When working at home or setting up a VPS, many people choose CentOS as their Linux distribution. However, when they later interact with Ubuntu and Debian, they notice that although these are all Linux distributions, there are significant differences between them. Each system comes in different release versions, and while they all use the Linux kernel, the basic commands are mostly similar.
**Debian**
In a broad sense, Debian refers to a collaborative organization dedicated to creating a free operating system. Most of the kernel branches used by the Debian project are based on the Linux kernel, and the majority of tools in the system come from the GNU project. As a result, it is commonly referred to as Debian GNU/Linux.
There are also unofficial branches, such as Debian GNU/Hurd, which uses the Hurd microkernel and only supports x86 architecture. Another unofficial branch, Debian GNU/Dyson, supports the OpenSolaris mixed kernel on amd64. These unofficial versions have serious technical issues and are not practical for everyday use. For example, the Hurd microkernel is still technically immature, and Dyson lacks essential features.
The official pronunciation of "Debian" is /ˈdɛ.bi.ən/, and it is an international open-source project. The official name does not include any non-English translations.
When using VMPlayer to create a virtual machine, you can set the virtual disk to around 4GB (more if you plan to use swap), and assign the entire space as the root partition. The file system can be Btrfs or ZFS. For Btrfs, you can use the command: `mkfs.btrfs -d single -l 16384 -m single -n 16384 -K -f /dev/sda1`. For ZFS, you would run: `zpool create -f -o ashift=12 -o cachefile= -O utf8only=on -O compression=lz4 -O dedup=off -O xattr=off -O secondarycache=none -O checksum=off -O atime=off -m /mountpoint zroot /dev/sda1`, but note that this requires recompiling the kernel and generating a new initramfs.
To install Debian, you can start with the `debian-7.5.0-amd64-netinst.iso` image (or `debian-7.5.0-amd64-DVD-1.iso` if you don't have a stable network connection) and follow the installation prompts.
**CentOS**
CentOS, short for Community Enterprise Operating System, is a Linux distribution built from the source code of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). It follows open-source specifications and is widely used in environments where stability is crucial. Unlike RHEL, CentOS does not include proprietary software.
Key characteristics of CentOS include:
1. It is essentially a community version of Red Hat AS, with no difference in operation or usage compared to RHEL.
2. It is completely free, without requiring any license keys.
3. It offers online updates via the `yum` command, allowing users to update their systems instantly without needing paid support.
4. It fixes many bugs present in RHEL.
5. Its release notes show that CentOS 3.1 is equivalent to RHEL AS3 Update 1, and CentOS 3.4 is equivalent to RHEL AS3 Update 4.
**Introduction to Linux**
Linux was first created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Before that, Richard Stallman founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and launched the GNU project, aiming to develop a fully free operating system. With contributions from many developers, the GNU and Linux projects combined to form what we now know as GNU/Linux.
**Linux Distributions**
Linux distributions fall into two main categories: those maintained by commercial companies and those developed by communities. Examples of commercial distributions include Red Hat (RHEL), while community-driven ones include Debian.
**Red Hat Series**
The Red Hat series includes RHEL (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), Fedora Core, and CentOS.
- **RHEL**: A stable, enterprise-grade, paid distribution.
- **Fedora**: A desktop-focused version with the latest features, though less stable.
- **CentOS**: A free, community-based version similar to RHEL.
The Red Hat series uses YUM for package management, and packages are distributed as compiled binaries. This series has extensive documentation and many tutorials are based on CentOS.
**Debian Series**
Debian is a model for community-driven Linux development and is one of the most widely used Linux systems. It includes Debian itself and its derivatives like Ubuntu.
Debian has three main branches: Stable, Testing, and Unstable.
- **Unstable** contains the latest packages but may have bugs.
- **Testing** is more stable and supports newer technologies.
- **Stable** is very reliable but may have older packages.
The most notable feature of Debian is its package management system, which uses `apt-get` and `dpkg`. While Red Hat's YUM mimics this approach, Debian’s binary distribution method is considered superior.
Ubuntu is a user-friendly Linux distribution that combines the strengths of Debian with additional enhancements, making it ideal for desktop use.
**Summary**
From my experience, the main difference lies in package management commands—each distribution has its own tools. However, other commands are largely similar since they all run on the Linux kernel. Understanding these differences helps in choosing the right distribution for specific tasks.
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