“One of the missions of the labs is to keep track of Linux
distributions, or distros. One of my Mandrake Linux machines is a
distro server, and it’s packed now packed with 84 distinctly
separate distros covering 74 gigs of SeagateSurface. I’ve been
keeping track of them, their differences, and their commonality.
All are based on the 2.2 Linux kernel or higher. Not two of them
are exactly the same. There are downloadables, standard editions,
professional editions, gold editions, and distros that include the
latest beta and pre kernels. As my engineers would say, “there’s
some noise out there.” Take heart, however.”
“Consider the following: there are Windows 3.0, 3.1, 3.11,
3.11/WfWG, Windows 95 (seven distinct versions), Windows 98 (eight
versions), Windows NT 3.51W/S, NT 4.0W/S (seven service packs), and
Windows 2000 P/S/AS (and sometime this year, DC). The
interoperability levels have five basic shelves: 3.X, 95, 98, NT,
and 2K. Makes you want the CD franchise for Northwest Washington
State….”
“The Free Standards Group emerged as a combination of the Linux
Standard Base project and the Linux Internationalization
Initiative. The group is headed by Dan Quinlan, who had headed the
Linux Standard Base project. Indeed, that’s the organization’s
first goal: a spec, which developers can use for apps, similar to
the Linux Standard Base work. With luck, people can then
download or distribute apps that have a reasonable chance of
running on differing distros. That doesn’t happen right
now.“