Suilenroc

Welcome one, welcome all, to the Ultimate guide to Linux Distributions! This guide is intended to educate those who are interested about the various Linux Distributions available to them.

What is a Distribution, you ask? A distribution is a Linux Operating System, released with a Package Manager (to download new programs), and a suite of program. Some of them are full featured, like Ubuntu, and others are barebones, like Arch.

These guides were written by volunteers from these forums, so please, be sure to thank them however you can.

In the interest of helping those new to Linux learn, here's a quick run-down of some vocabulary. We must seem like we're speaking Gibberish sometimes:

1. Distro - Distribution.
   
2. Open Source - A program that is Open Source lets anyone who wants is so inclined to see the source code and modify that code.
   
3. Package Manager -the program through which that particular Linux Distro downloads and installs new programs.
   
4. Aptitude/Apt-Get - Ubuntu's package Manager. As Ubuntu is so popular, many other package managers are compared to this one, if only because Ubuntu is a nearly ubiqitous distro.
   
5. Ubuntu - One of the most Basic Distros. I include it on this list because of how ubiquitous is it. Read on to find out more!
   
6. GIMP - Stands for "Gnu Image Manipulation Program" It's the Linux alternative to photoshop.
   
7. Compiz - This is a program that runs on top of any Linux Desktop that it's installed on. It allows for some pretty sweet effects, such as wobbly windows and 3-d desktops.
8. Bleeding Edge - A term to describe the truly "on-the-edge" distros. All of Linux is Cuttin Edge, so one that is Bleeding Edge is truly in the middle of beta and alpha software releases.
   
9. Unix - this is one of the first computer operating systems. Linux is based off of this. If you're interested, the Wikipedia article on it is very informative.
   
10. FreeBSD - Another system based off of Unix.
    
11. Python - A programming language used extensively on Linux distros.
    
12. "Building from Source" - the process by which a computer takes the source code of a program and builds that program specifically for that computer. This produces a speed increase, but also takes longer to install.
    
13. Kernel - this is the core of the operating system. It is the interface between the programs and the hardware.
    
14. 64-bit - a type of operating system that can take advantage of new advanced processors. It can also use more than about 3.5 GB of RAM.
    
15. Open Office - the open source alternative to Windows Microsoft Office
    
16. Desktop Environment - the actual windows and menus of a distro. There are various DE's available.

Also, these guides are ever expanding, and more guides are being added relatively often.

So, without further ado, here we go!


Alrighty, the initial reservations are done. We have room to expand the first page of guides by a few more, so whoever gets 'em to me will get dibs. First come, first serve.

I'll now begin the process of beautifying the pages, and adding the author's name to every one.

Also, I would like to request a sticky from a mod. The entire point of this project was to make a large collection of high-quality guides to help the newbies, and then use it as reference material when helping people. If you could sticky it, it would be MUCH appreciated.

EDIT: If anyone has any ideas for this thread, especially concerning any other features, or even just feedback, please post here and/or pm me. Thanks!

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Suilenroc

WRITTEN BY: OrphanShadow

Purpose Of Distro: Ubuntu is described as 'Linux for Human Beings' by its creators, and this rings true in all aspects of it. Ubuntu is a fairly uncomplex distribution that seems to focus on giving the user an easy ride through the world of linux. It is primarily aimed at desktop usage, and has multiple flavours dependant on your preferred Desktop Environment (See Kubuntu, Xubuntu, Edubuntu etc).

Skill Required: Low

Documentation: https://help.ubuntu.com/. This site contains many helpful articles addressing many issues and features found within Ubuntu. Everything from wireless issues to setting up graphics drivers, as well as a database of OEM machines and how they run with linux (Extremely helpful If you are on the hunt for a linux-friendly laptop).

Write Up:

Ubuntu is the very first linux distribution I used. From my own personal experience it is a very intuitive and forgiving OS.

Being based from Debian, Ubuntu already has a large number of packages available to it through .deb packages and such. GDebi package manager is helpful in installing any debs that you need installing, to the point of double click and its done.

