After BackTrack 5 R3, the developers decided to retool and revamp their distribution. The result of their effort was released as Kali Linux. So the gist of this article is this: BackTrack is now known as Kali Linux

With Kali, the distribution’s developers made the switch from an Ubuntu base to a Debian base. So, Kali is a Debian-based distribution for security gurus or those aspiring to be.

Linux Mint 12 'Lisa' will come with its own customized desktop and it will be based on Gnome 3. The core desktop will be based on a series of Gnome Shell extensions called “MGSE” (Mint Gnome Shell Extensions) that will provide a layer on top of Gnome 3. MGSE also includes additional extensions such as a media player indicator, and multiple enhancements to Gnome 3.

Linux Mint 12, code-named Lisa, is the latest release of the popular desktop Linux distribution. This is the version of Linux Mint based on Ubuntu Desktop, not the one based on Debian. That one is called Linux Mint Debian Edition, or LMDE.

Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) is the branch of Linux Mint that is based on Debian, unlike Linux Mint editions which are based on Ubuntu Desktop. LMDE Xfce is the second Debian-based edition to be released. The first, Linux Mint Debian Edition, is powered by the GNOME desktop environment.

Fedora 14, aka Laughlin, is the latest update of Fedora, the Red Hat-sponsored, Linux distribution. Like Ubuntu, it is a GNOME-based distribution. However, there are spins for the K Desktop Environment (KDE), the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment (LXDE), and Xfce. This review is based on the main edition, that is, the GNOME edition, using a DVD installation image.

There’s been some grumbling among the Gnome community about if and when Gnome would have a major overhaul. Well with Gnome 3 we’ll have it in the form of Gnome Shell. It pretty much replaces the panel and window manager in a normal Gnome installation with a fully composited environment with some great new functionality.

GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) is a desktop environment created for the operating system

One of those desktop environments is Cinnamon, a new desktop environment built atop GNOME 3 technologies, so installing it will not take up too much disk space on the system, as most of the required components are already installed on the system.