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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

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Why choice of Linux distribution matters (lemmy.ml)

submitted 1 day ago by thingsiplay@lemmy.ml to c/linux@lemmy.ml

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I see often people say that the distro you are using doesn't matter. One can turn any distro into another. And I do not agree with that. If that was true, why do we even have so many distributions? I always said, if distros don't matter...

... why distro hop?
... why don't you use Ubuntu then?
... why don't you recommend Archlinux to a newcomer?
... why don't you use Kali Linux as a server?
... why don't you use Batocera or SteamOS as your daily driver?
... why do you trust a community distro more than a corporate distro? (or vice versa)

I don't think that distros only matter to newcomers. Maybe it matters for experienced users even more.

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[–] thingsiplay@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I was never this specific, but this kind of thought process is what I always had and countered with. I don't think there is evidence this can be done to a degree, to be able to say that the distribution doesn't matter. I don't buy that, just to be clear. Maybe people claiming this are thinking of similar distributions, like Ubuntu to Debian and never had atomic distributions in mind or something wacky as NixOS.

[–] Mordikan@kbin.earth 2 points 1 day ago

Going back to what the other user mentioned, in the context of how people ask the question, I don't think distro matters. You have new users asking "What is a good distro for playing games? Bazzite or CachyOS?" Both. It doesn't matter, they will play the same.

Kali Linux would also be a completely correct answer to that question. Even back in the day I had Backtrack 5 running Dragon Age 2. And for security testing, what is the best distro? The one that you installed your tools to. Distro A has 200 sec tools pre-installed, Distro B has 400 sec tools pre-installed, but both have the same 10 tools you actively use so they are the same. Arguably neither are the best because that means there is 190 and 390 tools present that are just bloatware.

So, hopefully you can understand how arbitrary the choice in distro actually is.