Program distribution. Linux distributions
Beginner users are just learning all the intricacies of a computer. And for many, the slang used by advanced users, various “gurus”, developers, programmers and hackers is simply literal. Some words can confuse even very educated person. For example, "distribution". What kind of animal is this anyway? Many people have no idea, although they use this thing quite often. What is it? Let's try to understand this issue.
The concept of "distribution"
In a professional environment, a distribution is a set of files prepared for installation. This set includes everything necessary components, the installer itself and additional content. These can be both program installers and operating system installers. In modern realities, the concept of a distribution kit is most often used to refer to an image of an operating system prepared for installation. It all started with the light hand of the authors of numerous OS builds.
So, there are Linux and Windows distributions. Distributions are often used to refer to special OS builds in which something has been changed to ensure better performance or in the name of privacy. However, the application of this term exclusively to installation images operating systems is not correct. However, everyone is already accustomed to this interpretation of the concept. We will also not go into the subtleties of interpretation of this term and will consider it in the context of the OS.
Program distributions
In the software segment, a distribution kit is a set of files and a program for installing some complex packaged software. Products like Photoshop, Pinnacle, and AutoCAD have their own distribution kits. They differ in version, feature set, edition ("Pro", "Elementary" and so on) and much more. However, if you look deeper, the installation file of any program (even the smallest one) can be called a distribution kit. After all, any installer has all the features of the complex we are considering: the necessary set of files and a script for installing the application. However, the best distributions are those that install without errors and have no problems in further operation. Now let's move on to operating systems.
OS from Microsoft
Windows distributions on this moment are the most popular. They are breaking all download records. The official MSDN images located on the servers of the company from Redmond are also distribution kits. But no changes were made to them. They are a pure operating system. The main difference between these versions and those distributed on disks is that the latter are not distribution kits in any way, since this is a form of software distribution in electronic (digital) form. At the moment there are a bunch of Windows distributions on torrent trackers. But assemblies are often posted there, in which crooked enthusiasts have rummaged. Therefore, the performance of such images is a big question.
Current Windows distributions
The most interesting thing is that there is no longer a full-fledged distribution of Window 7 on official Microsoft servers. The company considers this OS obsolete. And therefore does not allow users to download and install it, promoting the notorious “top ten”. Poor users can only download "seven" from torrent trackers. The same fate befell Windows 8. And here Windows distribution 10 can still be downloaded officially. This will probably be the case, since Ten is the final OS from Microsoft. Nevertheless, many users still use the “Seven” and actively download images of this operating system from dubious sites. In general, "ten" is a pretty good Windows distribution. The video driver is often present in it. But it is good only from the point of view of structure.
Free OS
These include Linux distributions, of which there are countless numbers. They are divided into “ubuntu-like” and “arche-like”. The first are based on the package base of the Ubuntu OS and support exclusively DEB packages. The second ones originate from Arch Linux and are used as package manager RPM and Yahourt. As for ease of use, Ubuntu-like operating systems are more user-friendly. Their interface is more suitable to the common man. So is the installation process. As for systems based on Archa, here you need to have remarkable knowledge even during the installation process. Not to mention setting up the operating system and installing drivers.
The difference between Windows and Linux
The main difference between these images and the Window 7 distribution is that GNU Linux is distributed under a free license. This means that the user will not be asked for a penny for using this operating system. Linux is also more secure than Windows. This has been proven by all kinds of tests. Don't forget about privacy. Windows 10 distributions have built-in spy modules, which transmit all information to Microsoft. According to company representatives, this is necessary to improve Windows. But in Linux this is not even close. That's why best distribution- this is "Lin". Earlier regular users could not use “Linux-like” operating systems, since their installation and configuration required specific skills. But that's a thing of the past now. All more people are thinking about switching to Linux. Its popularity is growing steadily. This means that there is less and less trust in Bill Gates’ company.
