Why are there so many different linux distributions and how do they really differ from the users perspective?
In: Technology
It’s best not to think of “Linux” as an operating system, but as an operating system framework. It’s a kit that you can pick up for free so that you can assemble your own operating system. But the framework by itself is a bit limited and you can’t do much. It just has a blinking cursor, a text editor, and a few other things, but not what you need in an operating system.
So you want more power than the blinking cursor? Like windows and menus and bars? You could build that too, from scratch, if you wanted. But most people don’t want to do that. But other people have built Window managers already that you can download and just plug into your Linux. If you spend some time looking at KDE, GNOME, and some others, you may find one you like.
But maybe you want it to do other things too? Maybe you want to be able to log into it remotely. Someone has something you can download for that too, and plug it into your Linux.
After a while, you plug so many things into your Linux that it gets hard to keep track of them so they play well together. So you plug in a package manager, like aptitude, and it manages all of those “packages” you’ve plugged in, and makes it easier to plug in even more packages.
Eventually, after tweaking and customizing so many things, you decide that your Linux does exactly what you want it to do. Its an operating system, but its YOUR operating system. And it does a lot just how you want it to. Your friend likes your operating system as well and asks if he can use it too. Other friends say the same thing and also want a copy of your Linux for their computers.
And that’s how you’ve made your first Linux distro.
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