of the above, but.....

Quote:

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BSDs are more secure and lite

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I disagree with that, but not for the obvious reasons. I think strictly from a codebase perspective, the BSDs are probably a little tighter the Linux, but an OS is only as secure as the admin securing it. OpenBSD has all these great code audits and stuff, but if you don't know anything about it you're going to make mistakes. I can secure a Linux box much tigher than I could OpenBSD, simply because I know it much better.

Go with what you know, instead of what someone else says is best.