Linux Distributions
From Linux Gamer Guide - StrangeGamer.com
Contents |
This site contains a list of common Linux distribution you can use for gaming, with a short description and a link to the development/distributor site or a more comprehensive page dedicated tot he distribution.
| A Linux distribution is a Unix-like operating system comprising the Linux kernel and other assorted free software/open-source software, and possibly proprietary software.
There exists a wide range of (non-provit and commercial alike) organisations and companies that provide Linux-distributions. Note: Linux distributions may also be referred to as GNU/Linux distributions, though the latter may more often refer to the Debian system. The term "distribution" often suffices and is at least sufficient enough to distinguish free operating systems like Linux/BSD from proprietary operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X. The term "distribution" is often informally shortened to "distro."--quoted from the wikipedia entry below. |
The Text above is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Linux distribution".
[edit] Red Hat
Main article: Red Hat
[edit] Fedora
Main article: Fedora
Fedora is a distribution maintained by the Fedora Project and community whilst being overseen by Red Hat. It is largely seen as the successor to Red Hat Linux, although far more dedicated to the cutting edge and free software. The operating system's dedication to free software means that it only ships with the free software drivers for ATI and NVIDA video cards, however it is also one of the best distributions to use for the latest versions of the rapidly developing free software drivers due to its devotion to the leading edge. It is also known for its full software repositories, which makes it a good source for various free software games and some free engines with free installers available which grab proprietary shareware and freeware date files such as those for Doom and Urban Terror. It is a good distribution for one interested in the latest developments in free GNU/Linux gaming. There is also a gaming-oriented "spin" of the distribution packaged by volunteers.
[edit] SuSE
Main article: SUSE Linux
[edit] Mandriva (formerly known as Mandrake)
Main article: Mandriva
[edit] Debian
Main article: Debian
Below you will find a list of Linux distributions that are based on Debian.
[edit] Ubuntu
Main article: Ubuntu
[edit] Knoppix
Main article: Knoppix
[edit] Kanotix
Main article: Kanotix
An added benefit of Kanotix is its' ability to run Nvidia and ATI 3D support "on the fly", that is, right from the live CD.... no installation required. It also provides single click installation of many GAMES and applications from the Klik software warehouse (running either live CD or installed versions).
[edit] Mepis
Main article: Mepis
[edit] Gentoo
Main article: Gentoo
Gentoo is a source code based distribution which can be set up to be a fast lean gaming platform. It is much more geared towards advanced Linux users who already have lots of experience compiling source code, kernels, etc. Features of Gentoo include full Linux kernel 2.6 support, ALSA sound system, and good integration of Nvidia driver packages. Gentoo is a good match for AMD processors since you can build your entire system to take advantage of their capabilities. Gentoo is especially good if you want to download and compile in-development games from CVS and SourceForge since the compiler toolchain is particularly strong and quite good and compiling generic sources.
[edit] Vidalinux
Main article: Vidalinux
[edit] Slackware
Main article: Slackware
Slackware Linux is a complete 32-bit multitasking "Unix-like" system.i It's currently based around the 2.4 Linux kernel series and the GNU C Library version 2.3.4 (libc6). It contains an easy to use installation program, extensive online documentation, and a menu-driven package system. A full installation gives you the X Window System, C/C++ development environments, Perl, networking utilities, a mail server, a news server, a web server, an ftp server, the GNU Image Manipulation Program, Netscape Communicator, plus many more programs. Slackware Linux can run on 486 systems all the way up to the latest x86 machines (but uses -mcpu=i686 optimization for best performance on i686-class machines like the P3, P4, and Duron/Athlon).--quoted from the homepage |
Slackware is not really friendly towards new users, but one of the better choices for advanced users.
[edit] Arch Linux
| [..] Inspired by CRUX, it is intended to be lightweight and simple for advanced users. It uses a BSD-style init framework and is largely based around binary packages. Packages are targeted for i686 and x86-64 microprocessors to assist performance on modern hardware.
[..] -- quoted from Wikipedia |
