Glossary (31 flavors of linux)

Difficulty

 * Beginner: when you hear RAM you start running
 * Intermediate: when troubleshooting is no longer trouble
 * Advanced: RMS is on speed dial

Desktops
Desktops create the appearance of the operating system. Different desktops will give different appearances and features.

 Gnome 
 * Description: Gnome is a desktop environment created by the GNU Project. It is made up of entirely free software and looks similar to the classic Mac interface.
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 JWM 
 * Description: JWM is an extremely lightweight desktop environment that resembles Windows 98.
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 KDE 
 * Description: KDE is a desktop environment created the KDE Project. It is resembles the Windows interface and features many eye candy effects.  It uses more computer resources when compared with Gnome.
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 LXDE 
 * Description: LXDE is a lightweight desktop environment that is similar to KDE. It is designed to keep the computer resource usage to a minimum.
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 Openbox 
 * Description: Openbox is a lightweight and fast desktop environment that is designed for more advanced users.
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 Xfce 
 * Description: Xfce is a desktop environment that is fast and lightweight. It resembles Gnome and is suitable for older computers.
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Package Managers
Package managers are pieces of software that make installing and upgrading software easier by automating software dependencies.


 * DEB: was originally developed for Debian. It allows for easy installation of software without adding any software repositories.


 * Entropy: uses the source code from software in the Portage package manager but compiles the software first to make installation easier.


 * Pacman: is designed for advanced users with large deployments. It is controlled through the command line or through a graphical user interface.


 * PET: is a small package manager for Puppy Linux.


 * RPM: was originally developed by Red Hat. It is the file format for LSB.


 * APT: is a front end for DEB and RPM that simplifies software dependency for the user.


 * URPMI: is a tool developed for Mandriva to simplify software installation, removal, updating, and locating.


 * YUM: is a command line tool for updating software.


 * Portage: is a BSD style package manager that offers wide support but the software must be compiled from the source code.


 * TAR: is a type of file format used for Unix, Linux, BSD, and other Unix-like operating systems that often contains the source code for software.


 * TGZ: stands for gzip. It is a type of compression.


 * TLZ: stands for LZMA. It is a type of compression.

Miscellaneous

 * 64-bit: is a processor technology that improves performance. It will only work with 64-bit processors, but is usually backward compatible with 32-bit.


 * BSD: is a Unix based operating system that is similar to Linux. There are three major versions: OpenBSD, NetBSD, and, FreeBSD.


 * FSF: stands for the Free Software Foundation, an organization that advocates the use of free (libre) software.


 * GNU: stands for GNU's Not Unix, is a project that tries to make free (libre) versions of all necessary (and unnecessary) software for computers.


 * Libre: is a more descriptive term for free software. It refers to free as in liberty not price.


 * Live CD: an operating system that is able to boot off the cd-rom drive without installing anything on the hard drive.


 * LSB: is the Linux Standard Base. It is a joint project lead by the Linux Foundation to standardize the software system structure.


 * LTS: stands for Long Term Support. Ubuntu 8.04 LTS will be supported until April 2011.


 * MythTV: is a media center front end for Linux that is similar to Tivo or Windows Media Center.


 * PPC: the PowerPC architecture. Common PPC computers include the Apple G3, G4, and G5 Macintoshs.


 * Unix: an operating system that was developed in 1969 that still exists in variations (Linux, BSD, etc.) today

31 Flavors of Linux (Plus 4)