You have found the LWN.net Linux Distributions List. LWN
has been tracking Linux distributions since 1999. Early versions of the
list consisted of links on the side bars of the weekly Distribution
page. By 2001 the list had grown to fill both sidebars of the weekly
page, often trailing far below any actual mid-page content. So the list
was moved to a flat file and released on October 11, 2001.
The next major release was on February 7, 2002. Additional information
was added to each entry, and in the process links were fixed, entries
moved to different categories and dead distributions were removed. Minor
revisions have been made almost every week since then. A table of
contents was added on May 9, 2002. There have been no major releases
since then, however new distributions are added when found, dead
distributions are removed when found, and link checking remains an
ongoing (low-priority) process. Many thanks to Andrew Cater for a massive
link-checking effort that took place in May 2020, resulting in a smaller
and more up-to-date list.
We once hoped that this list would move to a searchable database, however
that now seems unlikely to happen. We do hope you will enjoy this
celebration of Linux diversity, with distributions large and
small, specialized and generalized, old and new.
Android http://www.android.com/
Android is Linux without any GNU. Google backs Android, which can be found
in the wild in phones, tablets and other devices. These devices usually
contain proprietary software, and some of the available apps are
proprietary as well. See
the Android Open Source
Project for the open source parts. Android was first announced
November 5, 2007. Android 1.5 (Cupcake) was released April 30, 2009.
Android 4.4 (KitKat) was released October 31, 2013. Android 5.1 (Lolipop)
was announced March 9, 2015. Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) was released
September 2015. Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) was released April 3, 2017.
Android 8.1 (Oreo) was released December 5, 2017. Android 9 (Pie) was
released August 6, 2018. Android 10 (no more names) was released September
3, 2019. Android 11 was released September 8, 2020. Android 12 was
released October 4, 2021.
Debian GNU/Linux http://www.debian.org/
The Debian Project is one of the oldest distributions, dating back to
1993, and is currently the largest volunteer-based distribution provider.
Debian, the "universal operating system", has been translated into many
languages; works on many hardware platforms; has a large repository with
a wide variety of packages; includes experimental kernel variants for
kfreebsd and the GNU Hurd; and has many derivatives. Debian Stable
releases when ready, not on any fixed schedule, but stable releases
happen about every two years and are supported for about 3 years. The
LTS team provides commercial support for old-stable releases with
security updates for a reduced set of packages after the Debian security
team ends official support. The Debian testing branch (currently 12.0
"bookworm") is where the next stable release is prepared; packages are
more current than stable while (usually) providing a stable desktop. The
unstable branch (sid) is more bleeding edge, while the experimental
branch contains packages that aren't yet ready for sid. Debian 13 will be
named "trixie". Debian 9.0 "stretch" was released June 17, 2017. The
13th and final stretch point release, Debian 9.13, was released July 18,
2020. The LTS team is maintaining stretch. Debian 10.0 "buster" was
released July 6, 2019. The eleventh buster point release, Debian 10.11,
was released October 9, 2021. Debian 11.0 "bullseye" was released August
14, 2021. The second bullseye point release, Debian 11.2, was released
December 18, 2021.
Fedora http://fedoraproject.org/
The Fedora Project is Red Hat's community distribution. It is intended
to be a fast-paced distribution for those that like to stay on the
leading edge of technology. It is also a test-bed for Red Hat's
Enterprise Linux products. The first Fedora Core release was dated
November 5, 2003. Fedora strives for a new release every 6 months and
releases will be supported for about 13 months. Fedora Editions include
Workstation and Server, with CoreOS and IoT in preview. Workstation comes
with the GNOME desktop, while Fedora Spins provide alternate
desktops. Fedora Labs target a variety of use cases, such as astronomy,
design, scientific computing, and more. A number of architectures are
supported.
Still supported: Fedora 34 (released April 27, 2021) and Fedora 35
(released November 2, 2021.
openSUSE http://opensuse.org/
The openSUSE community distribution is supported by SUSE. openSUSE was
opened for community development with the release of SUSE Linux 10.0,
dated October 6, 2005. openSUSE used to offer a new release every 8
months with 18 months of support, but now offers two
options. Tumbleweed uses
a rolling release model that updates to the latest stable software, with
frequent snapshots. The more conservative openSUSE Leap is based on core
SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE) components with more up-to-date applications.
Its releases follow SLE service packs, with the initial release (42.1)
based on SLE 12 SP1. Leap 42.1 was was released November 4, 2015 and
reached eol May 16, 2017. With the following release, openSUSE Leap 15
(with SLE 15 components), version numbers for SLE and Leap were
aligned. Leap 15.0 was released May 25, 2018 and reached eol December
3, 2019. Leap 15.2 was released July 2, 2020 (eol December 31,
2021). Leap 15.3 was released June 2, 2021. openSUSE Leap 15.4 alpha was
released December 2, 2021.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux http://www.redhat.com/
Red Hat, Inc. provides one of the the best known Linux distributions in
the world. In 2003 the company announced its decision to drop its
popular Red Hat Linux in order to concentrate on the Red Hat Enterprise
Linux line. The Fedora Project (see above) has replaced the Red Hat
Linux line for the home user or small business. Red Hat Linux 9 was the
last release in the Red Hat Linux series. It was released April 7, 2003
and was supported until May 1, 2004. Red Hat Enterprise Linux comes with
service and support contracts for those Red Hat customers who require a
stable, supported system. There are a number of other Red Hat products
for cloud environments. Red Hat was acquired by IBM in July 2019, however
no changes were planned for RHEL products and services, or for Fedora and
CentOS. Supported versions: RHEL 7 was released June 10, 2014; now at
update 7.9, released September 29, 2020. RHEL 8 was released May 7, 2019;
now at update 8.5, released November 11, 2021. RHEL 9 beta was released
November 3, 2021.