Ubuntu's aptitude package manager is also very intuitive, Offering several interfaces suited to a variety of linux skill levels.(add/remove for the basics, synaptic for tracking down packages, and terminal 'apt-get' commands). Most of the time what you cant get through apt isnt worth getting.

Another very good part of ubuntu is the Restricted drivers manager. If your hardware (mainly wireless and video) does not have open source drivers available, it will fetch the drivers straight from the manufacturer. This is helpful for getting the most out of your hardware.

The bundled software is very good, giving you GIMP, Firefox, OpenOffice, Pidgin, and other useful software straight off the bat.

Ubuntu is very well maintained as well. Most of the packages you will find within the repo's is up to date.

As I mentioned initially, Ubuntu also has many variations suited to your choice of desktop environment, architecture, or usage model. This makes Ubuntu a very popular universal choice.

Customization is also catered for very well within Ubuntu. Installing new themes is a simple case of drag and drop mostly, allowing you to apply new GTK and icon themes in seconds. Compiz is also installed as standard, giving you some of the best 'bling' you can get for a desktop environment...period.

To summarise, Ubuntu is a distribution for those that dont want to have to learn a whole new operating system from scratch, rather get stuck into the whole linux experience quickly and efficiently. Having said that however, for those that prefer a certain level of narcissism, Ubuntu is more than happy to oblige, offering easy to ways to customize and tweak your user experience. The software bundle is well thought out, the system is smooth, and help is always on hand from the community.

Cons:

For the supreme control freaks among the linux community, ubuntu may feel to tethered and tame, not offering many of the under the hood tweaks that the more advanced distros, such as slack and arch, can offer users.

Ubuntu also isnt as bleeding edge as say, Fedora, and some newer software packages can require a wait until they are available through ubuntu's built in repo's.

Built in DVD playback, codecs, programming libs and such are also things that need to be fetched when you start using ubuntu. While the packages are readily available through Ubuntu's restricted area's, it still detracts from the user experience.

Other Points:

Ubuntu has spawned many offshoot projects over time. Worthy mentions include UbuntuStudio, gOS and Linux Mint.

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Suilenroc

Distro Features: The purpose of Linux Mint is to provide a desktop operating system that home users and companies can use at no cost and which is as efficient, easy to use and elegant as possible.

Skill Required: Low. (do read up on Ubuntu first though, as that will help make the jump from Windows)

Documentation: http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/linuxmint.c...r-Guide_v1.pdf (this guide is a bit old, though, but it will explan a lot of )

Why would anyone choose Linux Mint over Ubuntu? well, Linux Mint offers a set of suite of utilities that can make learning and using Linux a more pleasant experience: features such as a built in file upload service, Compiz Desktop Effects and codecs preinstalled, and Envy preinstalled, to make installing video drivers a breeze. Also, Linux Mint users can take advantage of Ubuntu's forums for help, if a Linux Mint-specific help cannot be found.

Being able to use the repositories and package manager (APT) of Ubuntu puts all of Ubuntu's programs at your disposal and allows you to find a program for almost any use.

Like most other distros, Linux Mint offers a LiveCD mode which allows you to try out the distro before you use it. In the event that you do, installation is really easy - alll you need to do is follow the onscreen instructions. After 20/30 minutes, you will need to eject the disk and reboot to enter your new Linux Mint system.

Remember, enjoy Linux, and from freedom comes elegance!

By -iceblade^


Addition by Suilenroc: For those that don't know, Mint Linux is based almost directly off of Ubuntu Linux, which, in turn is based off of Debian Linux. Mint is like a polished Ubuntu, which has it's own set of pro's and con's.

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Suilenroc

WRITTEN BY: Thiussat

Purpose of Distro: A highly customizable distro that is compiled from source. The benefit of this is "tweakability" and speed increases as a result of the ability to adjust the GCC compiler variables. It is often said that no two Gentoo installs are alike, and this is true from my experience. There are people that have Gentoo servers, multimedia workstations, gaming boxes, file servers, firewalls, on down the line. It is highly flexible.

