There is no single distribution of the Linux software. Instead, there are many such distributions, available both via anonymous FTP and mail order on floppy, tape, or CD-ROM. This document is an attempt to present information on many of the available distributions of Linux. This document also contains information on many miscellaneous services and goods available for Linux, ranging from consulting and support to T-shirts and virtual beer.
The purpose of this document is to provide short summaries of the many Linux distributions and mail-order services, and to provide pointers for the reader to find more information.
The information presented here is far from complete; there are many more Linux distributions and services than are listed here. Unfortunately, we have not received submissions from many of the organizations providing these services. Please see Submissions To This Document near the end of this document for information on making a submission. It's easy and will take less then five minutes.
This document was originated by Bill Riemers. Matt Welsh maintained the second version. Erik Troan (ewt) maintained the document to release 3.0.
In January 1995, Eric Raymond, while unaware of the existence of this document, began to develop a similar FAQ in the format of his now-discontinued "PC-clone UNIX Software Buyer's Guide", which had covered mainly System V UNIXes and BSD/OS.
In March 1995, Eric approached Erik about cooperating on a merged version. In early April, Erik went to work for Red Hat Software, and (wishing to avoid a conflict of interest) handed the document to Eric. Eric merged in a lot of new information and added several new fields to the distribution entries.
Accordingly, this document is a sort of serial collaboration. The editorial `we' generally tags observations by all the maintainers; `I' is Eric (the current one) speaking.
We are delighted to acknowledge the contributions of all the Linux users and Internet hackers who have contributed information and feedback.
New versions of this document may be posted periodically to
the newsgroups comp.os.linux.answers and
comp.os.linux.misc. The document is archived on a number
of Linux FTP sites, including sunsite.unc.edu in
pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO.
You can also view the latest version of this on the World Wide Web via the URL http://sunsite.unc.edu/mdw/HOWTO/Distribution-HOWTO.html .
Some of the scratchier distributions have fallen by the wayside. TAMU Linux and LSL Linux seem to be gone. We have new enries for Oxbow Distributions and WGS Linux. There are updates for many distributions including Debian, InfoMagic, Red Hat, and Yggdrasil.
Disclaimer: We make absolutely no guarantee as to the correctness of the information, prices, and ordering details given in this document. Check the last modified field of each to get an idea of its currency. Furthermore, unless otherwise stated the Linux software comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
We do not endorse or work for any of the distributors listed in this document. We merely include their information here as a service to the Linux community, as a ``buyer's guide''. Inclusion in this document does not mean that we recommend any of the products listed here.
Feel free to mail any questions or comments about this HOWTO to
Eric S. Raymond, esr@snark.thyrsus.com. Please do not
send me general Linux questions or requests for help in
choosing a distribution unless you're willing to hire me at
normal consulting rates; I don't have time to deal with them,
and I try to put everything I know about choosing a
distribution in this document.
And now for the good stuff.
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