Linux was originally written by Linus Benedict Torvalds in 199 1 year. Prior to this, Richard Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) organization and GNU project, and continued to write and create GNU programs (the license mode of such programs is GPL: General Public License). With the continuous participation of excellent programmers and developers in GNU organization, Linux, or GNU/Linux, which we see today, came into being. Linux distribution can be roughly divided into two categories, one is the distribution maintained by commercial companies, and the other is the distribution maintained by community organizations. The former is represented by the famous Red Hat (RHEL), while the latter is represented by Debian. First, introduce the characteristics of each distribution: Redhat should be called Redhat series, including RHEL(Redhat Enterprise Linux, so-called Redhat Advance Server, paid version), Fedora Core (developed from the original Redhat desktop version, free version) and CentOS (community clone version of RHEL, free version). It should be said that Redhat is the most popular Linux version in China. Some people even equate Redhat with Linux, while some old birds only use this version of Linux. Therefore, this version is characterized by a large number of users and many materials. The implication is that you don't know anything, so it's easy to ask someone. The general Linux tutorials on the Internet are all explained by taking Redhat as an example. The package management mode of Redhat series is YUM package management mode based on RPM package, and the package distribution mode is compiling binary files. In terms of stability, RHEL and CentOS are very stable and suitable for servers, while Fedora Core is not stable, so it is best to use it only for desktop applications. Debian, or Debian series, includes Debian and Ubuntu. Debian is a model of community-like Linux, and it is the Linux system that follows the GNU specification most up to now. Debian was originally created by ian murdock in 1993. It is divided into three versions: stable version, beta version and unstable version. Among them, instability is the latest test version, including the latest software package, but there are also relatively many bugs, which are suitable for desktop users. The tested versions have been tested in instability, which is relatively stable and supports many new technologies (such as SMP). Stable is generally only used for servers, and most of the above software packages are outdated, but they are highly stable and secure. The most distinctive way of Debian is APT-get/dpkg package management. In fact, YUM of Redhat is also imitating the APT method of Debian, but apt should be the best way to distribute binary files. Debian's information is also very rich, and there are many support communities. There are problems and places to go:) Strictly speaking, Ubuntu is not an independent distribution. Ubuntu is enhanced based on Debian's unstable version. It can be said that Ubuntu is a nearly perfect Linux desktop system with all the advantages and enhanced advantages of Debian. According to different desktop systems, there are three versions to choose from, Ubuntu based on Gnome, Kubuntu based on KDE and Xubuntu based on Xfc. Features are very friendly interface, easy to use, and comprehensive hardware support. It is the most suitable Linux distribution for desktop systems. Gentoo, the great Gentoo, is the youngest distribution in the Linux world. Because it is young, it can absorb the advantages of all previous distributions, which is one of the reasons why Gentoo is called the most perfect Linux distribution. Gentoo was originally created by Daniel Robbins (one of the developers of FreeBSD), and the first stable version was released in 2002. Because developers are familiar with FreeBSD, Gentoo has a well-known ports package management system comparable to FreeBSD. Different from the package management systems that distribute binary files such as APT and YUM, Portage is distributed based on source code and can only be run after compilation, which is slow for large-scale software, but it is precisely because all the software is compiled on the local machine that the hardware performance of the machine can be maximized after optimizing various customized compilation parameters. Gentoo is the most complicated to install among all Linux distributions, but it is also the most manageable version after installation, and the fastest running version in the same hardware environment. Finally, introduce FreeBSD. It should be emphasized that FreeBSD is not a Linux system! However, a considerable part of the user groups of FreeBSD and Linux overlap, the supported hardware environment is relatively consistent, and the software used is similar, so FreeBSD can be compared to a Linux version. FreeBSD has two branches: stable and current. As the name implies, stable is a stable version and current is a beta version, with new technologies added. FreeBSD adopts Ports package management system, similar to Gentoo, which is based on source code distribution and can only be run after editing by local machine. However, the port system is not as simple and complicated as the transportation system. FreeBSD, as the best choice of server operating system, is not suitable as a desktop system because of its stability and high efficiency, but its hardware support is not as complete as Linux. Here are some suggestions for friends who are worried about choosing a Linux distribution: If you just need a desktop system and you don't want to use pirated or spend a lot of money on commercial software, then you need a Linux distribution suitable for desktop use. If you don't want to customize anything yourself and waste too much time on the system, it's simple. Choose one from ubuntu, kubuntu and xubuntu according to your hobbies. The difference between the three is only the desktop. If you need a desktop system, you want to customize your own Linux system very flexibly, you want to make your machine run more happily, and you don't mind wasting a little time on the installation of Linux system, then your only choice is Gentoo, and enjoy the freedom pleasure brought by Gentoo! If what you need is a server system, and you are very tired of various Linux configurations and just want a more stable server system, then your best choice is CentOS. After installation, you can provide very stable service through simple configuration. If you need a rock-solid and very stable server system, then your only choice is FreeBSD. If you need a stable server system, want to explore all aspects of Linux deeply, and want to customize a lot of content yourself, then I recommend you to use Gentoo. Translated from http://www.it118.org/specialties/56d6e494-acb5-403c-8676-f959ae5cf778/098d4e2e-26bc-4E31-.