Differentiating linux distros

[DKing0]

What are the differentiating (objective & subjective) factors between ubuntu, fedora, and opensuse? Also, how big of a difference is there between gnome & kde? Thanks.

[reed9]

That is a very very broad question and hard to answer.

Briefly, different package managers, different patches applied to programs, different philosophies on the inclusion of non-free software, different number of pre-compiled packages available, different patches and compile options for the linux kernel...

GNOME vs KDE?

[DKing0]

That is a very very broad question and hard to answer...

You're right my original question is phrased in a very broad way; let me refine it a bit. I'm relatively new to Linux; I've tried Debian, Ubuntu, and Fedora. I had minimal if any issues with Debian and Ubuntu, while Fedora so far has been rather unpleasant. In spite of the issues, overall they all "seemed" the same. Sure some files were located in different places or named differently, but I didn't find any glaring differences. Basically I've only come across superficial differences; so I'm interested in learning if there are deeper ones that may have some significance.

Lastly, since Fedora has been a nightmare for me so far, I thought of trying opensuse - I was curious has to others experiences with it (particularly those that have used ubuntu and/or fedora).

[reed9]

You are correct in that many/most of the differences between distros are somewhat superficial.

GNOME is GNOME and KDE is KDE and Firefox is Firefox on whatever distro you use. There are plenty of technical differences under the hood, but it is not something the end user sees much of. For example, the code base may be different for different package managers, but from the end user standpoint they basically do the same thing.

You'll see many threads asking which distro is best, and the answer (taking away the people touting their own particular favs) is always use whatever you like the best.

If you like bleeding edge technology, use Fedora or Arch. Fedora is often first to jump on the bandwagon of new tech, like ext4, and Arch is rolling release and keeps its repos up to date with the latest stable software releases.

If you want something conservative and generally considered more stable, use Debian or Scientific Linux/CentOS/RHEL. You won't have easy access to the latest Firefox 3.6 or whatever, but you'll have tried and true packages that have been tested extensively.

If you want easy or out of the box access to non-free software, use Ubuntu or Linux Mint. If you want only open and free software, use gNewSense.

If you want total control over your system, to the point of custom building packages with particular options or patches, use Gentoo or Crux. If you want lots of control and little automation, without the hassle of compiling your own packages, use Slackware or Arch.