![[LWN Logo]](http://old.lwn.net/images/lcorner.png)
![[LWN.net]](http://old.lwn.net/images/dist.png)
|
|
|
 Sections: Main page Security Kernel Distributions Development Commerce Linux in the news Announcements Back page All in one big page See also: last week's Distributions page. |
DistributionsPlease note that security updates from the various distributions are covered in the security section.
News and EditorialsW. R. Hambrecht predicts the future of Linux distributions. The Red Herring has run a position paper by a W. R. Hambrecht analyst on open source companies. In it, they make a firm prediction for what they see as the future of Linux distributions. "Approximately 140 distribution companies exist across the globe. We believe all but the top five will be bought, will go out of business, or will be relegated to insignificance. Market-share leaders are currently defined around geographic boundaries. Red Hat has the largest global brand recognition and leading North American market share, SuSE leads in Europe, TurboLinux leads in Asia, and Conectiva leads in South America." "Relegated to insignificance" is an interesting turn of phrase. It is a fluffy term, one easily redefined in order to prove that you are correct. If the question is, will there be around five Linux distributions that, each of them, hold a market share that is multiple times the size of other distributions, then the accuracy of their prediction can be gauged. Given the size of the world, though, that could still leave many distributions, each individually with millions of users. Particularly within individual countries, new Linux companies are just starting to develop and may become local favorites. Within those countries, those local distributions won't be seen as "insignificant". Within a specialized niche, say medicine or education, an "insignificant" distribution may still be the best and most popular choice ... Red Escolar Linux 1.0-10. The initial release of Red Escolar Linux has been announced. Red Escolar Linux is the Linux distribution being developed and supported by the Red Escolar Project, which will be deploying the distribution throughout schools in Mexico. TimeSys Linux/RT 1.0 released. TimeSys Corporation has announced the release of TimeSys Linux/RT 1.0, its real-time Linux distribution. VectorLinux. VectorLinux is a small Linux distribution (150MB) intended to be a good base for creating your own home-brewed distribution. Version 0.5 has just been announced. The most unique feature of VectorLinux is that it uses midnight commander to allow the installation of packages from any other distribution, including Red Hat, Debian, Slackware, Stampede, et al. PKlinux(mini). PKlinux(mini) is a just-announced new Linux distribution based on the Linux 2.3.99 kernel. It loads Linux into RAM, so it can be used to try Linux for the first time without requiring disk repartitioning or space. It is distributed as a ZIP file and is derived from Red Hat 6.1. (From Freshmeat). Bastille LinuxBastille Linux 1.1.0.pre1. Bastille Linux 1.1.0.pre1 has been released. Bastille is a security-hardening script for Red Hat-based systems. "Version 1.1.0 runs on non-virgin systems, can run multiple times, is undoable, and includes a log-only mode. " Best LinuxBest Linux 2000 R2. Best Linux 2000 R2 has been released. It includes XFree86 4.0 and a number of other goodies, including Russian language support. Debian GNU/LinuxArchive and Incoming have moved. Debian developers should note that Archive and Incoming have moved to their new home on ftp-master.debian.org and your uploads should be redirected appropriately. Program now available for the first Debian Conference. The program for the first Debian Conference is now available. The conference will be held in Bordeaux, France, from the 5th to the 9th of July 2000, in conjunction with the Libre Software Meeting. Review: Learning DEBIAN GNU/LINUX. AboutLinux has published a review of O'Reilly's Learning DEBIAN GNU/LINUX. "I really liked this book. Even though the book is supposed to be for Debian Linux, users of other distributions might want to pick up a copy as well. I wish I could be as positive about Debian 2.1. I am afraid that Debian 2.1 is now quite obsolete; and in my opinion it would be a poor starting point for someone new to Linux." Interview: Martin 'Joey' Schulze (LinuxTag). Here is an interview (in German) with Debian developer Martin Schulze which appears on the LinuxTag site. English text is available via Babelfish. DragonLinuxDragonLinux v0.8. A new version of DragonLinux, version 0.8, is now available for download. DragonLinux is a UMSDOS based installation of Linux with roots in the Slackware distribution. Its target audience is brand-new Linux users. HURDKernel Cousin Debian Hurd. This week's Kernel Cousin Debian Hurd gives the latest on the HURD development. KRUDThe May release of KRUD, the value-added version of Red Hat by Tummy.com, has been announced. This release is based on Red Hat 6.2, and includes a number of updates and additional goodies, crypto utilities, and more.Linux-MandrakeReview: Mandrake 7.1 beta 2 (GNULinux.com). GNULinux.com has issued a review of Mandrake 7.1 beta 2. Along with reporting the usual set of glitches that might be expected with a beta, they mentioned the part that they liked the best. "Since we are so fond of the product, we wanted to conclude on a positive note: In their descriptions, Mandrake refer to GNU/Linux instead of just Linux ..." LuteLinuxLuteLinux 'Lite' released. LuteLinux has announced the release of its "LuteLinux Lite" distribution. The full version will be released "later this year," and will include an (unspecified) office suite. Red Hat LinuxAlpha Release of Red Hat for the IA-64. Red Hat announced today the release of a developer's version of Red Hat for the Intel Itanium Processor, targeting high-end workstations and servers. It is available for download at ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/ia64. The full release of this distribution will be made at the same time the Itanium Processor finally ships. Slackware LinuxNetscape Communicator 4.73 is now available in slackware-current. There are also indications in the Changelog that a beta release for 7.1.0 will be coming up soon.SuSE LinuxSuSE announces SuSE Linux for the S/390. SuSE has announced support for the IBM S/390, with a beta version of their distribution for that platform due in late June. For more on Linux support for the S/390, check this week's Commerce Page. FTP version of SuSE 6.4 available. SuSE made available the FTP version of SuSE 6.4 at 12:00 GMT on Tuesday, May 16th. A number of mirror sites (listed in the announcement) apparently had 6.4 up even sooner. Maclinux (MacDiscussion). MacDiscussion has an interview with Lenz Grimmer and Olaf Hering at SuSE about the new PPC version of SuSE Linux. "What is compatibility like for the vast catalog of applications? will things run 'out of the box' on SuSE PPC, or will PPC users be plagued with the same problems as most of the Red Hat derivatives, with much x86 specific code causing compatibility problems? Lenz: Well, we try hard to work around these problems. Ideally, you won't notice any difference in ease of use and functionality." TurboLinuxTurboLinux for the S/390. Joining SuSE, TurboLinux also announced support for the IBM S/390 platform this week. This is currently just an agreement; the release of TurboLinux for the S/390 is scheduled for "later this year". For more on Linux support for the S/390, check this week's Commerce Page. Section Editor: Liz Coolbaugh |
May 18, 2000
| |
Copyright © 2000
Eklektix, Inc., all rights reserved
Next: Development