Distribution over time of Linux distros

Dear readers!

The main objective of this short article is to make known to those who do not know it or have seen it only in passing and perhaps as a curiosity, an image that shows us the Distribution over time of Linux distros. It will be like an enjoyable tour - why not? - on a map that I consider very informative and interesting.

Without further introduction let's get into the matter.

The First Three Distros according to the GNU / Linux Distribution Timeline

So that they can accompany me properly through this tour, the first thing they should do is download from the site «GNU / Linux Distribution Timeline»The image representing the Distribution over time of Linux distros. In this way we will communicate through a GUI and not one consul,



On that website they offer version 12.10 dated 2012-10-29, which can be downloaded in different formats. Let's thank the site managers who present themselves as A.Lundqvist y Mr Rodic. Similarly Fabio loli gives us an updated image to date that we can view from Wikipedia.

We open the image, which is really tall and narrow, and we select the zoom to 100% to read the names with some clarity. By the way we see a part of the - excessively large - tree of Linux distributions.

Navigating the very instructive image and without entering into a fussy philosophical-historical discussion about who came first, if the chicken or the egg, we inform ourselves that the older projects or First Distros were Debian, Slackware y Red Hat, in the order from top to bottom, or from left to right if we rotate the image 90 degrees to the left.

Of course we will meet distros which They are NOT descended from any of the First Three and that they were alive at least until the end of 2012, the date the image was published. Among them we will mention webOS, Openwall, OpenWRT, Devil, SmothWall GPL, Puppy, Black Jug, Linux Console,  Sorcerer, GoboLinnux, RIP, NixOS, SliTaz, Enoch (Gentoo is a derivative of it), Alpine, Rock, Linux From Scratch, 0 (yes, exists or existed a distro with that name), Ark, uClinux, Coyote, BrazilFW, Zeroshell, ELinOS, KaelOS, Penaut, CRUX, Arch, Specifix, Openfiler, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera for which I omitted or disappeared between 2012 and 2016, for the new ones that were born in the same period, or for those that will come.

We want to point out that the firstborn of Slackware was SuSE, who brought him to life being extremely young. Red Hat also had early offspring in WGS Linux Pro, but the life of that son was very short.

• It is clear that the oldest Distributions in the Linux universe and that also remain alive today are, Debian, Slackware y Red Hat.
• LThe previous statement does not mean that they are the most comfortable distributions for, or preferred by, the end user or by you.

Size of each family of the First Three Distros

This image is good to rotate to appreciate it from different positions. If we rotate it 90 degrees or even place it upside down, it is still evident that the More numerous offspring is Debian. Why is it, one wonders? I don't think it's because it's the most sexy y hot of the First Three. 😉

The sizes of the families of two Debian children are also significant: Knoppix y Ubuntu.

Then the family follows Red Hat, and finally the Slackware.

• From a comparative point of view we can affirm that the order in terms of Family size of each of the First Three Distros is: Debian -> Red Hat -> Slackware.

Linux is very fragmented. Which distro do I select?

In an article I published titled «Freedom of choice«On June 24, 2013, I presented my ideas on how to choose a distribution given the real existence of too many distros, and I referred to the Trunk Distros or First Distros as a good starting point. Both there and here I maintain that Each one chooses according to his or her opinion, understand or reason. We cannot give an Infallible Guide in this regard.

In another article titled «Why am I using Debian on my desktop?«, Published on March 27, 2013, I explained my reasons on that subject and it is not very difficult to infer that I still maintain them. 😉

• Can you deny that Linux is fragmented?. What went from being a Solar System with its Sun Linux and its three planets Debian, Slackware, Red Hat, to being a whole Universe with Galaxies, Suns and other Astros?.
• You dear reader or the end user, you must choose wisely which distribution will be your preferred among the vast ocean of existing distros. The Ranking of the most popular can be a good starting point.
• We also invite you to follow the articles published or to be published in DesdeLinux, which will surely help you get a decent desktop or server from two distributions strongly oriented to the business environment OpenSuSE (SuSE-Slackware) and CentOS (Red Hat), or from Debian.

Conclusions

• After the tour, have each reader draw their own conclusions and comment on them

Until the next installment!