Linux distributions

About

Linux is available in many different flavors, each with different merits and weaknesses. There is no "official" version of Linux. The various flavors (or "distributions") each "fork" off from the original Unix sources at various different points; the details of this could form an article all by themselves.

Reference

• Wikipedia
• Free GNU/Linux distributions: list of distros that are entirely free-as-in-speech (i.e. unencumbered by intellectual property ownership)

The List

• ArchLinux (wiki): paleo-style install, no liveCD; no wireless config utils in install
• blag Linux and GNU: "a single-cd distro with everything desktop users "expect" from a desktop, plus a collection of nice server apps." based on Fedora
• Bodhi Linux: lightweight; Ubuntu-based; uses enlightenment desktop manager
• CentOS
• Damn Small Linux (DSL)
• Debian (http://debian.org/)
  • Mepis: includes ndiswrapper
  • Knoppix: live CD only
    • Morphix (wiki): live CD with install (in a "coma" as of 2015-01-09)
  • Ubuntu
    • elementary OS
    • Linux Mint
• Elive: Debian-based; uses enlightenment desktop manager
• Fedora (formerly Fedora Core, which was formerly Red Hat Linux)
• Gentoo (unofficial wiki)
• Linux Mint: comes in multiple flavors
• Lunar Linux: user-customized kernel
• Mageia: based on Mandriva; v1 released in 2011
• PCLinuxOS (formerly PCLinux)
• Sabayon
• Slackware
  • VectorLinux
• SymphonyOS
• SUSE
• Trisquel: emphasis on "entirely free" (nonproprietary) software

Notes

• Knoppix says it is Debian-based here (thanks, Tim!)