7 Best Linux Distros For Programmers

Linux distributions allow you to not only browse the web but also to work on any other necessary tasks. The Linux kernel is very flexible and it enables developers to make any modifications and contributions they want. Besides, Linux can run on any hardware and is compatible with all the popular programming languages.

The flexibility of Linux distros is a reason why Linux has always been so popular among programmers. Some distros have quite impressive functionality and many useful tools, offering the best environment for software developers. We prepared this list of the seven best distros so that you can choose the one that fits your objectives.

Increase Your Linux Experience 10 Folds with These Distros Sample

The moment an individual hears the word 'Linux', his mind starts thinking about the codes and complexities. Are you also one of these? If yes, then the time has come to bust the myth. Gone are the days when Linux was traditionally used just by the coders and programmers. With the passage of time, it has transformed immensely. Several distributions (distros) available in the market solve the problem of security issues related to the Windows and Mac OS. Furthermore, the developers have left no stone unturned in making it more interactive and user-friendly.

Undoubtedly, more and more people are shifting their interest in Linux. That isn't a problem as many distros are available in the market. The real problem begins when techno-geek sets on a hunt to find the best distros as per his requirements. And, let us not forget that there are thousands of distros available in the technical market. To ease the problem of the techno-buffs, this article has been drafted. It lists down 2019's best distros as per the different categories of the users. Keep scrolling the page to know more.

Why I will not write a full-feature review of Debian 9

Debian 9 is out. It has been released on the 17th of June 2017.

Its codename is Stretch, which is yet another character from the Toy Story animated film.

It is available for download in both Install and Live versions, and Live version is available in many flavours: GNOME, KDE, Xfce, Cinnamon, LXDE and so on.

I hope you will read the review of Debian 9 somewhere else, but I will not feature it on my blog.

There is a reason. Even more than one...

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4 categories of Linux distributions

There are different Linux distributions. If you just go to Distrowatch site, you will find hundreds of them listed there. Some of them even have my reviews listed. And how many distributions are NOT listed? Some of them either fail to gain registration on Distrowatch, or are in the process of that, like Zorin OS was just few years ago.

However, there are at least four distinctive categories of distributions visible in the Linux world.

Debian 8 KDE: good and evil of FOSS

If you ask old Linux users which system is most trusted, stable, solid and supported, Debian of course will be among the leaders of the list.

Linux notes from DarkDuck reviewed Debian Squeeze back in 2011-2012: Xfce, GNOME, KDE and even LXDE versions. But these were Live versions of Debian 6 Squeeze.

Debian 8 Jessie was released in April 2015, and now Debian 8.6 is the most recent update release of this operating system.

Debian exists in various flavours. Since version 7, the "default" desktop environment for Debian is Xfce, but KDE, Cinnamon, GNOME, LXDE versions are released too. There are Live versions of Debian for each of these desktop environments.

I decided to try the KDE flavour of Debian 8.6 Live 64-bit and downloaded the ISO image from the torrent. It is about 1.3 GB in size. The dd command helped me to "burn" the image onto the USB stick.

USB card is in the port of my Toshiba Satellite L500-19X laptop. Reboot. Choose to boot from USB. Let's go!

Jdrivesync: your Google Drive synchronisation client for Linux

Google Drive is an instrument that is used by many. Of course, there are many alternatives to it like Dropbox or Yandex.Drive, but nevertheless many prefer a Google-backed solution. One of the reasons for me was an ability to have several services under one "roof", one account.

Google released clients for its Drive for many platforms: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS and so on. Unfortunately, an official Linux client is still a missing part of the puzzle. That is why developers worked to create unofficial clients for Google Drive.

Grive was a solution for many. It worked on Ubuntu, Debian and so on... It was distributed in source code only, so you had to compile it for your own OS. Unfortunately, things changed in April 2015. Grive no longer works. The reasons behind this issue are given here.

Is there an alternative to Grive? Yes, there are several options:

1. Insync. This is a paid option. I leave it for those who interested.
2. Ocamlfuse. It is a heavy-weight solution. I tried it in the past, and was not 100% happy about it.
3. Jdrivesync. This is the free option I've never tried before.

Let's explore it!

Debian LXDE with LXLE Added Features

LXDE is a desktop environment, which aims the low-performance hardware and old computers. However, you can use it on with modern computers and accessories too, making them flashing fast.

LXLE is an Ubuntu based distribution using LXDE desktop with the LTS kernel. It has some added features not found in Lubuntu. We will try to mimic them in Debian.