Slackware Linux http://www.slackware.com/ Slackware Documentation Project
The Slackware project is headed by Patrick J. Volkerding, with a cast of
volunteers and a loyal following. It is the oldest active Linux
distribution with the first release dated July 16, 1993. For a very long
time the official Slackware project only supported x86 platforms, however
others have made ports to other platforms. In 2009 the x86_64 port and
the ARM port were offically accepted into Slackware. Slackware 13.37 was
released April 27, 2011. Slackware 14.0 was released September 26,
2012. The ARM port of Slackware 14.0 was released September 28, 2012.
Slackware 14.1 was released November 7, 2013. Slackware 14.2 was
released July 1, 2016. Slackware 15.0-rc2 was released November 17, 2021.
SUSE Linux http://www.suse.com/
SUSE Linux has been around since 1994, making it one of the older Linux
distributions. The company SUSE originated in Germany and has gone
through a few owners, while remaining an independent distribution. SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) was introduced in 2001. SLES was joined by
the SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED). SLE releases are supported for
10 years, with extended support (LTSS) available to customers. Service
Packs (SP) contain updates. Still supported: SLE 11 was originally
released March 24, 2009 and is out of general support. SLE 11 SP4,
released October 13, 2015, is now in LTSS mode, with eol in March 2022.
SLE 12, originally released October 27, 2014 is now at SP5, released
December 22, 2019. SLE 15, originally released June 25, 2018 is now at
SP3, released June 21, 2021. Regular maintenance and support for SLE 15
SP1 ended January 31, 2021.
Ubuntu http://www.ubuntu.com/ Kubuntu,
Xubuntu,
Ubuntu Studio,
Lubuntu,
Ubuntu Kylin,
Ubuntu MATE,
and Ubuntu Budgie.
Ubuntu is supported by Canonical
Ltd. The offical 'flavors' listed above use the Ubuntu repositories
and infrastructure, but are supported by the community. Ubuntu takes a
snapshot of Debian unstable and then creates a small fork, recompiling
and stabilizing the code to get a final stable release. Ubuntu releases
happen every 6 months, in April and October. Ubuntu comes with the GNOME
desktop, Kubuntu with the KDE Plasma desktop, Xubuntu features XFCE,
Ubuntu Studio integrates packages for multimedia creation, Lubuntu comes
with the LXQt desktop environment, Ubuntu Kylin has been localized and
customized for users in China, Ubuntu MATE features the MATE desktop, and
Ubuntu Budgie features the Budgie desktop.
The first Ubuntu release was 4.10 Preview "Warty Warthog", released
September 15, 2004. Ubuntu LTS releases are supported for 5 years.
Flavors usually have shorter LTS support windows. Non-LTS releases are
supported for 9 months. 22.04 "Jammy Jellyfish" is in development. Supported versions: 18.04 LTS "Bionic Beaver", now at update
18.04.6 LTS, released September 17, 2021; 20.04 LTS "Focal Fossa", now at
update 20.04.3 LTS, released August 26, 2021; 21.04 "Hirsute Hippo",
released April 22, 2021 (eol January 20, 2022); and 21.10 "Impish Indri",
released October 14, 2021.
Arch Linux http://www.archlinux.org/
Arch Linux is a lightweight and flexible distribution that tries to Keep
It Simple. It contains the latest stable versions of software. Packages
are in .tar.gz format and are tracked by the Pacman package manager,
which is designed to allow easy package upgrades. There are few releases
in the traditional meaning. A steady stream of package updates are
available. New installion media does come out occasionally. The inital
version, 0.1, was released March 11, 2002. x86_64 support was added in
April 2006. The numbering scheme for Arch installtion media was changed
to yyyy.mm format with the August 2009 release. The Arch Linux
2012.10.06 install media boots with systemd. Arch Linux 2021.03.01 is
out. New ISOs are coming out monthly.
CentOS http://www.centos.org/
CentOS, the Community ENTerprise Operating System, is an Enterprise-class
Linux Distribution derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux sources. Red Hat
is a sponsor of CentOS. CentOS aims to be 100% binary compatible. (CentOS
mainly changes packages to remove upstream vendor branding and artwork.)
There are also Special Interest Groups (SIGs) extending CentOS in various
ways. This project dates back to late 2003. CentOS 7.0-1406 was released
July 7, 2014. CentOS 7.9-2009 was released November 12, 2020. CentOS
8.3-2011 was released December 7, 2020. On December 8, 2020 it was
announced that the end of support for CentOS 8.x will be December 31,
2021. CentOS Stream is a new development platform that is upstream from
RHEL, rather than the traditional downstream relationship. CentOS Stream
8 will continue to receive updates through the RHEL 8 support phase.
CentOS 8.4-2105 was released June 3, 2021. CentOS 8.5-2111 was released
November 16, 2021. CentOS Stream 9, based on Fedora 34, was released
December 3, 2021.
