🐧 Linux Archive

🐂 Debian Family

The Debian family is the largest Linux distribution family, founded by Ian Murdock in 1993. Debian's stable base, massive package repository, and commitment to free software have made it the foundation for hundreds of derivatives including Ubuntu, which itself spawned many popular distributions.

Root: Debian Active

Branch: Ubuntu & Derivatives Active

🔴 Red Hat Family

The Red Hat family is one of the most influential in enterprise Linux. Founded by Marc Ewing and Bob Young in 1994, Red Hat pioneered the RPM package format. Fedora serves as the upstream innovation platform, while Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) provides a stable enterprise base that spawned CentOS, AlmaLinux, and Rocky Linux.

⚫ Slackware Family

Slackware is the oldest actively maintained Linux distribution, created by Patrick Volkerding in 1993. Known for its simplicity, stability, and adherence to Unix principles, Slackware pioneered a "keep it simple" approach that influenced many derivatives.

🔷 Arch Family

Arch Linux is a lightweight, rolling-release distribution founded by Judd Vinet in 2002. Following the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle, Arch uses the pacman package manager and provides a minimal base system. Manjaro, EndeavourOS, and many others have made Arch more accessible to new users.

🟣 Gentoo Family

Gentoo is a source-based distribution founded by Daniel Robbins in 2002 (originally Enoch in 1999). Known for its Portage package management system and extreme customizability, Gentoo allows users to compile software optimized for their specific hardware.

🟢 SUSE / openSUSE

SUSE is one of the oldest Linux distributions, founded in Germany in 1994. Originally based on Slackware, then Jurix, SUSE evolved into a major enterprise Linux platform. openSUSE is the community edition, available in two flavors: the rolling Tumbleweed and the stable Leap.

⚪ Independent & Other Notable Distributions

These distributions are built from scratch or have unique lineages that don't fit into the major families. Many are innovative projects that push the boundaries of Linux distribution design.

🇨🇳 Chinese Linux Distributions

China has developed a rich ecosystem of Linux distributions serving government, enterprise, education, and consumer markets. These range from Debian/Ubuntu-derived desktop distributions to independent enterprise server platforms, often driven by national IT autonomy initiatives.

deepin / DDE Ecosystem Active

Deepin (深度) is the most popular community-driven Chinese Linux distribution, known for its Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). Based on Debian, it powers the commercial UnionTech UOS.

openEuler Ecosystem Active

openEuler (欧拉) is a Huawei-led open-source enterprise Linux distribution, designed for cloud, edge, and embedded scenarios. It has become the foundation for numerous Chinese enterprise and government server deployments.

Anolis OS / OpenAnolis Ecosystem Active

Anolis OS (龙蜥) is Alibaba's open-source Linux distribution, RHEL/CentOS-compatible and designed for cloud-native scenarios. It's the foundation for Alibaba Cloud's infrastructure and has broad industry adoption.

openKylin Ecosystem Active

openKylin (开放麒麟) is a community-driven Chinese Linux distribution initiated by China Electronics Corporation and Kylin Software, focusing on desktop experience with the UKUI desktop environment.

Other Notable Chinese Distributions

📱 Android / AOSP Family

While Android uses the Linux kernel, it has its own unique userspace. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) has spawned numerous custom ROMs and specialized distributions for mobile and desktop use.

📜 Pioneer & Historical Distributions

The earliest Linux distributions that laid the foundation. While most are no longer maintained, their influence shaped the Linux ecosystem we know today.