different distros?

[rickandsuch]

Hey all, bit of a gnu/linux newbie here. I recently bit the bullet and dumped Windows for Ubuntu, and so far am loving it. I was playing around with openSUSE and realized I couldn't tell the difference between openSUSE, with a gnome DE, and Ubuntu (again, gnome DE). They seem to the same thing with different schemes and installation techniques. So, can someone enlighten me on the differences between these two distros (or any other, for that matter) beneath the DE hood?

[SunnyRabbiera]

There are many key differences between the two.
Suse is a little more oriented at the windows user then Ubuntu at a first glance, it offers pretty colors and some tools like YAST to get beginners a comfortable feel for the OS.
Ubuntu is also geared at the windows user but focuses more on community and general ease of use more then just fancy looks and apps.
Then you take a look at the companies behind both distros and you really see the differences.
Novell seems to be very commercial in its approach to things, and controversial with its deal with Microsoft... granted Novell has contributed much but it only takes second for Novell to turn its back on us.
Canonical is commercial too but its new when compared to Novell, but it seems to have no interest with risky deals with microsoft and it looks like soon the company will take a more active role in linux development.
There are many differences between the two outside of that, philosophy and goal are the key differences between the two.

[jrusso2]

Once you get it set up properly all Linux is the same. The differences are the kernel used and the package manager or installer or if its source based or binary distro and maybe some tools.

[rickandsuch]

Ach so, that makes sense. I guess the chance of a few companies banding together and creating a killer distro is very slim, and would just be the same thing in the end?

[clive littlewood]

Hi

Iv'e tried many Linux distros but always return to Ubuntu.

For me the main difference is this community, the help available here is awsome and second to none.

You try getting help with other distros and you will begin to see why Ubuntu is the easiest distro to start of with as a newbie.

Try getting help on a ******* forum HeHeHe !!!!

Well done canonical and long may you continue to support us.

Clive

[billgoldberg]

Hey all, bit of a gnu/linux newbie here. I recently bit the bullet and dumped Windows for Ubuntu, and so far am loving it. I was playing around with openSUSE and realized I couldn't tell the difference between openSUSE, with a gnome DE, and Ubuntu (again, gnome DE). They seem to the same thing with different schemes and installation techniques. So, can someone enlighten me on the differences between these two distros (or any other, for that matter) beneath the DE hood?

RPM vs DEB

That said, once properly set up, most distro's look and act alike (they all use gnome, kde, fluxbox, bash, ...).

[binbash]

There a LOT of difference between them.It will take PAGEs to write the differences but mostly the system works different.For example gentoo is compiling everything from source and use portage , ubuntu uses deb package system etc.

[Kellemora]

I'm just a Noob too, sorta still, hi hi..........

There is a VAST difference between Red Hat based Linux and Debian based Linux. As the last poster just emphasized! It would take 1000 pages just to list the differences.

When I was trying to select which Distro to use for my company, I was triple booting Ubuntu, Debian and CentOS (Red Hat Enterprise clone).
Things are done quite a bit differently in CentOS than in Debian based, Ubuntu is Debian based!

But the KEY that determined which Distro I fell in love with has to do primarily with these WONDERFUL support forums.

I tried CentOS first, because I THOUGHT I would get help from local IT department friends. Joined their web site as well!
But what I found was, everyone there, which isn't many and they only pop in about once a week or longer, is that they EXPECT anyone running CentOS to be using Red Hat at work and KNOW Red Hat in and out already. Very little if any new user support.

Contrast that to the Ubuntu Forums where if you ask a reasonable question, you have a logical response within minutes, not days or weeks. Unless it's something so ostentatious that nobody knows what to do. I have quite a few of those myself, hi hi......

Being NEW to Linux, other than tinkering many years ago with it and giving up for a couple of decades. What I have learned here about Debian based Linux has helped me to understand a little bit more about other Distro's.

One has to realize also that Ubuntu is the new kid on the block, and even though they rapidly moved into FIRST PLACE as the Distro of choice, Ubuntu is NOT *******! However, Ubuntu advances its technology each year in what takes ******* a decade to accomplish. It started out more Powerful than *******, has grown in user friendliness fast than the winblows, and the only real hurdle left is getting manufacturers to realize the world is moving away from the DOZE for SECURITY and POWER, mostly the SECURITY issues and Winblows is loaded with so much SPYWARE it's downright disgusting.

I'm a hermit so to speak, rarely get out much, but I talk to a few folks and got them to try Ubuntu. Two have completely dumped the Doze, the rest of us keep XP around due to hardware we must have that's not yet supported in any flavor of Linux.

But by the same token, when I do replace hardware, it's ONLY replaced with LINUX compatible hardware, which solves the only real problem we have with using Linux.

I'm even, at 61 years old, starting to study programing again!
So I can hopefully learn to make some changes in some software I use. Don't know if I'll ever achieve that goal, but at least I'm trying. I figure, I learned the original BASIC programming language well enough many decades ago now, that I could write games that required every trick in the book and some not even in the book, hi hi........ But I lost it all both from not using it and also because I have a medical condition that pretty much reformats my brain like once every 4 to 5 years.
It has actually been a blessing moreso than a detriment, although it did mean a major career change every 5 years.
It made life more interesting than most folks enjoy!

Good Luck

TTUL
Gary

[bodhi.zazen]

Moving this thread to a more appropriate location ...

If you are new to Linux, try distrowatch, I found it very helpful :

http://distrowatch.com/

[chris4585]

Kernel version and how its compiled > Package management > DE/WM > Other Software > Phillocophy

This very basically shows you the differences in every distro.