Gentoo Linux http://www.gentoo.org/
Gentoo Linux is a source-based distribution (users compile everything
from source) that can be optimized and customized for just about any
application or need. Gentoo offers extreme performance, configurability
and a top-notch user and developer community. Users keep their systems
up-to-date using Portage, which is based on BSD Ports. Gentoo is a
meta-distribution with a large number of packages available and support
for many architectures. There are no official releases but there are
regular updates.
KNOPPIX
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/index-en.html
German:
http://www.knopper.net/knoppix/ http://www.knoppix.net/
This German distribution is the original, Debian-based live CD, spawning
dozens (hundreds?) of remasters and customized live CD distributions.
Take your KNOPPIX CD/DVD/USB with you when you're on the road and run Linux
anywhere. KNOPPIX is a complete GNU/Linux installation which runs from
CD/DVD/USB, with automatic hardware detection and configuration for many
graphics and sound cards, SCSI devices, and peripherals. KNOPPIX first
showed up on May 29, 2002. KNOPPIX 5.0 Live DVD was released for CeBIT
2006. KNOPPIX 6.0 featured the LXDE desktop and the ADRIANE audio
desktop. KNOPPIX 6.7.1 with ADRIANE 1.4 was released September 17, 2011.
KNOPPIX 7.0.5, the last in the 7.0 series, was released December 22,
2012. KNOPPIX 7.6.0 / ADRIANE 1.7 was released November 24, 2015.
KNOPPIX 7.7.1 was released October 28, 2016. KNOPPIX 8.6.1 was released
November 24, 2019.
Linux Mint http://linuxmint.com/
Linux Mint aims to produce an elegant, up to date and comfortable
GNU/Linux desktop based on Ubuntu. It started out as a customized
version of Ubuntu, but the project now develops many of its own tools and
provides alternative desktops (MATE and Cinnamon). It is compatible with
Ubuntu repositories. Linux Mint 5 "Elyssa" was released June 8, 2008 and
was supported until April 25, 2011. The Mint project decided to track
only Ubuntu LTS releases, starting with v17 "Qiana". Official releases
come with MATE, Cinnamon, or Xfce editions.
Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) follows Debian directly, not
Ubuntu. Early releases were based on Debian testing, later tracking
Debian stable. LMDE 201009 was released September 7, 2010. Debian 10
"buster"-based LMDE 4 "Debbie" was released March 20, 2020. Debian 11
"bullseye"-based LMDE 5 "Elsie" is in development.
The Ubuntu 18.04-based Linux Mint 19.x series will be supported until
2023. The series includes 19 "Tara" (released June 29, 2018), 19.1
"Tessa" (released December 19, 2018), 19.2 "Tina" (released August 2,
2019), and 19.3 "Tricia" (released December 18, 2019). The Ubuntu
20.04-based Linux Mint 20.x series will be supported until 2025. The
series includes 20 "Ulyana" (released June 27, 2020), 20.1 "Ulyssa"
(released January 8, 2020), and 20.2 "Uma" (released July 8, 2021). 20.3
"Una" beta was released December 14, 2021.
Mageia http://mageia.org/
Mageia is a community fork of Mandriva created by a large group of former
Mandriva employees, Cooker contributors and users' communities. The
project was first announced September 18, 2010 with plans to set up a
not-for-profit organization to be managed by a board of community
members. Mageia released its first alpha February 15, 2011. Mageia 1
was released June 1, 2011. Mageia 7 was released July 1, 2019 and will
reach eol June 30, 2021. Mageia 8 was released February 26, 2021.
Oracle Linux http://www.oracle.com/us/technologies/linux/overview/
Oracle's Unbreakable Linux campaign was launched in June 2002. It
started as a support program for Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Oracle
customers. It evolved into an enterprise distribution with source and
binary compatibility with its upstream parent. The Oracle "Unbreakable
Enterprise Kernel" was launched in September 2010. Oracle Enterprise
Linux 5.11 was released September 25, 2014. Oracle Linux 6 was released
February 11, 2011. Oracle Linux 6.10 was released June 26, 2018.
Oracle Linux 7 was released July 23, 2014. Oracle Linux 7.9 was released
October 7, 2020. Oracle Linux 8 was released July 18, 2019. Oracle Linux
8.4 was released May 26, 2021.
Scientific Linux http://www.scientificlinux.org/
Scientific Linux is sponsored by Fermilab. The project rebuilds Red Hat
Enterprise Linux source and adds a handful of enhancements aimed at
physics research. Other scientific laboratories and universities in the
United States, Switzerland, and other countries were involved in this
project. The first Scientific Linux release was 3.0.1, released May 10,
2004. Scientific Linux was discontinued as of April 22, 2019. Instead,
Fermilab will collaborate with CERN and other labs to help make CentOS a
better platform for high-energy physics computing. Fermilab will continue
to support Scientific Linux 6 and 7 through the remainder of their
respective lifecycles. Scientific Linux 6.x is now at End of Life.
Scientific Linux 7.8 was released April 24, 2020.
VzLinux https://vzlinux.org/
VzLinux was created by Virtuozzo
and used as a base system for OpenVz and commercial products. It is an
RHEL/CentOS clone optimized for running in high density system container
and virtual environments or as a bare-metal server. There is a conversion
utility to go from CentOS 8 to VzLinux 8, or CentOS 7 directly to VzLinux
8. VzLinux 8, released May 26, 2021, was the first pulic release. VzLinux
8.4 was released July 1, 2021.
