Reference Linux

[Anteaus]

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask anyway. I know that no two Linux distributions are the same. That said, is there one distribution whose base install is as close as possible to "reference"? As in, is there one distro that when installed in minimal form is what Linus T would consider core? Like Linux From Scratch core, albeit in a precompiled form...

This is more of a curiosity. I really like Debian and don't really see myself moving from it, but even a Debian base install has parts that would seem optional. Slackware seems like it could get close. Consider this an academic exercise to attain the leanest install possible.

 

[TerryMathews]

This is probably a stupid question but I'm going to ask anyway. I know that no two Linux distributions are the same. That said, is there one distribution whose base install is as close as possible to "reference"? As in, is there one distro that when installed in minimal form is what Linus T would consider core? Like Linux From Scratch core, albeit in a precompiled form...

This is more of a curiosity. I really like Debian and don't really see myself moving from it, but even a Debian base install has parts that would seem optional. Slackware seems like it could get close. Consider this an academic exercise to attain the leanest install possible.

No.

Linux is only a kernel. The rest of what people call "Linux" is actually the GNU project.

The purest form of GNU/Linux would probably be Debian.

Don't forget about Gentoo which is philosophically closest to what Linux was intended to be.

 

[Maximilian]

Isnt there some kind of linux standard base? Or is that just a guideline and not an actual OS

 

[gus6464]

Isnt there some kind of linux standard base? Or is that just a guideline and not an actual OS

The base is the kernel. Everything else could actually just be considered modules.

 

[Jodell88]

Arch Linux.

 

[jae]

and distros are pretty much the same besides package manager and maybe. ubuntu is now set apart tho due to unity and distant future mir

 

[BurnItDwn]

LFS where you pick your own everything would be the most reference.

At one time, Slackware was essentially like the gold standard of linux, but really, there are lots of different flavors now, many forked or derived from Debian or Slackware ...

 

[theevilsharpie]

There is no "reference" Linux distribution. However, there are three rough "families" of distributions: Debian-based, Red Hat-based, and everything else (Arch, Gentoo, Slackware, etc.).

 

[FrankRamiro]

I would say the reference Linux is the one that you get the best free support and i would say Ubuntu beats them all.

 

[Anteaus]

LFS where you pick your own everything would be the most reference.

I agree. Unfortunately, I don't think LFS should count as a distro because the only way to have a working LFS system is to literally build it yourself.

The problem I finding with all distros is the term "minimal". That term has wide meanings. When I think of minimal, I'm thinking of a distro that is a bootable system comprised of only the kernal and software considered critical for proper installation of other software, such as a text editor, compiler, and bootloader. In other words, a foundation that when reduced further would become unusable. A base.

In my search, I've yet to find one distro that satisfies my desire for a base system. I have found that some distros (like slackware) can get you very close if you do manual package selection, but it's a pita to get to that point.

As a compliment to all the distros out there, I think it would be great if Linus would maintain a vanilla distro that complimented what I described above. He could keep updating the kernel but leave out all non-critical software, thus creating a distro where stability would be derived from the kernel itself and what little software is included can be easily tested.

That's my take, but I admit as a linux user that I lack experience. Perhaps there are reasons for why we have what we have now.

 

[Jodell88]

I still think Arch Linux will get you what you want.

 

[Anteaus]

I still think Arch Linux will get you what you want.

I'll give it a serious look. Thanks.

 

[AlexKidd5000]

This is how I thought of linux way before I started using it, that there was some "base reference" version of Linux that all other version derived from. But thats not true.

If you have to find the purest form of Linux, that would probably be Slackware, as it was originally created by Linus Torvalds himself, before other developers took over its development.

So in essence, Slackware, Debian, Redhat, and Arch are probably the closest thing to a base Linux, as they are the main distros that all other distros are based on.

 

[theevilsharpie]

This is how I thought of linux way before I started using it, that there was some "base reference" version of Linux that all other version derived from. But thats not true.

If you have to find the purest form of Linux, that would probably be Slackware, as it was originally created by Linus Torvalds himself, before other developers took over its development.

Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding, not Linus Torvalds, and the only thing notable about it is its age. It's no more "reference" than any other Linux distro.

 

[gus6464]

The new distros coming out are very impressive. My two favorites are OpenSuse 13.1 with KDE and Linux Mint Petra Cinnamon.

If I didn't use my laptop for work the new Toshiba Chromebook with Mint would be all I need in a laptop for $250.

 

[Jodell88]

The new distros coming out are very impressive. My two favorites are OpenSuse 13.1 with KDE and Linux Mint Petra Cinnamon.

If I didn't use my laptop for work the new Toshiba Chromebook with Mint would be all I need in a laptop for $250.

You can install Linux distros on chromebooks.

 

[gus6464]

You can install Linux distros on chromebooks.

I know I can hence why I said that.

 

[Scarpozzi]

LFS where you pick your own everything would be the most reference.

At one time, Slackware was essentially like the gold standard of linux, but really, there are lots of different flavors now, many forked or derived from Debian or Slackware ...

That's what I was going to say. Slackware is what SuSE is based on.

SuSE 8 was known as having more packages available than any other distro at the time (9 or so install cds) What matters most is that you pick a distro that suits your needs and provides a gui/shell you're comfortable with. I prefer Cent/RHEL in server environments and Xubuntu/OpenSuSE for desktop environments.

If you install the minimal, you can save what you install as a kickstart script and use that as a 'reference'.

 

[sourceninja]

I always explain in like this.

Linux is not an operating system. Redhat is an operating system, Debian is an operating system, etc.

This is why I tell people I have 10 years RHEL administration experience, not linux experience.