Linux-100-Criteria

I started this blog post on the 27th of March, 2010.

Posted a few blog posts and  started writing on the 100 Linux distributions.

I have not counted the final list but still write about Linux.

My books on Linux Essentials is almost finished but I decided to add some account of my blog posting which is free for everybody.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Most of the Puppy Linux distributions and my favorites are in my Gnome download folder. It is almost full.

Friday, March 15, 2019

First Five out of the First 10 or more

Beware Linspire and Freespire that Microsoft Guys/Girls try to use for destroying interest in Linux newbies!

It is time for me to narrow down the first Five Linux Live CDs (Please note not Installable CDs) only.

I have no intention of giving points or put it in any order except alphabetical.

However criteria for selection were based on few important qualities.

They include the followings.

1. Stable Boot Loader preferably GRUB.

2. Ability to live with other Linux distributions side by side (not only with windows). Black Track4 fails on this issue. I cannot have it installed along with other Linux distributions so that it is available for me in an emergency.

3. Good Partition Manger (which include other OS types)or a editor which does not cause problem with many other partition tools available in Linux.

4. Installation process easy and compatible with other distributions.

5. Security tools and firewalls and parental control.

6. Availability of root and user options (unfortunately Ubuntu fails on this issue).

7. Availability of commonly used general purpose utilities or the ability to download them as an open option.

8. Attractive but light weight (tone downed KDE would do).

9. CD burner ideally KDE.

10. an assortment of light weight games (including card games) or one single high features game everybody loves.

Unfortunately all of the Live CDs fail on this feature.

1. Knoppix
2. Mepis
3. PCLinux
4. Puppy
5. Suse

I have Iso images of all in my 80 GB hard drive.

6. Linux Mint
7. Fedora
8. Vector Linux
9. Berry Linux
10. Zenwalk

For specialists and Newbies with special interest.
11. Arch
12. Chakra
13. Granular
14. aLive / aLinux ? Peanut Linux
15. AV Linux
16. Yoper
17. GoBo Linux
18. Linvo
19. Dream Linux
20. Ubuntu / Lubuntu / Kubuntu / SuperrOS and the lot

Then the Light Weight beauties.

21. Slax
22. Imagine.
23. Peppermint
24. Element
25. gOs
26. Paldo
27. Unity
28. Untangle
29. Chameleon
30. Imagine
31. Igelle
32. Myah
33. Leenux
34. Netrunner - Current net Runner is very good distributions with KDE
35.Exodus
36.ELive
37. ViperOS

Commercial but most of them are gone bust or dormant
38. Mandriva
39. XandroS - I really liked Xandros
40. ? Linspire ? Freespire

I have not include the educational distributions like Scientific Linux, Fermi Linux, ADIOS. QIMO. Knoppix for Kids. Kids Linux.

I have also not included the middle weight or the heavy weight like. Sabayon, Monomax, Openmamba, Calculate Linux, ALT Linux, Epidermic and Genitoo.

Linux-100-Criteria

I have over 200 distributions and images stored all over my hard disks and CDs and DVDs and I continue to download at least a few more of them a week to test.
My search for (looking for) best hundred has not being of no avail.

 

It is time for me to do it myself for the benefit of Linux fans and newbies.

Internet has being immensely helpful.
First of all I must thank the guys / girls of the following non-commercial sources and few commercial sources.

Number one goes to www.Distromania.com since they keep a catalog of old distributions and and also list the new and latest distributions.

www.Distrowatch.com also doing a good job of it but unfortunately they seem to miss some of the old ones.

Softpedia com has enormous number of pages and like Distrowatch.com do not keep a repository of old distribution images and their links.

Linux online also list distribution in their site. 

 

However, Linux Freedom gone dormant has few of the old distributions at its site.

Linux Live CD list is the only one which list the distributions according to to the types, education, games. desktop, multimedia. science, medicine etc.

I recommend this site for anybody who is choosy for a particular type say for kids, education.

Elive for at least releasing the development version free.

There are many more and thanks to all of them.

Couple of years ago the story was different one had to browse or read a Linux Bible to gather information.

Now these guys who write books do not bother to update them since the task is extremely difficult due to the pace at which Linux is moving.

Only a rocket scientist can keep pace with.
My attempt is to fill this void.
I thought of using somewhat scientific approach using my own criteria.

My criteria are based the practical difficulties we face in this country due to poor (comparatively better compared to India but no where near the capabilities of Singapore) Internet service and download speed.

It is practically impossible to download a DVD more than 1 GB. 

It takes ages even for that.

So I have concentrated on CD rather than DVDs.

My impression, it is better for us to have number of CDs rather than DVDs.

I used to download up to 7 Debian CDS in the past when we had only Redhat and Mandriva.

 

Currently I use only Debian and Puppy Linux for testing.

To decide my 100 Linux distributions of choice I will use many criteria.

1. Live CD which can be installed on hard disk 25 points
2. Easy access to Internet 20 points
3. Automatically Configure Internet 30 points
4. Browser (ideally FireFox) Capability 10 points

5. Other browsers 05 points
6. Google gadgets but not essential 10 points
7. Skype 15 points
8. Office Package (Abiword or Open office) 15 points
9. Light Weight (very important) 30 points
10. CD burner, very important (ideally K3B) 20 for K3B and 5 for others
11. Stable Grub configuration 30 points
12. Partitioning tool is essential(ideally (Gparted) 30 points
13. Light weight games 20 points
14. Ability to clean up the temporary file at boot time up 50 points 

Only Debian does this on a regular basis and that is why I use it. 

Of course Debian updates are regular and stand solid for 2 years, that is until 2025, July.
15. Updates and Package management 10 points
16. Reliability (most of them are) 50 points
17. Many versions form Mini to LXDE to Standard and Children's 25 points for each
18. Speed at start up (most of them are slow except YOPER) 100 points
19. Quick installation 20 points
20. Multi-Language in addition to English 25 points
21. Separate administrator in addition to normal user 50 points
22. Digikam and Gimp 20 points
23. Media Players including ability play itunes and divx 30 points
24. Type of Desktops (Genome / KDE / Fluxbox) 25 points
25. Down loader that start from where one has left / stopped earlier 50 points
26. Infrequent Cycles of Change (new distributions) but frequent updates 50 points
27. USB boot op 30 points
28. Live CD creator 20 points
29. Wine (window emulation) 20 points
30. Apple Emulation 30 points
31. Innovative approach like GOBO and YOPER 100 points

32. Home web site and the facility for registration and writing reviews 100 points
33, Scientific packages like statistics 100 points

34. Blender (Maya equivalent) 200 points

35. Children Educational packages with games 300 points 

36. I have not discussed Linux Games, since in 2010 Linux games were in infancy Steam and Steam Deck has changed all that.

I will start with Linux Mint, gos 3.1 gadgets and Berry to begin with, which is a cute one. 
Children educational packages I have given bonus marks since they should be developed as separate distributions such as youknow4kids, Knoppix for kids and sugar.
Asoka

4^th April, 2010