AIMS Desktop https://desktop.aims.ac.za/
AIMS Desktop is a Debian derivative offering a collection of software that
allows you to do mathematics and science on your computer easily and
efficiently. It is maintained by AIMS (The African Institute for
Mathematical Sciences) in South Africa. The current version was 2017.1,
based on Debian 9.0 "stretch", when this entry was added, June 13,
2017. The current release as of May 2020 was 2020.1-20191119, based on
Debian 10.0 "buster".
Calculate Linux http://www.calculate-linux.org/
Calculate Linux is derived from Gentoo and still backward compatible with
it. The project got its start in Russia, in the year 2000. There are
several editions available. The Calculate Linux Desktop has several
desktop environments including KDE, Cinnamon, LXQt, MATE, and Xfce. Other
editions include Calculate Directory Server, Calculate Linux From
Scratch, and Calculate Scratch Server. It appeared on this list with an
unversioned release on May 29, 2007. Calculate Linux 20 was released
December 27, 2019. After that the project switched to a rolling-release
model where you install once and update often. Images for a variety of
editions were released January 14, 2020. Calculate 20.6 was released June
21, 2020; updates are available weekly. Calulate 21 was released April
28, 2021. Calculate Linux 22 was released December 8, 2021.
Chakra https://www.chakralinux.org/
Chakra aims to be a fast, user-friendly and powerful Live CD and/or small
distribution that utilizes KDE applications and the Plasma desktop. A
special repository for well known GTK applications is available. Chakra
was initially based on Arch Linux, but evolved into an independent effort.
Chakra uses what they call a half-rolling release model where new stable
versions of packages are updated as soon as possible, on top of a stable
core. The distribution provides unique GUI tools and has a small but
strong and diverse community. Chakra joined the list on September 30,
2009, with the third alpha release of the Chakra LiveCD. The Chakra
Project split from its Arch roots with the development release of Phoix.
Chakra 0.3.2 was released January 30, 2011. Chakra 2017.10 "Goedel" was
released October 7, 2017. Chakra 2019.03 "Hawking" RC4 was released
March 3, 2019. Development has slowed since then due to a lack of
maintainers.
elementary OS https://elementary.io
elementary OS is designed to be a simple, easy-to-use distribution using
the best of free/open source software, with only one application per
task. The project aims to improve the applications that they use.
elementary OS Jupiter was released April 1, 2011. elementary OS Juno 5.0
was released October 16, 2018. elementary OS 5.1.4 Hera was released
May 1, 2020. elementary OS 6 Odin was released August 10, 2021.
elementary OS 6.1 was released December 20, 2021.
EndeavourOS https://endeavouros.com/
EndeavourOS aims to be an easier way to install Arch Linux. It was created
by the Antergos community after Antergos was discontinued in May
2019. EndeavourOS launched July 15, 2019. EndeavourOS Atlantis was released
December 3, 2021.
Endless OS https://endlessos.com/
Endless is designed to be useful offline as well as online. It comes with
many apps and tools that don't require an internet connection, including
over 50,000 Wikipedia articles. It is based on Debian and features the
GNOME desktop. The current version of Endless OS was 2.6.4 when this entry
was added June 15, 2016. Endless OS 3.6.3 was released September 9,
2019. Endless OS 3.9.0 was released November 9, 2020. Endless OS 4.0.0 was
released November 22, 2021.
feren OS http://ferenos.weebly.com/
Feren OS offers customisation, applications, and much more in one
package. It uses a Linux Mint/Cinnamon base. feren OS 2017.0 was released
May 1, 2017. feren OS announced a transition to a rolling-release model
June 11, 2017. Snapshots are released every 3 months. Feren OS 2019.07 was
released July 13, 2019. Feren OS 2019.12 was released December 25,
2019. Feren OS 2020.11 was released November 9, 2020. Feren OS 2021.10 was
released October 3, 2021.
GeckoLinux http://geckolinux.github.io/
GeckoLinux is a Linux spin based on the openSUSE distribution, with a focus
on polish and out-of-the-box usability on the desktop. Various editions
have been released, including GNOME, Cinnamon, XFCE, Budgie, and BareBones
(with the OpenBox window managaer). The inaugual releases were based on
openSUSE Leap 42.1 and began with version number 421 followed by a date in
yymmdd format. The first BareBones edition was numbered 421.151205.0.
Version 421.160614.0 was released with several desktop editions.
GeckoLinux Rolling 999.161031.0 became available November 3,
2016. GeckoLinux 150.180616 [static] and 999.180607 [rolling] were released
in June 2018. GeckoLinux [static] 152.201210 was released December 11,
2020. GeckoLinux 999.210517 [rolling] was released May 17, 2021. GeckoLinux
[STATIC] [NEXT] 153.210608 was released June 8, 2021.
Hanthana Linux http://hanthana.org/
Hanthana is a Fedora remix suitable for desktop and laptop users. It comes
as a live CD and may be installed to a hard drive. It comes with
additional software including multimedia players and codecs by default.
The first release was dated Septmeber 19, 2009. Hanthana joined the list
with the release of HL17, September 16, 2012. Hanthana 17 LiveCD with LXDE
was released September 30, 2012. The 64bit edition was released October
13, 2012. Hanthana Linux 30 was the current version in May 2020.
JULinux http://www.JustUseLinux.com/
Just Use Linux or JULinux is an Ubuntu based distribution aimed at Windows
and Mac users. JULinuXP has an interface similar to Windows 98, 2000, XP,
and 7 while JULinOX OS is very similar to Mac OS X. Both versions feature
the MATE desktop. JULinux joined the list May 29, 2013. JULinux 10 was
released August 4, 2014. JULinux 18.04 was current in May 2020.