Skill Required: High

Documentation: http://gentoo.org. The handbook can be found there. Just pick the book that meets your system architecture and it will walk you through all of the steps of installation. It is recommended that if you don't have two computers that you print out the handbook since the installation is done strictly from the terminal (black and white screen with text). I recommend doing the installation from the "minimal install CD." Don't use the graphical live CD. If you use the minimal install CD, you will need a working Internet connection (preferably an always on broadband connection).

Write up:

Essentially Gentoo is the closest you can get to LFS (Linux From Scratch) without actually building your own toolchain and libraries (though you can do this too if you want to, and I recommend it).

Gentoo's package manager is known as Portage. Portage is a Linux port (pun intended) of BSD's "Ports" package manager. FreeBSD packages are typically built from source using pre-configured make files (you search for a package in the Ports tree and do a traditional make && make install to build). Portage works the same way but it's a bit more intuitive for those not familiar with the traditional Unix way of building packages from source. It is written 100% in Python. You simply search for a package using "emerge --search <package name>" and if you get a hit you simply do "emerge package name." Portage also lists all the dependencies of each package so you can trim them down to your liking (via USE flags). With most other distros, you have no control over what gets installed, thus often leading to unavoidable bloat and stuff you don't need. Portage is run 100% from the terminal, thus there are no bulky GUI's to worry with. You will never know Portage is there, but it is extremely easy (and fast) to use.

Portage has a "stable" branch and an "unstable" branch. If you want bleeding edge, you can use the unstable branch. If you want stability, you run "stable." And "stable" is indeed very stable and the packages are new enough for 90% of users. I only run stable on my system and I have all of the best apps for multimedia, music, video, etc. There are also community run "overlays" which are much like the "extra" or "unofficial" repos you might find in Fedora or Mandriva.

The advantage of building from source is mainly speed. Each package will be built specifically for your processor architecture (you specify this in /etc/make.conf via the CFLAGS variable). Some Gentoo users experiment pretty heavily with CFLAGS and other compiler variables in order to gain even more speed increases and smaller code -- a technique known as "ricing." With Gentoo the most important file on the system is /etc/make.conf. 99% of the customizations are done here.

Gentoo also offers various kernel sources. You can choose a standard kernel or a "hardened" one. The latter provides the option to utilize security modules like GRSecurity or SELinux. These modules provide things like MAC's (Mandatory Access Controls), RBAC's (Role Based Access Controls), Capabilities, stack smashers and memory randomizers. If you don't know what these are, you shouldn't worry about using a hardened source (and you won't need to unless you plan on running a public server to the Internet at large). Unless you are installing Linux for the Pentagon, I wouldn't worry with MAC's or RBAC's. The standard Linux kernel provides plenty of security for a desktop box.

Gentoo also offers 64 bit kernels and packages. Ergo you can achieve the full potential of your 64 bit processor (more so than other 64 bit distros since Gentoo is compiled from source and thus optimized as a result).

As for desktop environments and window managers, Gentoo can run them all. I personally prefer KDE but Gnome, XFCE, Fluxbox, Openbox, and all the rest are available through stable portage. Compiz-Fusion is available in stable Portage and bleeding edge versions can be found in overlays.

In closing, an often overlooked advantage of Gentoo is the invaluable knowledge of Linux's inner workings one will gain after using it for a while. There is no better distro to "learn Linux" on than Gentoo. The only rivals are Slackware (another source distro) and Arch (which is very much like Gentoo except packages are pre-compiled).

Cons:

It will take several attempts (and several hours each time) to get your first installation up and running as you want it. In my opinion, it is worth the effort. Secondly, since each package one installs must be compiled, this takes a little time, but with a modern processor this time is usually negligible. Of course, the bigger the package, the longer the compile time. GCC, OpenOffice, Gnome and KDE will be the most time consuming compiles (usually an hour or more for each on a modern dual core processor. GCC usually takes me the longest -- around 2 hours max).

Other notes of interest:

Gentoo has a number of side projects. Among them is the aforementioned "hardened toolchain" as well as Gentoo-BSD. The latter is an attempt to merge Gentoo with FreeBSD. Essentially this distro provides the benefits of FreeBSD with the userland applications of Linux (BSD's biggest con is it doesn't have the selection of desktop applications that Linux does). Gentoo-BSD is a unique attempt to provide the best of Linux and BSD.

