[NTLUG:Discuss] DistroWatch 10 Most Popular Linux Distros

[Robert Pearson]

I stumbled across this DistroWatch page by accident and now I read
this frequently. I believe it is updated weekly. Very handy for me,


Top Ten Distributions
An overview of today's top distributions
<http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major>

"The bewildering choice and the ever increasing number of Linux
distributions can be confusing for those who are new to Linux. This is
why this page was created. It lists 10 Linux distributions (plus an
honourable mention of FreeBSD, by far the most popular of all of the
BSDs), which are generally considered as most widely-used by Linux
users around the world. There are no figures to back it up and there
are many other distributions that might suit your particular purpose
better, but as a general rule, all of these are popular and have very
active forums or mailing lists where you can ask questions if you get
stuck. Ubuntu, Linux Mint and PCLinuxOS are considered the easiest for
new users who want to get productive in Linux as soon as possible
without having to master all its complexities. On the other end of the
spectrum, Slackware Linux, Gentoo Linux and FreeBSD are more advanced
distributions that require plenty of learning before they can be used
effectively. openSUSE, Fedora, Debian GNU/Linux and Mandriva Linux can
be classified as good "middle-road" distributions. CentOS is an
enterprise distribution, suitable for those who prefer stability,
reliability and long-term support over cutting-edge features and
software."

[Currently listed Top 10 distros - there are actually 11 listed]

Ubuntu
openSUSE
Fedora
Debian GNU/Linux
Mandriva Linux
Linux Mint
PCLinuxOS
Slackware Linux
Gentoo Linux
CentOS
FreeBSD


[rdpcomment]
Since I have been toying with the idea of switching from Linux to
OpenSolaris I noted with interest its decline in popularity over the
last two weeks from 23 to 41. I wonder if the news of IBM acquiring
Sun has anything to do with that?
I can't see IBM giving anything away so that would end my OpenSolaris
experience.