Kannolo https://sourceforge.net/projects/kannolo/
Kannolo is an installable graphical Fedora Remix without GTK+, based on the
KDE Plasma Desktop workspace and the Calamares installer. Kannolo does not
include software that requires GTK+ (e.g. Firefox, Anaconda,
firewall-config, ABRT). It features KDE or Qt software (e. g. QupZilla,
Calamares, UFW-KDE, DrKonqi) instead. SELinux is disabled by default
because there is no Qt/KDE troubleshooting application for it. GTK+ and
GTK+ applications are available from the upstream distribution’s online
repositories, enabled by default. Kannolo 25 and Kannolo 24 were released
December 23, 2016. Kannolo 27 and 26 were released Februay 4, 2018.
Linux Lite https://www.linuxliteos.com/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/linuxlite
Linux Lite is an Ubuntu based system that aims to be simple for anyone to
use. Linux Lite's first release was v1.0.0, dated October 23, 2012. Linux
Lite 1.0.8 Final was released January 16, 2014. Linux Lite 2.8 was
released January 31, 2016. Linux Lite 3.0 was released May 31, 2016.
Linux Lite 3.2 was released October 31, 2016. Linux Lite 3.8 was released
January 31, 2018. Linux Lite 4.0 was released May 31, 2018. Linux Lite 4.8
was released January 13, 2020. Linux Lite 5.0 was released May 31,
2020. Linux Lite 5.2 was released October 31, 2020. Linux Lite 5.4 was
released March 31, 2021. Linux Lite 5.6 was released August 31, 2021.
Luninux OS http://luninuxos.com/
Luninux OS is an Ubuntu based distribution designed and developed to be
beautiful, simply, fast, and stable on most computer hardware. Luninux
joined the list with the release of 12.0 LTS "Purple Possum", dated July
24, 2012. Luninux 12.10 was released December 10, 2012. Luninux OS 20.04
was released May 2, 2020.
LXLE http://lxle.net/
LXLE is based on Lubuntu which is an Ubuntu OS using the LXDE desktop
enviroment. It is designed to be a drop-in and go OS, primarily for aging
computers. Its intention is to be able to install it on any computer and be
relatively done after install. LXLE follows the same LTS schedule as
Ubuntu. In short, LXLE is an eclectic respin of Lubuntu with its own user
support. LXLE 12.04.4 was released February 8, 2014. LXLE 14.04 was
released June 13, 2014. LXLE 14.04.2 and 12.04.5 were released April 3,
2015. LXLE LS is aimed at small to micro businesses and includes software
to help run a business. The first beta of LXLE LS was released July 7,
2015. LXLE 14.04.4 was released March 24, 2016. LXLE 16.04.3 Eclectica
was released November 20, 2017. LXLE 18.04.3 was released September 8, 2019.
Nitrux https://nxos.org/
Nitrux focuses on portable universal app formats (focused on the AppImage
format). It uses the Nomad Desktop, which is built on top of KDE Plasma 5
and Qt. Version 1.0 was based on Ubuntu 17.10 and released June 30, 2017.
Nitrux 1.2.8, based on Ubuntu 20.04, was released April 26, 2020. Nitrux
1.3.9, released March 30, 2021, switched to a Debian base. It uses the
Calamares installer. The Nomad Desktop was renamed NX Desktop (still with a
KDE Plasma 5 base), and MauiKit Applications are included. Nitrux 1.5.1
was released August 2, 2021. Nitrux 1.6.0 was released September 1, 2021.
PCLinuxOS http://www.pclinuxos.com/
PCLinuxOS 2K4 started out as a live CD based on Mandriva. In the early
days the project produced a KDE-centric desktop distribution, but it
later branched out into other editions. PCLinuxOS 2K4 Preview 4 was the
current version as of December 17, 2003, when it was added to this list.
By 2016 PCLinuxOS had moved to a rolling-release model where packages are
updated frequently. Community PCLinuxOS LXDE 64 2016.07 was released
July 8, 2016. PCLinuxOS KDE64 2017 Desktop and PCLinuxOS MATE64 2017
Desktop were released in February 2017. PCLinuxOS KDE Plasma 5 2017.03
was released March 2, 2017. PCLinuxOS KDE Full Edition 2019.06 was
released June 16, 2019. PCLinuxOS 2019.11 contains updated installation
media for PCLinuxOS and a fully updated system as of November 12,
2019. PCLinuxOS 2020 KDE, MATE, and XFCE editions were released in March
2020. PCLinuxOS 2021.02 was released Februrary 7, 2021.
Peach OSI http://www.peachosi.com/
Peach OSI is an Xubuntu derivative that aims to be easy to use, flexible,
lightweight, full of useful software and multi-functional. The first
stable release of Peach OSI, based on Xubuntu 14.04.1, happened in June
2014. Peach OSI "Netbook" was released December 18, 2014. PeachOSI's
Patriot OS 18-19.04 was current as of May 2020.
Peppermint http://peppermintos.com/
Peppermint is a cloud/web application-centric distribution. It aims to
be sleek, user friendly and fast. Peppermint was designed for enhanced
mobility, efficiency and ease of use. It's based on Lubuntu and uses
some of Linux Mint's configuration files. A first private beta was
released April 14, 2010. Peppermint OS One was released May 10, 2010.
Peppermint 6 Respin with UEFI Support was released September 6, 2015.
