One of the first things that confounds new users is that GNU/Linux is not a single operating system. Instead, it's the general name for hundreds of closely related operating systems -- distributions or distros, as they are usually called. All the distros share the Linux kernel and include many of the same utilities and programs, but differ in purposes and the resulting customizations.

In the last few months, numerous Linux distros (Ubuntu NBR, EEEbuntu 3.0) have been released for the netbooks. Here is another one, but unlike the two distros mentioned above, it is based on highly sophisticated Arch Linux.

Linux comes in all shapes and sizes...from the full-blown app-heavy distros like Fedora and Ubuntu, to the lean and mean distros such as Puppy and Damn Small Linux. Whatever the size of the distribution, there are always going to be applications that you will want.

This is not a rant about Debian vs. Ubuntu. I used both, loved both, and I'm currently using Debian Lenny. It's not about Debian versus any other distribution either: in fact, I only tried a few other distros, and most of them were Debian-based. Here are the top 10 reasons for which I enjoy using Debian:

A Linux distro is essentially a collection of software applications built into a complete operating system on top of the Linux kernel. Some distros, like Ubuntu, openSUSE, Fedora, and Mandriva have companies that back them, while others, like Debian, do not.

The open source survives and thrives by the sheer number of distros available. Proprietary software is just a small pond compared to the enormous number of distros available for open source. Again, distros are qualitatively superior and robust give developers the powerful tools that inspire their creativity, which they crave. One of the most popular distros ever is the Debian distro.

Linux has always been the operating system of the geeks and nerds. For some reason Linux has never been able to capture the market like Windows and OS X have managed to do. The main reason for this has been the so called unfriendliness of the Linux OS. But things are changing now with distros like Ubuntu etc...

This is the fifth in an eight-part series on distros I use. These observations are based on distros running on one or more of the following hardware: Dell Inspiron 5000 laptop, an brandless Pentium III-based desktop, an IBM PL 300 Pentium II, an iMac G3 (Indigo) and an iBook G3. As the auto commercials say, your mileage may vary.

This is the fourth in an eight-part series on distros I use. These observations are based on distros running on one or more of the following hardware: Dell Inspiron 5000 laptop, an brandless Pentium III-based desktop, an IBM PL 300 Pentium II, an iMac G3 (Indigo) and an iBook G3. As the auto commercials say, your mileage may vary.