"Distribution" in a general sense
The most interesting thing is that nowadays even mobile OS may be called distributions. For example, versions of the Android OS are called that way. But this system is based on Linux. So there's nothing unusual about this. But calling iOS that way is already wrong. However, such cases are not uncommon. However, this is done by people who are unfamiliar with the definition this concept. Call it that mobile systems is not supported, since they do not have an installer and are installed on the gadget exclusively using the firmware method. This is the difference between firmware and distribution. And these concepts need to be separated. This is the only way to become a competent user. After all, anyone who confuses concepts will sooner or later make a mistake that will leave the user without a computer at all. And all because he will simply confuse the terms and, say, instead of thermal paste, smear some other substance on the processor. But this is just an example. Now let's look at another type of distribution.
Apple product distributions
It's no secret that Apple laptops and all-in-one PCs have their own ecosystem. These products use operating MacOS system. It is classified as “Unix-like” and is exceptionally closed. However, this OS has its own software. By the way, quite adequate. It is worth considering that software products for designers (Photoshop, Sketch and others) are initially released for Macs. And only then do they migrate to Windows. This means that specialized products for Macs have their own distribution kits. They are distributed in DMG format images. The peculiarity of this format is that you can see its contents only under MacOS. Such images will not open in Windows or Linux. Although specialized applications are capable of this. But this will not be of much use, since it will still not be possible to run programs packaged in these distributions.
Conclusion
So, a distribution kit is a set of files and an installation script, packaged in an image of a certain format for subsequent installation on a computer. This installer form is typical for products distributed in in electronic format. The most common distributions are images of operating systems prepared for installation. These include images of both Windows and Linux. MacOS programs have their own distributions. This is especially true for serious products. However, mobile operating systems cannot be called this term. Now you know everything about this concept and will not make annoying mistakes when defining this or that installer. And the word "distribution" will no longer confuse you.
In any operating system, there are 4 main parts: the kernel, the file structure, the user command interpreter and utilities. The kernel is the core, defining part of the OS that controls the hardware and execution of programs. A file structure is a system for storing files on storage devices. A command interpreter or shell is a program that organizes user interaction with a computer. And finally, utilities are easy individual programs, which, generally speaking, are no fundamentally different from other programs launched by the user, except for their main purpose - they perform service functions.
As mentioned above, to be precise, the word "Linux" refers only to the kernel. That's why when we're talking about about an operating system, it would be more correct to say “an operating system based on the Linux kernel.” The Linux OS kernel is developed under general management Linus Torvalds and is distributed freely (based on the GPL license), like great amount other software, utilities and application programs. One of the consequences of the free distribution of Linux software is that big number different companies and companies, as well as simply independent development groups, began to produce so-called Linux distributions.
A distribution is a set of software that includes all 4 main components of the OS, i.e. the kernel, the file system, the shell and a set of utilities, as well as a certain set of application programs. Typically, all programs included in a Linux distribution are distributed under the terms of the GPL, so it may seem that the distribution can be released by anyone, or rather by anyone who is not too lazy to assemble a collection of free software. And there is some degree of plausibility in such a statement. However, the distribution developer must at least, create an installation program that will install the OS on a computer that does not yet have any OS. In addition, it is necessary to resolve interdependencies and inconsistencies between different packages (and package versions), which, as we will see later, is also a non-trivial task. However, there are already more than a hundred different Linux distributions in the world, and new ones are appearing all the time.
History of distributions
Linux - kernel
In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, became extremely interested in the idea of writing a UNIX-compatible operating system kernel (see Figure 1) for his personal computer with a processor that had become very widespread. Intel architecture 80386. The prototype for the future kernel was the MINIX operating system: a UNIX-compatible operating system for personal computers that booted from floppy disks and fit into the very limited memory of a personal computer at that time. MINIX was created by Andrew Tanenbaum as an educational operating system that demonstrated the architecture and capabilities of UNIX, but was not suitable for full-fledged use from a programmer's point of view. It was Linus Torvalds who wanted to make a full-fledged kernel for his PC. He gave the name to his core freax, but later it was changed by the owner ftp server on Linux - a hybrid of the name of the creator and the word UNIX.
