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What are Distributions? - Japanese Only
Hey there, everyone!
In the previous article, we covered the basics of UNIX and Linux. This time, we're going to talk about 'distributions'.
A 'distribution' refers to a packaged version of Linux. In simple terms, it's a word that describes the different varieties of Linux that are out there.
Here's the thing — 'Linux' in its original sense actually refers only to the 'kernel', which is the core part of the OS. The kernel handles fundamental stuff like managing the CPU, memory, and acting as a bridge between all the connected hardware components.
And since Linux is basically "free to use however you want," tons of different organizations have built their own distributions on top of it. So let's run through some of the big names!
First up is 'Ubuntu' (oo-BOON-too). The name might look a bit tricky to pronounce at first, but you'll get the hang of it.
Ubuntu was built with the philosophy of being "easy and stable for everyone." As a desktop Linux, it's hard to beat. It's probably the most popular Linux distribution among non-programmer users. It's designed for GUI-based operation and has a great selection of entertainment software — if you're comfortable with Windows or macOS, you'll likely feel right at home.
Next is 'FreeBSD' (Free-B-S-D). This one is a stability-focused, server-oriented system. These days, rather than deploying FreeBSD directly, it's more common to see Linux-based systems that were built on FreeBSD running on rental servers. That's just the author's impression though, so take it with a grain of salt.
Moving on — there's 'Red Hat Linux', developed and maintained by Red Hat, Inc. This is a commercially-oriented Linux that operates on a "we'll support you, but you pay for it" model. In the industry, you'll often hear people refer to things as "Red Hat-based."
Several notable distributions were built with Red Hat Linux as a reference, and two of the most well-known are 'Vine Linux' and 'CentOS'.
Vine Linux was developed by a Japanese organization, so its documentation and help screens were written in Japanese — making it super accessible for Japanese users. It was wildly popular in Japan for a while, so if you ask Japanese developers, quite a few will tell you "Vine Linux was my first Linux."
Then there's CentOS — this one aimed for "complete compatibility with Red Hat Linux." It's essentially a collection of all the open-source components from Red Hat, assembled to be as close to the original as possible.
That makes CentOS the closest free alternative to Red Hat Linux. It was maintained by a dedicated community of volunteers.
And for this tutorial series, we'll be using CentOS as our base environment. Why CentOS? Because Red Hat Linux is heavily used in enterprise environments, and CentOS is the closest free equivalent. Learning CentOS effectively means learning skills that translate directly to the professional world.
Plus, CentOS has a massive user base, which means there's a ton of documentation and community resources out there. That's a big win for beginners. It was consistently ranked around 3rd in terms of market share when this article was written in 2018 — and honestly, it's one of the author's personal favorites too.
So in the next article, we'll take a closer look at CentOS and set up the environment we'll be using throughout this series.
See you there!
This article was written by Sakurama.
Author's beloved small mammal |
桜舞 春人 Sakurama HarutoA Tokyo-based programmer who has been creating various content since the ISDN era, with a bit of concern about his hair. A true long sleeper who generally feels unwell without at least 10 hours of sleep. His dream is to live a life where he can sleep as much as he wants. Loves games, sports, and music. Please share some hair with him. |
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