Peppermint 7 was released June 24, 2016. Peppermint 7 Respin was
released November 29, 2016. Peppermint 8 was released May 28, 2017.
Peppermint 8 Respin-2 (Peppermint-8-20180203) was released February 5,
2018. Peppermint 9 was released June 22, 2018. Peppermint 9 Respin-2 was
released January 2, 2019. Peppermint 10 was released May 17,
2019. Peppermint 10-20191210 Respin was released December 18, 2019.
PinguyOS http://pinguyos.com/
PinguyOS is a Ubuntu based distribution that strives to be even easier
to use, with applications chosen and pre-installed with that goal in
mind. PinguyOS 11.04 was released May 14, 2011, with a classic GNOME
2.32.1 desktop. Ping-Eee OS 11.04 was released July 8, 2011. Pinguy
10.04.3 LTS was released August 4, 2011. Pinguy OS 12.04 LTS was
released June 17, 2012. Pinguy OS 13.10 was released December 6, 2013.
Pinguy OS 14.04.3 was released September 9, 2015. Pinguy OS 18.04.2 was
released March 30, 2019.
Robolinux http://robolinux.org/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/robolinux/
Robolinux aims to be easy to use, fast, and secure. Based on Debian
stable, this distribution allows Windows applications to run in a VM.
Robolinux 7.8.1 was released January 22, 2015 in Gnome, lxde, and xfce
editions. Robolinux 7.8.1 KDE was released February 12, 2015. Robolinux
7.9.2 LTS (supported until 2018) was released June 19, 2015. Robolinux
Xfce Raptor 8.1 LTS 2020 was released September 3, 2015. Robolinux Raptor
8.4 was released March 18, 2016. Robolinux Raptor 8.4 Cinnamon, Mate, Xfce
& LXDE were released March 18, 2016. Robolinux 8.5 was released June
17, 2016. Robolinux 9.2 was released May 3, 2018. Robolinux 10.10 was
released April 17, 2020. Robolinux 11.02 was released June 17,
2020. The Robolinux 12.x White Hat series will be supported until
2025. Robolinux 12.03 was released March 3, 2021.
Simplicity Linux http://simplicitylinux.org/
Simplicity Linux is based on Puppy Linux. It comes in different versions,
from bare bones to fully featured. The Netbook or mini edition is
light-weight and meant for using cloud based applications. The Desktop
edition is fully-featured. Simplicity 13.10 was released October 17,
2013. Simplicity 20.1, released February 4, 2020, is based on Buster Dog
(a Debian/Puppy hybrid). Simplicity Linux 20.4 was released May 1, 2020.
Simplicity Linux 20.7 Alpha was released May 26, 2020.
Swift Linux http://www.swiftlinux.org/
Swift Linux aims to be a lightweight, user-friendly distribution that is
fully compatible with Debian software repositories. Swift was originally
based on AntiX (a lightweight Mepis derivative); more recent versions are
based on MX Linux. Swift Linux 0.1.2, released August 21, 2011, came in
Diet Swift, Regular Swift, Taylor Swift, Minnesota Swift, and Chicago
Swift editions. For the 0.2.0 release (April 24, 2012) the base switched
to Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) and the Silicon Valley Swift edition
was added. Swift Linux 19.1-HannahMontana was released May 4, 2020.
Trisquel GNU/Linux http://trisquel.info/en/
Trisquel GNU/Linux aims to be a fully free-as-in-speech system that is
easy to use, complete, and with good language support. The project was
born in 2004 with the sponsorship of the University of Vigo in Galicia
Spain. The first version was officially presented in April 2005. The
project hosts its own repositories which are derivatives of Ubuntu's main
and universe components, but with all proprietary software removed. The
differences include the removal of all non-free packages, the
substitution of the original Linux kernel with the blob-free version
linux-libre, and the addition of several packages. Trisquel joined the
list with the release of version 3.0 STS "Dwyn", September 8, 2009.
Trisquel 8.0 LTS "Flidas" was released April 18, 2018 and will be
supported until April 2021. Trisquel 9.0 "Etiona" was released October
16, 2020. Trisquel 9.0.1 was released October 27, 2021.
Ultimate Edition http://ultimateedition.info/
Ultimate Edition is an Ubuntu based distribution. It joined the list at
version 2.0 (released November 11, 2008), based on the Intrepid Ibex
daily build. That version came in a 32 bit, 64 Bit & and a Gamers
edition (x86 based). There are plenty of themes, wallpapers, icon sets,
gdm login screens, and Usplashes. Ultimate Edition 3.6 was released
October 24, 2013. The OZ Unity project creates an Ultimate Edition OS
aimed at creating a system for new users. OZ Unity aimes to be easy to
install, inviting and intuitive to use, and enhanced with applications
that the majority of users would require on a day by day basis. Users
are invited to post their application list to the OZ Unity forum.
Ultimate Edition 3.9 was released April 8, 2014. Ultimate Edition 4.3 was
released December 7, 2014. Ultimate Edition 4.6 Gamers was released
September 4, 2015. Released December 19, 2015: 4.2.3 Lite, 4.2 armhf,
4.2 armhf lite, and 4.9-x64. Ultimate Edition 5.0 LTS was released June
20, 2016. Ultimate Edition 5.0 Gamers was released January 7, 2017.
Ultimate Edition 5.8, released June 30, 2018, is based on Ubuntu 18.04
and is a long term support (LTS) release.
