There are different variants of Linux in the market like RedHat, Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu, Mandrake, Suse and a Linux beginner often ponder why they call Linux distributions by various names. The kernel or the heart of all the distributions is Linux and in bringing it to different market usage different community or vendors have adopted the kernel to serve that purpose.
Some of the key differences in these distributions are listed below,
Usage: In addition to the different flavors of Linux in the market, comes the usage of Linux. Some variants are developed as Desktops and a major as servers. In addition to that, there are virtual appliances that are packaged with other applications for easy deployment across environments. The choice is many and the usage determines the choice of the Linux flavor in most cases.
Client Support: All distributions are open source – FREE for usage. Red Hat and Ubuntu are maintained by organizations which provide commercial support which bigger organizations prefer. CentOS, Debian, Fedora are maintained by volunteers.
Commands used: For an administrator it will be easy if ALL the systems in the network use the same distribution. Some commands that are used to achieve a functionality are not consistent across distributions.
Packaging: Feature enhancements, application patches, software installation and management differ from one distribution to the other making the need for the administrator to remember the subtle keys.
