“To users and analysts, the myriad Linux distributions are like
penguins, the Linux mascot: The various species have different
plumage, but under the feathers, they all walk like penguins.”
“Rather than being disappointed with a lack of breakthrough
innovations, though, users say the technological differences among
Linux distributions is a blessing. As long as the distributions are
interchangeable, corporate users remain independent of their
vendors…”
“Meanwhile, one of the few mandates of Linux’s General
Public License is that changes to the operating system itself must
be made freely available to everyone else, meaning vendors must
share anything that would give them a competitive
advantage.“