Uruk GNU/Linux https://urukproject.org/dist/
Uruk GNU/Linux aims to be lightweight, user-friendly and powerful. It is
currently based on the Trisquel GNU/Linux core, with the Linux-libre kernel.
It comes ready for home and office use, and programs are easy to find and
install. Uruk 1.0 was the current version when this entry was added to the
list, July 6, 2016. Uruk 2.0 was released December 5, 2017.
Absolute Linux https://www.absolutelinux.org/
Absolute is a customized Slackware distribution, assembled to make
installation and maintenance of Slackware easier. It's built for speed,
stability, security, ease of use and development. It is lightweight and
should run on older hardware. Absolute joined the list with the release
of v12.0, July 16, 2007. Absolute 14.2 (based on Slackware 14.2) was
released September 18, 2016. Absolute64-20200616, based on
Slackware-current, was released June 16, 2020. Absolute64-20210302 was
released March 2, 2021.
AlmaLinux https://almalinux.org/
AlmaLinux is a fully free fork of RHEL created by CloudLinux as a
replacement for CentOS. AlmaLinux beta was released February 10, 2021.
The first stable release (based on RHEL 8) was announced March 30, 2021,
along with the news that the AlmaLinux Open Source Foundation had been
created to oversee the development. AlmaLinux 8.4 was released May 26,
2021. AlmaLinux OS 8.5 was released November 12, 2021.
ALT Linux http://www.altlinux.org/
ALT Linux started out as a Russian localization of Mandrake Linux. The
last such release was Linux-Mandrake Russian Edition Spring 2001. After
that ALT forked into a unique distribution. It is well-known in Russia.
Designed to be a universal distribution, ALT is suitable for servers,
user workstations, software development, etc. The heart of ALT Linux is
the unstable, development
branch Sisyphus. ALT Linux
Master 2.2 was released March 7, 2003. ALT Server, Workstation,
Education 9.0 was released October 28, 2019. ALT 9.1 was released July
29, 2020. Simply Linux 9.1 was released May 26, 2021. ALT 10.0 Beta was
released December 16, 2021.
AntiX https://antixlinux.com/
AntiX started out as an Ultra-Lite, community developed MEPIS Derivative.
The antiX-12 release was based directly on Debian testing, compatible with
Debian testing repositories. Older, less powerful hardware should be well
supported. It includes support for multiple languages including
Brazilian-Portuguese, Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian,
Romanian, Spanish, Russian, and Turkish. AntiX 6.5 was released July 9,
2007. antiX-M11 'Jayaben Desai' was released May 3, 2011. antiX 15 was
released June 30, 2015. antiX-16.1 (Berta Cáceres) (based on Debian 8.5
"jessie", but systemd-free) was released January 17, 2017. antiX 16.2 was
released June 16, 2017. antiX 17.4 was released March 6, 2019. antiX 19.4
(based on Debian Buster and systemd-free) was released May 21, 2021.
antiX-21, based on Debian Bullseye, was released October 31, 2021.
ArchBang http://archbang.org/
ArchBang is a simple GNU/Linux distribution which provides you with a
lightweight Arch Linux system combined with the Openbox Window Manager.
It's suitable for both desktop and portable systems. ArchBang is a
rolling release with regularly updated isos. ArchBang appeared on this
list with the 2011.02 release, dated February 4, 2011. ArchBang rolls
along with frequent updates. An updated iso was released May 16,
2020. The November 2020 release uses the i3 tiling window manager. Check
the site for something newer.
ArchLabs Linux https://archlabslinux.com/
ArchLabs is based on Arch Linux, influenced and inspired by the look and
feel of BunsenLabs. It is not a clone of BunsenLabs, but does follow Arch
closely and rolls along with regular updates. ArchLabs joined the list
with the release of v2017.12 on December 23, 2017. ArchLabs 2018.12 was
released December 17, 2018. ArchLabs 2020.05.04 was released May 4, 2020.
Artix https://artixlinux.org/
The Arch-OpenRC and Manjaro-OpenRC projects joined forces to create
Artix, an Arch-based distribution that uses the OpenRC init system. It
uses a rolling release model with no version numbers. Artix was first
announced July 27, 2017. There are three editions: a minimal Base edition,
an edition featuring the i3 window manager, and an edition running the LXQt
desktop. An XFCE iso was released May 20, 2020.
Bodhi http://bodhilinux.com/
Bodhi is an Ubuntu-based distribution that uses the Enlightenment window
manager and libraries. Bodhi only pre-installs a few packages so you can
add what you want and not have your system cluttered with unwanted
applications. Bodhi 1.0.0 was released March 25, 2011. Bodhi 1.4.0 was
released March 22, 2012. Bodhi Linux 2.4.0 was released September 12,
2013. Bodhi 3.1.0, released August 11, 2015, features the Moksha Desktop
(a fork of E17). Bodhi Linux 3.2.0 was released March 30, 2016. Bodhi
4.4.0 was released December 8, 2017. Bodhi 5.1.0 was released March 25,
2020. Bodhi Linux 6.0.0 was released May 12, 2021.
BunsenLabs Linux https://www.bunsenlabs.org/
BunsenLabs Linux is a distribution offering a light-weight and easily
customizable Openbox desktop. The project is a community continuation of
CrunchBang Linux. The current release was Debian jessie-based Hydrogen
when this entry was added to the list, June 13, 2016. A BunsenLabs
"Deuterium" point release was made available January 30, 2017. BunsenLabs
Helium was released April 30, 2018. An early preview of Debian 10 based
BunsenLabs Lithium was released December 10, 2019. BunsenLabs Lithium was
released August 3, 2020. Updated ISO images for Lithium were released
February 2, 2021. BunsenLabs Beryllium, based on Debian testing (Bullseye),
is in development.