First install Debian. We will use a 32-bit install of Jessie (testing). I have only tried this on Debian Jessie so I can't confirm everything will work on Debian Wheezy. On the boot menu be sure to select the LXDE desktop.

Hopefully you are familiar with installing Debian, as we aren't going to delve into that here, but here are some good instructions.

The features we are going to add from LXLE, are the following:

• Deepin package manager
• Areo.. hot keys for moving windows around the screen
• Fast Forecast... a local forecast retriever
• Fehlstart ...a keyboard application launcher
• Compton...a low resource compositor
• Random wallpaper... for automatically changing wallpaper at login.
• Lxweather which as of this writing is not included in LXLE

My favourite is KDE. Why? I'm not sure

I'm not sure I have a favourite distribution. The first disto I used (1999) was Debian. So I'm used to thinking first in terms of "apt-get/dpkg" rather than "yum/zypper/rpm/...".

My favourite distro tends to change every 9-18 months, butat times  it's been Debian, SuSE, Ubuntu, Mint and Fedora. The longest as my favorite would be openSuSE

Ubuntu, Debian and Mint seem to have the best variety in default software repositories, and I prefer Debian on my 7 rack servers, though  ~half of them (3) are CentOS, because Red Hat coded 'modules/drivers' were better for some prolinear/poweredge servers. I love how Ubuntu/Mint auto-play movies and mp3 music without having to load codecs separately.

What would be my own ideal Linux distribution?

There was a question addressed to me recently, after publishing the "Divergence in the distros" article. The person asked me

You tested many distros so you maybe have some pros/cons seen on distros to share.

That made me think about the most perfect distribution I'd like to get, ever. Let me share these thoughts with you.

Divergence in the distros: how the Linux community is splitting into a two-tier system

Multiple revenue streams aren't a bad thing.

Look at any major service provider: Heroku, Google, Amazon, Apple. All of them offer different levels of access to what they offer, usually at different prices. There's even an established route to enticing customers towards the paid plans, via the well-worn 'freemium' model.

Let's be clear about this: Linux isn't dividing into paid and unpaid. It's not going the freemium route (although the cynical will suggest that Canonical might be thinking about it). What we're seeing, though, is the development of a clear split. A kind of meiosis.

• Debian 7, Fedora, and openSUSE are one head of the hydra;
• Mint, Zorin, and Ubuntu the other.

And, much like the mythical beast itself, these heads enable the Linux beast to tackle both the herculean developer community while snapping up computer-averse consumers at the same time. If Linus Torvalds ran the Linux Foundation for-profit, this would be exactly the kind of business move that'd make sense: a two-tier system of Linux distributions, with one aimed at various levels of consumer and the other squarely aimed at the million unpaid developers who'll push the company forward.

Smart.

Debian Wheezy vs Intel 4965AGN: flop-flop

Installing Debian may be a trivial task for someone.

It has never been so easy for me.

To start with, my first attempt to install it failed epically. Installation of Debian 6.0 Squeeze without a network connection was a serious mistake.

Has installation improved in Debian 7.0? It was my task to study this.

What do I have now on a hardware side? Since my old laptop died and I got a new one, I wrote a new post about "Tux moving house". You can get technical specs of my new laptop Sony Vaio VGN-NR21Z there too.

I downloaded and burnt onto a DVD+RW drive the Live Xfce version of Debian 7.0 Wheezy. So, disk is in the drive. Reboot. Let's go!

Tux moves house... again!

Does Tux really like to move house?

I've written about this already, when I first changed the HDD in my laptop. I moved the same HDD from an HP Compaq C300 to a Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Pi 1505. The HDD had 4 operating systems installed: Windows XP, Mageia 1 KDE, Linux Mint XFCE and Debian Squeeze. I made a conclusion at that time that WinXP survived the move the best.

The list of operating systems installed on that HDD have changed a bit since then. Linux Mint Xfce has gone, and Xubuntu 12.04 arrived in its place. Mageia 1 got upgraded to Mageia 2. Windows XP and Debian only got security updates, but remained at the same version level.

Unfortunately, the Fujitsu-Siemens laptop did not last long. Less than 1.5 years in my hands, and the backlight on the screen went bust. To be honest, the laptop had been used by somebody else before, so the actual lifespan of the device was significantly more than 1.5 years.

What was inside the Fujitsu-Siemens?

• Intel Centrino, dual core 1.73 GHz
• 1GB RAM
• CD/DVD-RW
• Intel video card
• Intel 3945ABG WiFi card

After the backlight failed, I set myself the task of buying a new laptop. My choice was a Sony VAIO VGN-NR21Z. Of course, it had also been used by someone else, but it was described as "in very good condition".

