by Archive-name: linux/howto/distribution/part1
Last-modified: 12 Sep 95
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*** The Linux Distribution HOWTO is posted automatically by the Linux
*** HOWTO coordinator, Greg Hankins <gr...@sunsite.unc.edu>. Please
*** direct any comments or questions about this HOWTO to the author,
*** Eric S. Raymond <e...@snark.thyrsus.com>.
- --- BEGIN Linux Distribution HOWTO part 1/2 ---
The Linux Distribution HOWTO
maintained by Eric S. Raymond, e...@snark.thyrsus.com
v4.1, 7 June 1995
This document lists the various software distributions and services
available for Linux via mail order, anonymous FTP, and other sources.
You are looking at version 4.1, $Date: 1995/06/07 14:09:53 $
1. Introduction
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.
1.1. Document History and the Editorial We
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.
1.2. New versions of this document
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>.
1.3. And so on...
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, e...@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.
2. General Information About Linux Software Distributions
The current de facto standard distribution is the Slackware release,
available freely over the net. Slackware is easy to install and fairly
complete. It's also generally up-to-date with current versions of
Linux software. The Linux Installation HOWTO documents installation of
Slackware.
If you have a CD-ROM drive, you have many more distributions to choose
from. We haven't personally reviewed most of them, and you're more
likely to get help from people on the Net for network-available
distributions such as Slackware. On the other hand, some CD-ROM
distributions come with documentation and support of their own.
Some distributions, such as Slackware Pro, Red Hat Linux, and
Yggdrasil take advantage of the storage space available on CD-ROM to
minimize the amount of hard disk space Linux takes.
3. Network Distributions
In this section, we cover distributions available over the network for
free. Many of the CD-ROM are simply re-packaged versions of net
distributions.
3.1. Slackware Linux Distribution
Distributor:
Patrick Volkerding
Net: volke...@mhd1.moorhead.msus.edu
<mail:volke...@mhd1.moorhead.msus.edu>
Provider's Description:
Slackware Linux is a full featured distribution of the Linux
operating system designed for 386/486 computers with a 3.5"
floppy. Slackware changes rapidly, but here's a current
(partial) feature list:
A: Base Linux system
AP:
Various applications that do not need X
D: Program Development (C, C++, Kernel source, Lisp, Perl, etc.)
E: GNU Emacs (19.27, with and without X11 support. Your choice.)
F: FAQ lists (last updated: Oct 1994)
I: Info pages.
IV:
Interviews: libraries, include files, Doc and Idraw apps for X
N: Networking (TCP/IP, UUCP, Mail)
OOP:
Object Oriented Programming (GNU Smalltalk 1.1.1) and X11
interface
Q: All kinds of extra kernels (based on Linux 1.1.59)
T: TeX
TCL:
Tcl/Tk/TclX, Tcl language, and Tk toolkit for developing X apps
X: XFree-86 3.1 Base X Window System
XAP:
Applications for X
XD:
XFree-86 3.1 X server development, PEX extensions, and man pages
XV:
XView3.2p1-X11R6. (OpenLook virtual Window Manager, apps)
Y: Games (that do not require X)
Internet Access:
The home site is ftp.cdrom.com, where the latest distribution
can be found in /pub/linux/slackware.
Ordering:
FTP only, although various independent distributors provide it
on disk, floppy, and CD.
Entry last modified:
14 Dec 1994
Editor's Comments:
A lot of commercial Linuxes are re-packagings of Slackware (see
the Re-Packagers section below.
3.2. MCC Interim Linux
Distributor:
Dr. A. V. Le Blanc
University of Manchester
Net: LeBl...@mcc.ac.uk <mailto:LeBl...@mcc.ac.uk>
FTP: <ftp://ftp.mcc.ac.uk>
Provider's Description:
Base Linux installation. Complete sources and patches for all
included software are available. Full details vary from release
to release; see /pub/linux/mcc-interim/*/Acknowledgements at
ftp.mcc.ac.uk. Roughly: this includes the kernel (with source),
C, C++, groff, man pages, basic utilities, networking. The
binaries fit on about 10 floppies. It is also possible to have
them on a DOS or Linux partition on a hard drive (plus one
floppy) or on an NFS-mountable partition (plus two floppies).
Internet Access:
By anonymous ftp from ftp.mcc.ac.uk; mirrored at tsx-11.mit.edu,
nic.funet.fi, sunsite.unc.edu, and elsewhere. At ftp.mcc.ac.uk,
in /pub/linux/mcc-interim.
Miscellaneous:
Suggestions and contributions are welcome.
Last Freeze Date:
Unknown. New releases approximately every six months.
Entry last modified:
May 15 1995.
Editor's comments:
The current MCC-Interim release is based on Linux 1.0 with a few
patches. If you are one of those people who demands to be on top
of the current release, this release isn't for you. However, if
you're looking for a small and stable Linux system, this makes a
good starting point.
Dr. LeBlanc adds: "And if you do demand to be on top of the
current release, you can get there from MCC Interim quite
easily. For example, to upgrade to the current kernel you need
only the kernel sources, bdflush, and a new version of procps.
Of course, you will probably want other things as well... One of
the big disadvantages of MCC is that it doesn't include X or
packages that many people want, such as perl or tck/tk.
Strictly speaking, the distribution has always been intended for
internal use at MCC, and the fact that many people find it
useful is serendipitous. Less strictly speaking, I would say
that it works better for developers than for people who know
nothing about Unix. I recommend the simpler commercial
distributions and Bogus to people who know nothing.
3.3. TAMU Linux Distribution
Distributor:
Dave Safford
Texas A&M University,
Net: dave.saff...@net.tamu.edu
<mailto:dave.saff...@net.tamu.edu>
Provider's Description:
TAMU.99p12+ is the latest release in the TAMU linux
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