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Suilenroc

WRITTEN BY: Flatliner

Purpose of Distro: The Official Release of Slackware Linux by Patrick Volkerding is an advanced Linux operating system, designed with the twin goals of ease of use and stability as top priorities. Including the latest popular software while retaining a sense of tradition, providing simplicity and ease of use alongside flexibility and power, Slackware brings the best of all worlds to the table. (taken from www.slackware.com)


Skill Required: High

Documentation: (www.slackware.com / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slackware) Slackware has an installer GUI, making it basically unnecessary to have a handbook, but books and other media can be found at the Slackware online store. Both of those sites can help give you an overall understanding of what Slackware Linux is all about. If you need any installation help - things like downloading the OS, burning it to a cd, help with the installer GUI, etc - slackware.com has an excellent install help page, which can be found on the main page, on the left navigation menu.


Write up: If you ask any Linux user that has experience with Slackware Linux, most will say that they simply love it. It's rather easy to use, not overly heavy, and has many uses. The one difficult thing about Slackware, is that its package manager fails to check for dependancies prior to installation of new packages. The onus is on the user to make sure all necessary packages are installed before the new one can be used.

To be honest, i've never used Slackwares default package manager tools, things like kpackage and pkgtools; rather, instead, i've always installed "slapt-get", which does the same thing as Ubuntu's famous "apt-get". It can be found rather easily through a simple google search. This makes using Slackware MUCH easier, and i highly recommend using slapt-get

If you choose to do a complete install of Slackware, all packages are installed from the disc, giving you access to excellent programs like xine (a video/media player), and Amarok, which is viewed by nearly all of the Linux users as one of the best media players available for Linux. Also, any audio or video files you have on a Windows partition can easily be found, as the partition is automatically mounted.

Slackware is often seen using the K Desktop Environment (KDE), but users also have the option of using most of the other DE's, such as XFCE, GNOME, FluxBox, and a few others. The DE can be adjusted to your preference at any given time, simply select it from the menu > settings area.



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ADDENDUM TO SLACKWARE:
WRITTEN BY: poroboszcz

Now back to Slackware:

- It's the oldest active Linux Distribution, developed since 1993.

- Slackware's main goal is to keep it simple, stable and secure which reflects in how the system is designed. It's also being developed by very small number of developers which help keeping things simple and consistent.

- Slackware, unlike most of current distributions including Suse, RedHat or Debian, uses vanilla kernel. It means that it is exactly the same kernel that you can get from kernel.org without any patches or changes. This way system doesn't loose any functionality after you update or change your kernel. You may also alter it in any way adding some performance or security patches if you like.

- Slackware, unlike most of current distributions, uses BSD style startup scripts, which are simpler and easier to use than used in other distros System V style startup scripts. However the simplicity comes at cost of some limited functionality.

- Slackware, in it's official repositories, uses only stable and well verified packages. It usually uses the older, more stable kernel and, for example, KDE 4 has only recently been added to slackware-current tree. This way it's not exactly bleeding edge, like, for example, Arch Linux, but offers great stability. In addition to official repositories there is also a number of unofficial and usually more up to date packages avaliable from sources like Linux Packages or Slackware Current eXtended Desktop project. In any case you can also build a program you want to use yourself from source files with or without help of Slackware specific scripts called SlackBuilds (see http://slackbuilds.org/

- The official Slackware package manager is pkgtool which is a simple command line utility for installing, updating and removing packages. There is also a script called slackpkg, included in official tree, for even simpler management and download of packages. None of these however solve dependencies for you, which for many slackware users is seen as an asset. This way you have full controll of what is installed on your system. It requires some linux knowledge, but you can simply check what are the dependencies of any given program and install them yourself. Such solution also avoids so called dependency hell which can cause system instabilities or make it needlessly bloated. There is also a number of other , not official package managers with the most know slapt-get mentioned before. Slackware also has support for rpm packages.

- The official guide to Slackware is Slackware Linux Essentials an updated books which should covers almost all aspects of running your system. Other than that /usr/doc and man pages are your best friends.