What does this laptop have?

• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.1 GHz
• 3GB RAM
• CD/DVD-RW
• NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GT GPU
• Intel 4965 AGN WiFi card

Just a few words about the design of devices. I mentioned in my previous article that it took me much more time to put the HDD into the Fujitsu-Siemens laptop than to take the same HDD out of HP Compaq. But only now have I realized that the Fujitsu-Siemens was actually well-designed! If you have ever tried to swap the HDD in Sony VAIO VGN-NR21Z, you would know that you need to unscrew literally 2 dozen screws of different sizes just to get the frame with the HDD out. Plus 4 screws more to take the HDD itself out of the frame! Of course, you need to put all these screws back when you are finished! That's real torture!

Anyway, I went through that exercise, and my new Sony laptop is ready for the test. Are the operating systems ready? Let's see!

An Overview of Operating Systems

An operating system, also known simply as OS, comprises of a set of software applications that facilitate computer hardware resources and offers general services for computing applications. An OS plays an important role within the system software in an entire computer setup. Applications mostly need a compatible OS to work properly. We use them all the time, sometimes without realizing it, so lets explore the different types of Operating Systems and some of the most popular ones on the market.

Solus OS: Debian on steroids

Are you tired of all the new interfaces being pushed to you by Unity, GNOME Shell and, soon, Windows Metro? Do you want to stick to "good old" GNOME 2? Do you want to have a rock solid base for your operating system?

If your answers are "Yes", then I have something interesting for you, my readers, today.

Solus OS is a distribution for those who want to stick to the rock-solid stability of Debian and the classical GNOME desktop, without the blurb of Unity and GNOME Shell.

The distribution is relatively new. Their first official release happened on the 9th of May 2012. The latest release has version number 1.2 and codename Eveline. It was published mid-August 2012.

There are several variants of the Solus OS 1.2 distribution: with and without PAE, with legacy support and for 64-bit processors. You can get the ISO files with the distribution from one of several mirrors located in Ireland, Germany and USA, or from torrent. I downloaded the "standard" PAE-enabled version using the torrent link.

The ISO file size is 1 Gb, which means you can't get it onto the usual CD. Instead, you either need a DVD or a USB stick. The latter was my option. Of course, command dd did not work, for the BIOS of my laptop does not work with hybrid ISOs. I used Unetbootin to "burn" the ISO file onto my USB stick.

So, the preparations are finished. The USB stick is plugged into the port of my laptop, a Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pi 1505. Reboot. Choose to boot from USB. Let's go!

Solus Eveline 1.2: good for newbies

I am new to Linux and about 3 months ago tried Zorin 5.2 Core. I was very impressed with a Linux based operating system and decided to make my laptop a dual boot with Win7. I wanted a very stable Debian distro. I found Solus OS which seemed to have what I was looking for in a distro.

Solus comes in 32 bit and 64 bit editions and also in PAE and non-PAE, for those who want to use more memory. There are also Legacy editions.

The chief developer is Ikey Doherty. He was one of the original developers of LMDE.

I first tried the 32 bit install to my HP G60-549DX Notebook with a DVD as it is 1 gig.

5 highly rated Linux OS distributions

First released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, Linux is an open-source operating system derived from the UNIX OS. The philosophy of such open-source operating systems is that they are community-driven; Linux evolves to meet the demands and wishes of its users. There are many great Linux distributions to choose from, each boasting their own advantages and niches. Some designed to be very user-friendly, others intended to give power users greater control over their systems. Here are five of the most highly rated Linux distributions on offer today.

6 Linux Distros Worth Checking Out

One of the best things about Linux is that its distributions come in all shapes and sizes. There’s a distro for every taste and skill level.

Below is a list of some of the most popular Linux distributions. Be sure to check them out and let us know what you think. If you’re familiar with these distros, feel free to tell us about your experiences and share your recommendations.

Weekend Project: Home-baked Hand-made File Server

Before I begin, I should give you a short warning.

This post does not pretend to be a comprehensive guide about file server creation. It is more than likely that I have missed some steps. Some steps are described only on a high level, which sometimes is not enough for proper set up.

This is rather an attempt for myself to systemitize knowledge I obtained during my own project, with a purpose to enhance and probably reuse it later.

This was not a truly one-weekend project for me. It lasted a few weeks, one evening at a time. But I think you can do everything in one weekend, if not in one evening.

