what is difference between redhat based, Debian, Slackware based linux?

What is actual difference between redhat, Debian, Slackware linux? Especailly from a users point of view. Is there any difference, Will rpm works on all three? Are there any common software packages like rpm for other flavours of Linux?

 

All have different package management systems...

 

Well as the name says.
Red Hat based distros use Red Hat's package Manager i.e. rpm.
Debian based distros use Debain's package Manager i.e. deb.
Slackware based distros use Slackware's package management system i.e. tgz.
Well the end user will be better off using native package for each type of distro. For example it is more recommendable to use deb files than rpm files for Ubuntu, which is based on debian. But, first you should look forward to package specifically compiled for that distro eg. It is favourable to use a deb file compiled for Ubuntu 6.06 then using deb file compiled for Debian 3.1, if you are using Ubuntu 6.06.
Yes rpm will work on all three but you shouldn't use it unless you have no other alternative which is a rare case.

 

Is there any common standard between these distros? Do all the linux have same working principles and implementation inside?

 

YUp... The companies can have some extra commands and scripts created but in general they are all same... Eg redhat-system-config-users in REdhat is

users-admin in Ubuntu ... All linux distros all vary in that.. If you are using GUI.. you won`t notice that....

 

I heard from somewhere that boot process of Debian is different from Redhat. Is it true?

 

Well it is somewhat different but as a end user you won't realise much until you really dig deep into the process and how it goes. So, you need not worry much.
In linux everything can differ cos linux always gives lots of choices for everything.

 

AFAIK,Debian/Ubuntu is superior compared to other distro's due to their use of dpkg/apt package management system.

 

Why everyone says that deb packages are better than rpms? Also can anyone suggest one or websites for rpm and deb downloads. I don't have internet connection in Linux so i have to download from windows and apply in Linux, so automated package installation will not work.

 

manually installing packages is hell... its better to have a net connection and use apt-get or yum to install...

 

Me too facing the same prb!

 

Then you'll will have to find all the dependancies of the software. Then see how many are present on your system. Are their versions proper. There's no conflict of dependancies. Also, all software needs to be from 1 place. Mixing softwares from different sources will totally mess up your system.
So, you will need to follow the above and then you can install the apps manually.

 

IMHO I would classify distro's into two manners
1. Source
2. Binary
I dont think its a matter of debian is better than RH (it is though ) but generally i would prefer and iam using a source based distro. Why would u want to use stuff which someone else has bordered for you??

This is a free world, u want some free software?? download the source and build it for your machine. Make it for your machine. Make it work better. And this is basically the differences between distro's.

 

I too think this is the best way to install software. And as far as my experience goes(I don't have much), installing from source is just a matter of ./configure, make and make install. And at times you would need to make some changes in some configuration files but that too is easy as its all documented. And it really is As Easy As Saying This!

 

Lol BUMP of the year award

 

I dont see the point in bumping such an old thread. Talking about this issue, not everyone has time/patience to compile everything from source. Secondly its not as easy as you make it sound. You need to have all the needed libraries and dependencies installed on your system in order for the app to compile correctly

 

debian .deb
redhat .rpm

We have to install seperate binaries in Ubuntu to install rpm packages.We cannnot install them directly.
Instead we can use targz or tarbz2 source codes which come with all dependencies and also work on almost every linux distribution on earth

 

Whats with the fonts dude ? Anyways, tgz and bz etc. are not packages, they are source-codes that you need to compile in order to be able to use the app. Please refer to my previos post for the problems with compiling from source.

 

As it so happens , tgz is also the same extension used by slackware packages.

Oh n btw , why'd u guys bump a ~2 year old thread again?

 

For Ubuntu u can visit packages.ubuntu.com and get every software available and compiled for ubuntu.But the problem is that u have to find the correct dependencies.There is a trick.When u are downloading for example vlc player deb package other similar packages are also listed.Then u download the others also along with it.Mostly this works but u may get frustrated like me as i used to in my earlier days.So be patient when u dont get a net connection for ubuntu.It is adviceble to get a net connection with ubuntu.
UF you want a complete full linux distro that contain every codecs and every drivers that are not free go for mandriva One or PCLinuxOS 2007.These are very best for beginners.

tarbz2 are source codes.I apolozize,but we can easily compile them on any linux distro.

yeah...........very old thread.Even the owner would have forgotten it