Which Linux Distro is Best?
Linked by Howard Fosdick on Mon 22nd Oct 2012 04:51 UTC
Linux Here's a topic guaranteed to start controversy. Which Linux distribution is best? It all depends on your criteria for judging. Even then the topic is highly subjective. Here are a few nominees for "best distro" in specific categories.
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Actually.... fragmentation is not good
by Jason Bourne on Mon 22nd Oct 2012 21:12 UTC
Jason Bourne
Member since:
2007-06-02

Just look at ourselves... each to his own favourite distro. Unfortunately distro fragmentation is one of the top problems in Linux. The guy who said Android was winning is probably right. It's the only "distro" that made it. I wouldn't consider Ubuntu since it never left the 1% of market share barrier, let alone now with Unity defecting thousands of users.

Fragmentation leads to choice and that is good, but not so good.

Reply Score: 1

orestes Member since:
2005-07-06

It's only a problem if one particularly cares about market share. A significant portion of us don't. I know I didn't start with slackware all those ages ago because I cared about Linux/FOSS taking over the world. It just happened to be a fun toy that later evolved into a seriously useful set of tools.

Reply Parent Score: 2

Jason Bourne Member since:
2007-06-02

I started using Linux in 1999, with Red Hat 5.2. I tried Slackware. At that time, popular systems like Windows 98 were full of constant crashes and instability not to mention the Win32 applications. We were thirsty for the whole idea of Linux and a total free new userspace. Of course there were already GNU tools but just laid anonymous in Unix systems. It was basically Red Hat that made this achievement to push Linux towards enthusiasts.

Microsoft learned how to battle its virtual competitors, and linux desktop developers have learned recently how to shoot in their foot right on time of a major shift. (Hello GNOME 3 and Unity!)

Edited 2012-10-22 21:33 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 1

Luminair Member since:
2007-03-30

it's a problem all the time. there are uncountable crappy desktop linux distros and hardly 1 good one.

the debate over this question is not because there are too many good linux distros. we are exercising our fingers sifting through turd

Reply Parent Score: 2

Read more of this thread... >
grumpyoldman Member since:
2012-10-08

I feel your pain, I really do. And you guys may really have something about Android making it. Maybe the Droid is really the real flagship for Linux now? Not Ubuntu, not OpenSUSE, not RHEL,...

Reply Parent Score: 1

ilovebeer Member since:
2011-08-08

I feel your pain, I really do. And you guys may really have something about Android making it. Maybe the Droid is really the real flagship for Linux now? Not Ubuntu, not OpenSUSE, not RHEL,...

Android would only be the flagship linux on cell phones. It's not a desktop os. It's nothing more than a cell phone/tablet os at this point. Although there will eventually be an Android desktop version, it's going to take nothing short of a miracle for it to see even half the success on desktops.

If you're expecting to see hordes of Windows users jump ship for Android, I think you're going to be greatly disappointed.

Reply Parent Score: 2

zima Member since:
2005-07-06

Just look at ourselves... each to his own favourite distro. Unfortunately distro fragmentation is one of the top problems in Linux. The guy who said Android was winning is probably right. It's the only "distro" that made it. I wouldn't consider Ubuntu since it never left the 1% of market share barrier, let alone now with Unity defecting thousands of users.

Android does take the top spot. But also...
http://stats.wikimedia.org/archive/squid_reports/2012-09/SquidRepor...
...Ubuntu seems to be the only one which really registers on the radar, with over a billion hits on all Wikimedia services in September stats (while for example Mint, the distro which supposedly stole droves of Ubuntu defectors, barely registers - 11.2 M, two orders of magnitude less)

Ah, but what about trends, you'll say? Let's check the beginning of the year: http://stats.wikimedia.org/archive/squid_reports/2012-01/SquidRepor... Ubuntu 947 M, Mint 18.9 M ...yeah, how about that?
In fact Ubuntu is almost the only non-Android distro which increased in that time (when the push to Unity got really under way), most of the other distros decreased. Ubuntu is the only one really growing - it seems that Unity becomes the desktop Linux UI ...you know, unifying the mess.

(or just go ahead and rely on some loud web "pundits" and their meaningless Distrowatch hits)

Edited 2012-10-27 19:56 UTC

Reply Parent Score: 2