[ Thanks to An Anonymous Reader for
this link. ]
“One of the benefits of open source software that many
people are most familiar with is that it’s free to download. This
means you can grab great applications — such as Mozilla’s
Firefox Web browser, the OpenOffice.org office suite or the GIMP
photo editing program — without paying a cent. However, the
other major benefit of truly open source software (some “open
source” software licences are more restrictive than others) is that
you’re allowed to modify a program and redistribute your altered
version so other people can enjoy it.“Linux is a classic example of this: there are hundreds (at
least!) of different Linux-based operating systems. Most people
will be familiar with some of the big names — distributions
like Ubuntu, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Debian and Mandriva. Most of
the well-known Linux distros are designed to be used as general
purpose desktop operating systems or installed on servers. But
beyond these distros are hundreds of others either designed to
appeal to very specific audiences or to fulfil the somewhat niche
needs of some users. We rounded up some of the most interesting
Linux distros out there that you might not have heard of.”