- Slackware is probably most unix-like experience you can get from linux distro. It may certainly be time consuming and require some devotion and patience, but as a reward it gives you unbeatable performance and stability, be it on server, workstation or desktop. There is also a proverb saying that "If you learn Red Hat, you learn Red Hat. If you learn SuSE, you learn SuSE. But if you learn Slackware, you learn Linux."

This is mostly from the top of my head. I've been using Slackware since like version 6 iirc. I may contribute some more later if I find the time.

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Suilenroc

WRITTEN BY: Dawlish7

Name of Distro – Backtrack 3
Purpose of Distro – Backtrack 3 is basically a penetration testing tool. In laymen's terms, this means it is for hacking a system. Whether that be a server or home desktop , router or gateway, it can be “tested” by Backtrack 3. Most people use backtrack for wireless hacking or for gaining access to secured wireless hot spots. This guide will not show you how to do that, but rather, it will simply list what can be done.
Skill Required – Backtrack 3 requires basic knowledge of .iso burning, as do all other Linux Distributions. To learn the particulars of how to run Backtrack 3, google is a very valuable tool. There is also a wiki, and forums are available.
Documentation -
This is the basic Backtrack wiki -: http://backtrack.offensive-security.....php/Main_Page
This is the howto section of the backtrack wiki. It has info pertaining to using backtrack there is everything you need once you in and booted -: http://backtrack.offensive-security....hp?title=Howto
This is the remote exploit forum ( the guys behind backrack ) -: http://forums.remote-exploit.org/index.php?
Personal Experience – I experienced little to no problems with Backtrack 3. Any that did arise were covered by the wiki. I used this distro mainly when i was a script kiddie and new to linux. This was fun, and I spent quite a bit of time “testing” my own network. It really opened me to what's out there in terms of back doors into systems.
Backtrack 3 is based a varient of Slackware, but has no package manager. However, this is not really a con, as no package manager is needed. This distribution is not meant to be installed to a hard drive, rather, it meant to be used in Live-CD form. All tools necessary are available already, as shown below.


Backtrack usually autodetects most wireless cards, and includes the WPA supplicant (everything you need to get started with this great Distro)

NOTE: THESE FORUMS DO NOT CONDONE HACKING, NOR DO THEY CONDONE USING BACKTRACK 3 FOR ANY USE OTHER THAN THAT FOR WHICH IT IS INTENDED, NAMELY: STABILITY AND PENETRATION TESTING OF YOUR OWN SYSTEM. THANK YOU.

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Suilenroc

WRITTEN BY: Suilenroc (that's me! )

Purpose: To allow for maximum customization with minimum interference by automation.

Skill Required: Medium-high.

Documentation: http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners_Guide

Arch Linux is a distribution that intends to follow the so-called “Arch Way.” By that, it means that it keeps everything at its' most basic level, and lets the user build upon it.

For example, the installation process is a text-based installer. People who have done it before can install the OS in 5 minutes flat. You simply go through a few options, such as disk partitioning and package selection, and then let it install.

Upon booting into the system the first time, you will be greeted with a simple command line. From there, you can do whatever you want. If you want it to be a server, you can download and install server packages. If you want it to be a desktop, you can install a Desktop Environment or a Window Manager on it. All of this is detailed in full in the previously posted link to the Beginner's guide. (I still use this guide from time to time, even though I've installed it over a dozen times. It's that good and easy.)

That brings me to my next point: Arch Linux has a gigantic amount of Documentation. Chances are, if you have a problem, you can find the solution on the Arch Wiki. If not there, try the forums. If not there, try Google. There are a myriad of Arch-related sites with answers to your problems.

But let's move to a different topic. The Package Manager. At the heart of every distro lies this manager. For Ubuntu, it's called Synaptic/Apt-Get. For fedora, it's YUM. For Arch Linux, it's a custom made one called “Pacman” (PACkage MANager). Installing and upgrading software with pacman is quite easy. For example, to install the nvidia drivers, you would just do this:

To upgrade you entire system, type:
It's that easy. From this springboard, you can build anything you like.

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Suilenroc

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Suilenroc

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Suilenroc

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