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distributions
2.5. Which to choose ?
Below are some very personal opinions on some of the most popular Linux Distributions.
Keep in mind that any of the below Linux distributions can be a stable server and a nice
graphical desktop client.
Table 2.1. choosing a Linux distro
distribution name
reason(s) for using
Red Hat Enterprise (RHEL) You are a manager and you want a good support contract.
CentOS
You want Red Hat without the support contract from Red Hat.
Fedora
You want Red Hat on your laptop/desktop.
Linux Mint
You want a personal graphical desktop to play movies, music and games.
Debian
My personal favorite for servers, laptops, and any other device.
Ubuntu
Very popular, based on Debian, not my favorite.
Kali
others
You want a pointy-clicky hacking interface.
Advanced users may prefer Arch, Gentoo, OpenSUSE, Scientific, ...
When you are new to Linux in 2015, go for the latest Mint or Fedora. If you only want to
practice the Linux command line then install one Debian server and/or one CentOS server
(without graphical interface).
Here are some links to help you choose:
distrowatch.com
redhat.com
centos.org
debian.org
www.linuxmint.com
ubuntu.com
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