UNIX compatibility at this point meant that the operating system had to support POSIX standard. POSIX is a functional model of a UNIX-compatible operating system that describes how the system should behave in a given situation, but does not provide any guidance on how it should be implemented software. POSIX described those features of UNIX-compatible systems that were common to different implementations of UNIX at the time the standard was created. In particular, POSIX describes system calls, which must be processed by an operating system compatible with this standard.
The most important role in the development of Linux was played by global computer networks Usenet and Internet. In the very early stages, Linus Torvalds discussed his work and difficulties with other developers in the comp.os.minix Usenet newsgroup about the MINIX operating system. Linus's key decision was to publish the source code of the still ineffective first version of the kernel under free software. GNU license GPL. Thanks to this and the increasingly widespread Internet networks many people got the opportunity to independently compile and test this kernel, participate in the discussion and correction of errors, and also send corrections and additions to the source code of Linus. Now more than one person was working on the kernel, development went faster and more efficiently.
In 1992, the Linux kernel reached version 0.95, and in 1994 version 1.0 was released, indicating that the developers finally felt that the kernel as a whole was complete and all the bugs had (theoretically) been fixed. Nowadays, Linux kernel development is a much larger community effort than in the pre-1.0 days. The role of Linus Torvalds himself has also changed: now he is not the main developer, but the most authoritative member of the community, traditionally assessing the quality of the source code that should be included in the kernel and giving his approval for their inclusion. Nevertheless, general model free development by the community remains.
However, just as you cannot make an operating system without a kernel, the kernel will be useless without utilities that use its capabilities. Thanks to the GNU project, Linus Torvalds immediately had the opportunity to use free utilities with Linux: bash, gcc compiler, tar, gzip and many other already known and widely used applications that could work with its UNIX-compatible kernel. So Linux immediately found itself in a good environment and, in combination with GNU utilities, represented a very interesting environment for software developers even at a very early stage of its development. The fundamental step forward was precisely that from the Linux kernel and GNU utilities and applications it became possible for the first time to make a completely free operating system, that is, to work with a computer and, moreover, to develop new software using only free software. Stallman's ideal of completely non-commercial development could now be realized. Soon theoretical possibilities for realizing the ideal appeared, but this did not mean its immediate practical implementation. The compatibility of Linux and GNU utilities was due to the fact that both were written with a focus on the same standards and practices. However, this practice (that is, having many different UNIX systems) left a lot of room for incompatibility and various solutions. Therefore, at the initial stage of kernel development, every GNU application that ran on Linux was another achievement for Linus. Bash and gcc were the first. Thus, the combination of GNU and Linux made it possible to create a free operating system, but did not itself constitute such a system, because Linux and the various GNU utilities remained disparate software products written by different people who did not always take into account what others were doing . The main property of any system is the consistency of its components.
The emergence of distributions
After certain period development on Linux, a number of the most important GNU utilities already worked stably. Compiled Linux kernel with a small set of already compiled Linux utilities GNU was a set of tools for software developers who wanted to use a free operating system on their personal computer. In such form of Linux it was no longer only suitable for developing Linux, but also represented an operating system in which it was already possible to perform some application tasks. Of course, the first thing you could do on Linux was write programs in C.
When the task of getting a computer with a Linux system constantly running on it became popular and quite common, developers at the universities of Helsinki and the University of Texas created their own sets of floppy disks, from which the compiled kernel and basic utilities can be written to HDD, and then load the operating system directly from it. These sets of floppy disks became the first prototypes of modern Linux distributions - software packages on the basis of which you can get a working operating system on your computer. It should be noted that the Linux distribution included GNU software from the very beginning. In fact, whenever it says “Linux operating system,” it means “Linux kernel and GNU utilities.” The Free Software Foundation recommends calling it the Linux operating system.
