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Linux/GNU
The Linux kernel was created by Linus Torvalds, which was inspired by the MINIX project. On the other hand, GNU had been developed some time before in 1983 by Richard Stallman, whose purpose was to have a completely free operating system, so that all source code could be freely used, modified and redistributed by anyone. -
SLS Linux 1.5
The first linux distribution that was widely distributed was developed by Peter MacDonald. For the first time GNU tools were integrated and using the Linux kernel, it also had a graphical environment that made it attractive to advanced users. -
Slackware 10.2
Developed by Patrick Volkerding, with the purpose of being a better version in comparison with SLS, so, it had a simpler, cleaner and more faithful distribution to the UNIX design. This version was recognized for its focus on stability and total control of the system by the user. -
Debian GNU/Linux
Developed by Ian Murdock, in order to be a community project that could create a high quality and democratically maintained Linux distribution. Mainly an advanced “.deb” package system was introduced, as well as the APT package manager. This version was a fundamental part for the creation of future distributions. -
SUSE Linux
Developed in Germany, it focused on creating a robust distribution for European users. It was one of the first to implement the advanced graphical tool called YaST. In addition, this model also adopted the RPM format. -
Red Hat Commercial Linux
Developed for the purpose of corporate market use. It was also the first distribution to use the RPM (Red Hat Package Manager) package system, which allowed structured software management. However, in 2003, the project was split into two: Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), for the commercial sector, and fedora for community innovation. -
Conectiva Linux
Distribution launched by users who spoke Portuguese and Spanish. It stood out for being one of the first free software initiatives in Latin America. This distribution implemented and adapted the tools of the RPM ecosystem and created APT-RPM. -
Mandriva Linux
A distribution released as a derivative of Red Hat that was intended to facilitate the use of Linux on the desktop. It offered advanced graphical tools, improved hardware support and easy installation. It was mainly used in Latin America and Europe. -
Corel Linux
For the development of this distribution was based on Debian, the person in charge of that was a Canadian company called Corel, which was famous for its graphic software. It implemented KDE as the default desktop environment. The project was discontinued in 2001 due to Corel's financial problems. -
CRUX Linux
Launched by Per Lidén. This distribution is oriented to advanced users who were looking for a total control of the system, its motto was “do it yourself”. It influenced projects like Arch linux -
Gentoo Linux
Released by Daniel Robbins, it is a distribution based on compiling from source code. It uses the Portage package system. It was extremely flexible and highly configurable, making it attractive to more advanced users. -
Puppy Linux
Launched by Barry Kauler, in order to make it fast and light for a laptop. It can run from RAM and is commonly used to revive old computers. It uses its own graphical environment JWM or ROX. Despite its small size it has a browser, word processor and graphic tools. -
Knoppix Linux
Released by Klaus Knopper, it was the first to popularize the Live CD, so it was possible to run Linux directly from a CD without installing it on the hard disk. It was commonly used as an indispensable tool for testing, system rescue and Linux demonstrations. -
VectorLinux
It was based on Slackware, however, graphical installers and additional tools were introduced to make it easier to use for new users without sacrificing performance. -
Fedora
Successor to Red Hat Linux. This project was based on the testing ground for innovative technologies that would later be incorporated into RHEL, such as the systemd boot system, SELinux, DNF. -
CentOS
Developed as an open source rebuild of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Its goal was to offer a free version 100% compatible with RHEL, without the official support but with the same packages and stability. -
Ubuntu
Based on Debian, it was created by Mark Shuttleworth with the aim of making it accessible to all people. It brought key innovations such as regular release cycles, ease of installation, out-of-the-box proprietary drivers and tight integration with the GNOME graphical environment. -
FoX Linux
Developed in Italy. It was focused on the desktop and introduced proprietary tools such as FoX Power Desktop to improve the user experience. -
Linux Mint
Developed by Clement Lefebvre as a variant of Ubuntu that sought to offer an even more user-friendly experience out of the box. It included native support for multimedia codecs, Flash, and proprietary drivers, aspects that Ubuntu did not include by default at the time. It also introduced proprietary tools such as Mint Menu, Update Manager and Software Manager. -
Edubuntu
Official Ubuntu derivative that had an educational focus, came preinstalled as Gcompris, TuxMath and classroom tools, such as LTSP. -
Xubuntu
Official Ubuntu variant that uses the XFCE desktop environment, known for its low resource consumption. This distribution is designed for older or low-resource computers, offering a smooth user experience without sacrificing functionality. -
Elementary OS
Its focus is on simplicity, aesthetics and user-centered design, in order to offer a coherent, elegant and minimalist visual experience, inspired by macOS. It uses the Pantheon desktop environment, developed by its team, along with native applications such as Files, Mail and Epiphany. -
Archbag
Created to provide a faster and easier way to install Arch with a minimal configuration already pre-set. It uses the Openbox window manager, which gives it an agile and minimalist interface, ideal for computers with limited resources. -
Manjaro Linux
Developed in order to offer tools such as a graphical installer, automatic hardware detection, and more controlled updates. It is a rolling release distro, which means that it is always up to date with the latest software releases. Manjaro uses pacman as a package manager and provides access to the huge AUR repository. -
Pop!_OS
Developed by System76, a Linux computer manufacturer, it was based on Ubuntu. It was intended to optimize the system for their own computers and for users who need productivity, especially in areas such as science, engineering, design and development. Pop!_OS includes improvements in window management, keyboard shortcuts, optimized support for NVIDIA GPUs, and a highly customized GNOME interface -
Rocky Linux
Developed by Gregory Kurtzer, original creator of CentOS, as another community alternative compatible with RHEL. It sought to provide a robust, free, community-based enterprise system. It is backed by the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation