A Look at the Linux Distribuition Situation - 2006-2007

Linux.org managing editor Michael J. Jordan takes a look at the the most popular (according to distrowatch.com) Linux distributions and gives his opinion as to where he thinks they're going as of January 2007

Rising

Ubuntu - Ubuntu is, and has been for some time, the darling of the Linux community. The fact that this distribution gets more popular by the day must be proof now that we're not dealing with just hype. When you've been favorably compared to Microsoft's 5 billion dollar Vista operating system, you know you've done something right. Canonical Ltd., the foundation set up by South African millionaire Mark Shuttleworth, is fanatically committed to its improvement and is reaping the rewards of that commitment by its constantly growing user base. I would not be surprised if some day, in the not too distant future, the word Ubuntu, besides being synonymous with 'peace', becomes synonymous with 'Linux' as well, in much the same way that Red Hat is now.

Fedora - Speaking of Red Hat, along with Google web apps, the Red Hat-sponsored Fedora distribution is probably the best 'beta' software ever produced. The upcoming Fedora 7, slated to be released in the spring, promises to be Red Hat's best ever. Just recently, some pretty reliable statistics have revealed that Fedora's version 6 has been downloaded over a million times. That's pretty good in the crowded Linux landscape. And remember - it's supposed to be 'beta' software, not ready for prime time. Fedora has become the workhorse of the servers and desktops of a big chuck of the Linux world. Its future looks pretty bright.

PCLinuxOS - PCLinuxOS is what Mandriva could have been with committed people at the helm. We should all watch his up-and-coming Linux distribution carefully. Its light footprint makes it fast, but it doesn't omit anything you need (mplayer works out of the box, for example). At the time of this writing (Jan 2007), a new major version is due out shortly. Since its a Live-CD, you can easily take it for a test drive. I recommend it.

Linspire - The release of a 'Fedora' type version, called 'Freespire' has breathed new life into Linspire. The Rodney Dangerfield of the Linux community, the more vocal in the Linux movement have always been critical of this "commercial" distribution founded by ex-MP3.com owner Michael Robertson. Now under a new CEO, Linspire has also opened up its 'click-and-run' repository, which makes it easier to install Linux programs, to other distributions. Linspire just keeps plugging away with their plans to capture more market share for Linux and keeps increasing the number of PCs they sell at Walmart.

Xandros - After a sizable cash injection from Microsoft saved them from bankruptcy, Corel of WordPerfect and drawing application fame fulfilled their side of their Faustian bargain and stopped producing their own Linux distribution. This unit was sold off and became Xandros. Since then, Xandros has become, perhaps, the most user-friendly Linux distribution in existence. If anyone can capture Vista holdouts, it's Xandros, with its Windows refugee friendliness in the form of built-in Crossover Office. They are also making a valiant attempt to get their Xandros boxes into stores where people can actually see them and hopefully buy them.

Staying the Same

MEPIS - Warren Woodford's decision to use the Ubuntu repositories for his distribution may have been good technically, but not so good for his 'brand'. The truth is, if you want Ubuntu, there's always the real Ubuntu. Also, there was controversy for his handling source code, vis-a-vis the GPL's requirements. MEPIS, a technically superior distribution should be on the rising tide, but it isn't.

SUSE - I would say that because of Novell's pact with the devil, ehem, Microsoft, and its ham-fisted PR about it, it's almost falling. But the fact is that SUSE is just too good a distribution - technically, visually, to really be on a downward slope. There are too many important projects associated with it (Mono, for example) for us to begin to write it off. Novell, despite their pairing with Bill Gates and Co, have too much fight left in them to be written off. If anybody can turn the Microsoft pact, a sow's ear if there ever was one, into a silk purse, it's Novell.

Falling

Debian - The word Debian used to be synonymous with stability and reliability. Lately, unfortunately, if you looked up Debian in a Thesaurus, you might find the words fundamentalism and intransigence. Luckily, you won't find the word 'irrelevant' yet because of the popular distributions (Ubuntu, Xandros, Linspire) that are still based on it. It used to be that new versions of Debian always took a long time because, to paraphrase Orson Welles' Gallo commercials, 'they would release no distro before its time'. Increasingly, however, the delays are being caused by political issues rather than than technical ones. The latest cause for delay is the issue of whether developers should get paid for working on it or not. For those of us who live in the world where you have to pay for rent and food, you'd think this would be a no-brainer. But, this issues has slowed down Debian production. To the outside observer, it reminds one of the famous Life of Brian scene where a group divides itself into 'Judean People's Front and The People's Front of Judea'. Compensation or not, there's was no Debian Etch at the end of 2006.

Mandriva - Next to Mandriva in a Thesaurus, you WILL find the word 'irrelevant'. And to think this distribution used to be so damn good.

Michael J. Jordan can be reached at Michael.Jordan**AT**linux.org