However, copying all the necessary programs to the hard drive is not enough to get an operating environment suitable for the needs of the user (even if he is a very professional user). Therefore, the first sets of floppy disks can only be conditionally called distributions. To get a working operating system, you need some special means installation and configuration of software. It is the presence of such tools that distinguishes modern Linux distributions. Other the most important task distribution - regular update. Software, especially free software, is one of the fastest growing areas, so installing Linux once is not enough, you also need to update it regularly. The first distribution in modern understanding, which became widespread was Slackware, created by P. Volkerding. It was widely known among Linux users by 1994.
Despite the fact that with the advent of the first distributions Linux installation no longer requires independent compilation of all programs from source code, the use of Linux remained the lot of developers: a user of an operating system with it at that period of its development could engage almost exclusively in programming. At least in order to solve other everyday applied tasks in it (for example, reading Email, writing articles, etc.), he had to first spend some time programming and even developing the Linux systems to create the appropriate application programs for yourself or make them work on Linux.
All Linux software was open source, so soon more and more Linux applications began to appear, which were used by a larger community, making them more reliable and gaining new functionality. Ultimately, the idea arises that Linux and GNU applications for Linux, through the focused efforts of a small group of developers, can be made into complete operating systems suitable for a very wide range of users and sell these systems to users for money as an analogue and alternative to existing proprietary operating systems.
The benefit of an operating system consisting entirely of free software is obvious - those who assemble this system do not have to pay anyone for the programs included in it. Moreover, further development and updating of existing programs is also carried out by the developer community completely free of charge; there is no need to pay employees to do this. As a result, the costs of a company assembling a Linux distribution for a user are limited to paying programmers who integrate disparate applications into the system and writing programs to standardize installation and system configuration procedures in order to make these tasks easier for an untrained user, as well as the costs of self-publishing the resulting distribution. For the end buyer, this means a fundamental reduction in the price of the operating system.
First successful company, working according to this scheme, became Red Hat, which appeared in 1995. Red Hat addressed its developments not only to professional programmers, but also to ordinary users and system administrators, for whom a computer is primarily an office tool. workplace or production server. Focusing on existing offers on the market for this class of users, Red Hat has always paid great attention to developing applications with graphical interface to perform typical system setup and administration tasks. Red Hat's business developed quite successfully; in 1999, the company went public - immediately after the issue, the shares grew in price very vigorously, but then the excitement died down. Currently, Red Hat's share of the Linux servers and workstations market is very large. Thanks to Red Hat, the RPM package format has become very widespread in the Linux user community.
Almost simultaneously with Red Hat, the Debian project appeared. Its goal was roughly the same - to make a coherent distribution of Linux and GNU free software, but this project was conceived as a fundamentally non-commercial one, carried out by a community of developers, the norms of interaction in which would be fully consistent with the ideals of free software. The Debian developer community is international, whose members interact via the Internet, and the rules of interaction between them are determined by special documents - policies. policy).
The developer community does not make any profit from the sale of Debian, its versions are freely distributed, available on the Internet, and can also be distributed on hard media (CD, DVD), but even in this case their price rarely greatly exceeds the cost of the media and the markup that recoups the cost of publication . Debian's development was initially sponsored by the Free Software Foundation. The target audience for Debian distributions has always been primarily professional users, one way or another connected with academic software development, who are ready to read the documentation and organize with their own hands the necessary system profile that corresponds specifically to their tasks. Orientation towards such an audience predetermined some trends in the development of Debian: it never had an abundance of “simple” graphical tools for setting up the environment, all kinds of “wizards”, but a lot of attention was always paid to the means of consistent and uniform integration of software into a single system. It was Debian that introduced the package manager (APT). Currently, Debian is the most popular Linux distribution among users who are IT professionals.