CrunchBang++ https://crunchbangplusplus.org/
CrunchBang (#!) Linux was a Debian based distribution featuring the
lightweight Openbox window manager and GTK+ applications. #! joined the
list at version 8.10.02, released January 18, 2009. CrunchBang 11
"Waldorf" (stable) was released May 6, 2013. CrunchBang was officially
retired on February 6, 2015. But #! is succeeded by #!++. Debian Jessie
based #!++ 1.0 was released April 29, 2015. Debian 10 Buster based #!++
was released in July 2019.
CRUX http://www.crux.nu/
CRUX is a lightweight, i686-optimized Linux distribution targeted at
experienced Linux users. The primary focus of this distribution is
"keep it simple", which is reflected in a simple tar.gz-based
package system, BSD-style initscripts, and a relatively small
collection of trimmed packages. The secondary focus is utilization
of new Linux features and recent tools and libraries. Version 1.1 was
released March 24, 2003. CRUX 1.3.1 for PowerPC was released February
25, 2004. CRUX 2.8 was released October 24, 2012. CRUX 3.5 was
released June 11, 2019. CRUX 3.6 was released December 8, 2020.
Cucumber Linux http://www.cucumberlinux.com/
Cucumber Linux is an independent distribution that aims to provide a
minimalistic system that follows the Unix Philosophy. Cucumber Linux favors
simplicity and modularity of design over simplicity of use. It does not
use systemd. Cucumber Linux 1.0 was released July 10, 2017. Cucumber Linux
1.1 was released April 4, 2018. Cucumber Linux 2.0 Alpha 1 was released
November 13, 2018.
Devuan GNU+Linux OS https://devuan.org
Devuan is a Debian fork that seeks to eliminate the use of systemd. The
project was started in 2014. The first beta release was dated April 29,
2016. Devuan Jessie 1.0.0 was released May 25, 2017. Devuan 2.1 ASCII
was released November 21, 2019. Devuan 3.0 Beowolf was released June 2,
2020. Devuan 3.1.0 was released February 14, 2021. Devuan 4.0 Chimaera,
based on Debian 11 bullseye, was released October 14, 2021.
EuroLinux https://en.euro-linux.com/eurolinux/
EuroLinux is an RHEL clone from the EuroLinux company, which also supplies
support. EuroLinux 8.3, released June 24, 2021, is available both as a
paid subscription and for free in the Open Core model. EuroLinux 8.5 was
released November 26, 2021.
Funtoo http://www.funtoo.org/
Funtoo Linux was launched in 2009 by Daniel Robbins, who previously
founded the Gentoo project. The Funtoo project aims to create a
supportive environment for people to learn about free software. Like
Gentoo, Funtoo is a meta-distribution that builds packages automatically
from source code. Funtoo 1.3 was released January 7, 2019. Funtoo 1.4 was
released September 11, 2019.
KaOS http://kaosx.us/
The idea behind KaOS is to create a tightly integrated rolling and
transparent distribution for the modern desktop, built from scratch with a
specific focus; one DE (KDE), one toolkit (Qt), one architecture (x86_64),
etc. All work is geared toward packaging, not developing new tools or
applications. The first KaOS release was in April 2013. KaOS 2021.08 was
released August 18, 2021. KaOS 2021.10 was released October 14, 2021.
KISS https://k1ss.org/ https://github.com/kisslinux/
KISS is an independent distribution with a focus on simplicity and the
concept of "less is more". Some prior knowledge of Linux (or other UNIXY
systems) is required for this source based OS. KISS 1.0 was released
September 2, 2019. KISS 2.1.8 was released June 7, 2020.
Kwort Linux http://kwort.org/
Kwort is a modern and fast Linux distribution that combines powerful and
useful applications in order to create a simple system for advanced users
who finds a strong and effective desktop. Kwort is based on CRUX, so it's
robust, clean and easy to extend. Kwort joined the list with the release
of v3.5-rc1, dated November 9, 2012. Kwort 3.5 was released November 19,
2012. Kwort 4.3.4 was released June 16, 2019. Kwort 4.3.5 was released
December 20, 2020.
libreCMC http://librecmc.org/
libreCMC (Concurrent Machine Cluster) is an embedded GNU/Linux-libre
distribution with out non-free software or binary blobs. The project's goal
is to provide an embedded distribution that respects user freedoms and
allows users to control what their hardware does. This entry was added
September 10, 2014, when the FSF added libreCMC to their list of free/libre
distributions. libreCMC 1.5.1 was released April 23, 2020.
Freespire https://www.freespire.net/ Linspire https://www.linspirelinux.com/
Freespire and Linspire are developed by PC/OpenSystems. Freespire is all
free/open source software while Linspire contains proprietary applications
and support options. The company also sells hardware with Linspire
pre-installed. Freespire 3.0 and Linspire 7.0 were released January 1,
2018. Freespire 5.0 was released October 15, 2019. Freespire 7.0 was
released October 30, 2020. Linspire 10 is based on Ubuntu 20.04, public
beta 1 was released December 21, 2020. Freespire 7.7 was released July 30,
2021. Freespire 8.0 was released December 5, 2021.
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