Top 5 Linux Platforms In The Market

The Access Company has developed various Linux application platforms in the market to go with its brands. These are generally the operating systems that aid in performing various jobs that suits the user. The following are the top 5 Linux Platforms in the market today.

UBUNTU

Top of the rank in the Linux distribution is the Ubuntu Software. This can be used at home and at work places. It can be applicable to use in the server. It comes in three editions. These are the Ubuntu desktop, server and notebook editions. It has various applications in audio, video and texts. It has also the latest Ubuntu studio applications. Others are applications in mobile technology. When buying, choose the latest version in the market.

DEBIAN

Another top 5 Linux Platforms is the Debian operating systems. It has various applications and is not accessible to ordinary users. It can however be compatible in your desktop machine and in your servers. It has over 29000 packages and can be installed easily. It is free to users and can be used in applications to play games, connect to the internet, various office works and printers. It can also be used in programming purposes. Multimedia applications are also available.

RED HAT

Red hat Linux is among the best software in the market today. It is among the cheapest and will save your company millions when you install in your computers. It is good for those people whose job involves critical work. This operating system has some features that are taken from well tested software called the Fedora. It is an open source program. The software uses an RPM package manager. It can be best suited to home use. For the new users then the software comes with a graphic installer called the Anaconda that helps in aiding the learners.

FEDORA

Fedora is also among the Linux platforms in the market that offers users new platforms to experiment on the latest technologies and packages. It works as the Ubuntu but is mainly applicable to the older personal computers. This is because it has limited requirements to the systems. It is an open free source software program. In addition you can use it with other 08 like the windows. It has good security features in the controls. Easy to download and install. It is one of the Red Hat Linux software.

CENTOS

Centos programmed software is also among the top five Linux platforms in the world. It is owned by the North American Enterprise. It is open source software and easily compatible in many machines. The advantages associated with it are that it has millions of users; it can be rebuilt easily to suit your needs. The main function of the centos software is the applications for the server and boasts of various versions that are currently in the market. It is also based on Red hat Linux technology.

The above are the top 5 Linux platforms that suits diverse needs for the users. Most of the platforms are free and can be downloaded from their websites. Easy installation and features makes them the most preferred in the market today.

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This is a guest post written by Julieth, Chat Site Mezee is a platform to help people find new chat rooms around the world.
Author opinion can differ from the blog owner one.

CrunchBang Linux: a good system for the devoted to Linux

This Linux OS distribution is one of the most famous in the world. There are almost no people who are acquainted with Linux, but never heard of this OS. At this moment of time, it is on the 29th place in the Distrowatch rating, somewhere between Xubuntu and GhostBSD.

Of course, I knew about this operating system for ages. But I have not tried it yet. I was a rather afraid of it.

Anyway, this time had to come sooner or later, and I decided to give CrunchBang a go on my laptop.

CrunchBang is sometimes abbreviated as #!. But I will call it by its full name out of respect, and so it will not confuse people.

CrunchBang Linux is a distribution based on the stable branch of Debian, currently Squeeze, or more precisely – Debian Live. CrunchBang’s distinctive feature is the use of the OpenBox window manager. From the sound of it, this should be an extremely light and quick system. Let's have a look.

There are two versions of CrunchBang available: Stable and BPO. The BPO version includes Debian backports, and is not widely recommended for people looking for stability. My choice was the Stable system.

The version of CrunchBang that I tried (R20120207) came out on the 7th of February 2012, and is called CrunchBang 10 Statler. The 32-bit ISO image size of this version is very modest in size, just 662 Mb. It means you can use a CD on which to burn the image. Or, if you're not sure you can do it properly, you can request a CD to be delivered to you using the Buy Linux CDs site.

The ISO can be downloaded either directly from CrunchBang's site, or from a torrent. I used torrent to get my own image.

The friend of mine advised me that Unetbootin was originally a Windows application. The SquashFS error comes in because Unetbootin, like Windows, uses capital letters interchangeably with lowercase, and it stops the installation cold because Linux knows the difference between them. Although, I’ve never experienced that issue before myself.

I tried to create a Live USB using the CrunchBang’s ISO image. The usual issue with the BIOS of my Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo Pi 1505 laptop did not allow me to create a Live USB with the dd command. Another usual friend Unetbootin was also useless. The Live USB created by this tool gave me an error with mounting the SquashFS file system during the boot. Finally, I burnt the ISO image to DVD-RW disk.

So, the disk is in optical drive. Reboot. Choose to boot from DVD. Let's go!