Whenever free software is in demand, many alternative solutions immediately arise - this is what happened with Linux distributions. Since 1995, a huge number of commercial companies and free communities have emerged (and continue to emerge) with the goal of preparing and releasing Linux distributions. Each of them has its own characteristics, its own the target audience, your priorities. By now, there are several leaders on the distribution market that offer more or less universal solutions and are the most widely known and used. In addition to the already mentioned Red Hat and Debian, among the distributions aimed at the average user, the German SuSE and the French Mandriva (until 2005 - Mandrake) should be mentioned, among those addressed to specialists - Gentoo. But in addition to the “big” players in the distribution market, there are a much larger number of less common distributions. Now a user who wants to install Linux is faced with the question of choosing a distribution. The selection criteria include the tasks that are supposed to be solved using Linux, the user's level of training, technology, and upcoming contacts with the community that is developing the distribution.
Operating system distribution
An operating system distribution is a form of distribution of system software. Distributions exist because the form of software used to distribute it is almost never the same as the form of software on the running system.
The distribution usually contains programs for initial system initialization (hardware initialization, loading a stripped-down version of the system and launching the installer program), an installer program (for selecting installation modes and parameters) and a set special files, containing individual parts of the system (so-called packages).
The installation program also allows you to initial setup systems.
Distribution characteristics:
distribution policy
a document regulating by whom and how the distribution is developed, on what basis the software is included in it, what requirements (for placement in the file system, interaction with other components of the distribution, etc.) are imposed on packages
bootloader program
hardware initialization, booting (usually) a stripped-down version of the system, media initialization
installer
selecting installation options and packages to install
initial configuration program
initial system configuration
package management program
installing packages on a running system, updating packages, etc.
package sets
availability of programs, necessary for the user, distribution specialization ( general purpose, rescue, “live”, micro, etc., as well as focus on solving specific problems - cluster distributions, distributions for specific areas of science, etc.)
developer
technical, administrative, financial and other solutions underlying the distribution, availability of user support
community
user competence, mutual assistance, exchange of experience among users
other characteristics
ease of installation and security, ease of configuration, longevity, stability of distribution development, paid distribution, etc.
At the moment when a novice user approaches the process of installing and uninstalling programs. The word “distribution” itself comes from the English “distribute”, which in translation sounds like “distribution”, “to distribute”. In relation to a computer, the concept of a distribution kit means distributing a program for its installation (installation) in the form of packaged files (or a single file). You need to understand that the program itself and its distribution are two different things.
What is the difference between a distribution and a program?
A program distribution is a set of files (package) of the program itself, in a certain way, files with instructions for the operating system (where and what to install) and an installer file, which is a kind of instruction for the user, the so-called installation wizard, which will help you step by step through the entire process installing the program.
When you run the installer, your computer is checked for compliance with the program being installed (whether there is enough space, performance, availability of the necessary additional software, operating system version, etc.). If all conditions are met, the process itself begins, where the installation wizard, with the help of messages and prompts, will guide the user until the very end of the installation. During the installation process, all settings of the installed program are written to a special operating system database, the so-called “registry”. Without entries in the registry, the program will either not work at all or will work with errors.
Based on this, the folder with the installed application cannot simply be taken to another folder or to another computer - it simply will not be able to work normally or will not work at all. Although there are exceptions in the form of the so-called portable programs, working without installation, but complex and multifunctional applications require full installation from the distribution kit.
For better understanding You can give an example with cabinet furniture, which is sold (distributed) disassembled and packaged. For example, packaged cabinet elements can be called distribution files. To install the cabinet, you unpack its structures, and then, checking the attached assembly instructions (installation wizard), assemble the furniture for installation in the right place. Moreover, you have previously determined the installation location and accordingly selected the dimensions of the cabinet, based on which, moving the assembled structure to another place will be problematic due to the inappropriate dimensions of the place or cabinet itself (by analogy with moving installed program to another location or computer).
Today we will look at how to acquire a boot disk with an operating system, completely free and legally (!). In addition, we will additionally show a way to obtain a ready-made virtual machine with Windows already installed.
