Linux distros (also called GNU / Linux distributions) are member of the family of Unix-like software distributions built on top of the Linux kernel.
Linux distros consist of a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players and database applications. The operating system will consist of the Linux kernel and, usually, a set of libraries and utilities from the GNU project, with graphics support from the X Window System. Linux distros optimized for size may not contain X, and tend to use more compact alternatives to the GNU utilities such as Busybox, uClibc or dietlibc. There are currently over six hundred Linux distros. Over three hundred of linux distros are in active development, constantly being revised and improved.
Linux distros have taken a wide variety of forms — from fully featured desktop and server operating systems to minimal environments (typically for use in embedded systems, or for booting from a floppy disk). Aside from certain custom software (such as installers and configuration tools), linux distros are most simply described as a particular assortment of applications installed on top of a set of libraries married with a version of the kernel, such that its "out-of-the-box" capabilities meet most of the needs of its particular end-user base.
One can distinguish between commercially backed linux distros, such as Fedora (Red Hat), openSUSE (Novell), Ubuntu (Canonical Ltd.), and Mandriva Linux (Mandriva) and entirely community-driven linux distros such as Debian and Gentoo, though there are other linux distros that are driven neither by a corporation nor a community, perhaps most famously Slackware.
Linux distros consist of a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players and database applications. The operating system will consist of the Linux kernel and, usually, a set of libraries and utilities from the GNU project, with graphics support from the X Window System. Linux distros optimized for size may not contain X, and tend to use more compact alternatives to the GNU utilities such as Busybox, uClibc or dietlibc. There are currently over six hundred Linux distros. Over three hundred of linux distros are in active development, constantly being revised and improved.Linux distros have taken a wide variety of forms — from fully featured desktop and server operating systems to minimal environments (typically for use in embedded systems, or for booting from a floppy disk). Aside from certain custom software (such as installers and configuration tools), linux distros are most simply described as a particular assortment of applications installed on top of a set of libraries married with a version of the kernel, such that its "out-of-the-box" capabilities meet most of the needs of its particular end-user base.
One can distinguish between commercially backed linux distros, such as Fedora (Red Hat), openSUSE (Novell), Ubuntu (Canonical Ltd.), and Mandriva Linux (Mandriva) and entirely community-driven linux distros such as Debian and Gentoo, though there are other linux distros that are driven neither by a corporation nor a community, perhaps most famously Slackware.
Well-known Linux distros include:
 Arch Linux, based on the KISS principle with a rolling release system. |  CentOS, derived from the same sources used by Red Hat. |
 Debian, a non-commercial distribution maintained by a volunteer developer community with a strong commitment to free software principles. |  Fedora, a community distribution sponsored by Red Hat. |
 Gentoo, targeted at power users, known for its FreeBSD Ports-like automated system for compiling applications from source code. |  Knoppix, the first Live CD distribution to run completely from removable media without installation to a hard disk, derived from Debian. |
 Kubuntu, the KDE version of Ubuntu. |  Linux Mint, based on and compatible with Ubuntu. |
 Mandriva, a Red Hat derivative popular in France and Brazil, today maintained by the French company of the same name. |  openSUSE, a community distribution mainly sponsored by Novell. |
 Oracle Enterprise Linux, a derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, maintained and commercially supported by Oracle. |  PCLinuxOS, a derivative of Mandriva, grew from a group of packages into a community-spawned desktop linux distros. |
 Red Hat Enterprise Linux, a derivative of Fedora, maintained and commercially supported by Red Hat. |  SimplyMEPIS, a Debian-based distribution intended for easy desktop use and strong support. |
 Slackware, one of the first Linux distros, founded in 1993, and since then actively maintained by Patrick J. Volkerding. |  SUSE Linux Enterprise, derived from openSUSE, maintained and commercially supported by Novell. |
 Ubuntu, a popular desktop and server distribution derived from Debian, maintained by Canonical Ltd. |  Xubuntu, is the Xfce version of the popular desktop distro Ubuntu. Commonly used by Linux distros users that wish to have the function of a bigger linux distros such as Ubuntu or openSuse with the speed of a smaller linux distros. |
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