On Sunday 02 February 2003 12:54 pm, Russ wrote: > HI All, > > I actually have 2 questions here: > > 1. What is the difference between the different distros? They are all Linux > aren't they? Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Mandrake start out as Red > Hat? > > 2. If a person wanted to run different flavors on one drive, what would be > the best way to partition that drive? Could they all share the swap > partition? What about the partition that holds all user data? > > Thanks > Russ
swap and /home can be shared. /boot should be shared. keep separate /, /usr /var, and /opt partitions The big trick is to load one first. I suggest mandrake, then on the second one, SKIP the bootloader. You will find various kernels and initrd.img files in /boot. You need to use the boot configurator in Mandrake Control Center to add the other boot. I generally insist that the two do not see each other. That is not hard to do, as Mandrake offers more filesystem options than any other. RH would call most of them invalid filesystems. Yes Mandrake 5.2 was RH on steroids with KDE. Mandrake 5.3, the first commercial version, was very nice and not too much different from the RH code base. 6.0 and on were beginning real divergences, but still about 95% of the RH rpms will install and run on Mandrake GNU/Linux. The biggest difference in distros is the character: 1. Caldera keeps most of its own developed source code closed and charges per-seat license fees. 2. SuSE has closed source installer and configuration programs (YaST & similar) and its servers for update are all its own (usually choked). You pay for the most recent version or wait a while for downloads to be made available. 3. RH has adopted Mandrake's cooker philosophy partially in their "rawhide", but I think you will note the difference immediately if you ask this question on their mail help lists (have an extinguisher handy). 4. Debian has the most onerous packaging requirements and the strictest submission requirements of all the distros. They are usually seriously out of date with their stable releases and their install is very exacting in terms of steps and the longest around in terms of user time (short of rolling your own). On the Other hand, the precision of their packaging requirements produces a very very silky smooth update experience as long as you don't update the kernel. 5. Slackware is strange in its booting for those used to SystemV, and uses tar.gz tarballs for packaging its programs. It is revered as a geek's linux and some use it in preference to other distros as a matter of ego or demonstrating their prowess. It is a solid distro, because thewy basically all are pretty solid. 6. RedmondLinux and Lycoris are recent arrivals combining Windows lookNfeel (and somewhat windows lack of security) with linux complexity. 7. MandrakeLinux is the major distro supporting Free Software. The distro is ready for download the same day it is being sent for pressing for boxed sets. The boxed sets add support and some features and software packages not totally free software to the basic distro. As you can see, the Support Mailing lists are free and open without a lot of flaming. Friendliness and the extra effort to make things a little easier on the user are the hallmarks of Mandrake YES the base is the GNU/linux operating system--the linux kernel with the GNU software utilities--in all those cases. FreeBSD is one distro based on another fairly stable op system similar in command structure, but with a license that allows commercial exploitation of the base. Distros differ in features and packages. Mandrake has over 2000 programs within just the free version. I hope that answers your questions at least a little--there are ways programs are packaged as binaries that differ, (dpkg, rpm, tarball) and ways that the commerce is regulated (free software-----proprietary software), among the distros. Mandrake is the one that is made by a few staff and many volunteers, at least in terms of packaging the programs that go within it. Civileme
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