How to download Windows 10 installation distribution for free
There are two main ways to do this:
We use the MediaCreationTool (ESD) utility
This utility will allow you to install (reinstall, update and restore) the “top ten” for owners of original Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 systems. Editions such as Windows 10 SL (one language), Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro are available here. can be downloaded to your computer this utility. Once you launch it, you can immediately begin updating the current system. It is also possible to create installation discs or burn ISO images. You just need to choose required language, edition of the system and its capacity.
Here you may encounter a file with an ESD extension. This is an operating room image Windows systems, which is part of the installation disk, and it is in a very compressed state. During installation, the process of unpacking this file will begin. ESD allows you to reduce the size of the image, which will significantly speed up its download and transfer. But at the same time, the installation time will also increase significantly.
Unfortunately, checksums loaded images are not displayed in any way. Most likely, the program automatically checks their compliance. Below we will discuss some recommendations for Windows 8.1; they can also be applied to the “ten”.
Getting the image using the Tech Bench (WIM) program
This method will help you get original Windows and install it, reinstall and update the old system.
It was not possible to determine exactly why Microsoft organized this program. Apparently, this method was originally intended specifically for sellers computer equipment. we will be able to get Windows 10 (one language), Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro. Moreover, the last two options can go as N and KN. 
All you have to do is visit this page and follow further instructions select the necessary parameters: bit depth and language. After this, a link to download the image will appear. It will be available within 24 hours.
You will come across a file that has a WIM extension. This is a standard image that is included in the installation disk. Compared to ESD, it is much larger in size, but installation is faster. There is the possibility of an image. And on the download page you can download additional scripts and utilities that will help prepare your PC for installation new system, will create boot disks and flash drives and the like. Unfortunately, the interface on this resource is localized in English, so be prepared.
How to download Windows 8.1 for free?
As in the previous case, we will be able to download the original one for free Windows image and we will be able to update, install or restore the current OS. This the method will work for those who own branded PC builds (such as tablets and laptops) and those who have legal keys for this system. As a result, we will have access to Windows 8.1 SL (single language), Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro. 
Windows 8.1 disc starting November 2014 is available for download directly from Windows Help. After launch, you can see the window shown above, and then you will need to select creation bootable flash drive or ISO recording image. The entire procedure should take no more than twenty minutes, provided you have a good Internet connection.
The installation disk is downloaded from the store. The corporation constantly releases new updates for Windows 8.1, which are received by all MSDN subscribers and Store visitors. It’s interesting that the former always receive updates a little earlier, but the latter are not so far behind them (no more than a version). The Windows distribution comes in a clean form, so you can get the necessary drivers in advance and install everything clean, without unnecessary junk.
The installation disk is loaded into a folder named %temp%. Therefore, keep in mind that the disk where this folder is located must have at least 4 GB. Users often have many questions related to this system. So let's try to figure out the most popular ones.
Do I need an activation key?
No, but provided that the system was installed on a computer that already had Windows 8 pre-installed. In this case, you must install exactly the same edition.
In other cases, you will actually need to enter an activation key.
You can try using standard keys:
- Windows 8.1: 334NH-RXG76-64THK-C7CKG-D3VPT
- Windows 8.1 Pro: XHQ8N-C3MCJ-RQXB6-WCHYG-C9WKB
They will only allow you to install the system itself. To activate, you will have to enter standard keys.
Will it fit? Windows key 8, for Windows activation 8.1?
Yes. In this case there should not be any special problems.
Is the Windows 8 upgrade key suitable for this system?
Here, too, everything should work and go smoothly. Therefore - Yes.
Is activation required here?
The system can activate on its own, provided it is updated and restored from another, legal version. If this does not happen, connect your computer to the Internet and run this command in the command line:
cscript %windir%\system32\slmgr.vbs -ato
It is important that command line was launched as administrator.
If you have a laptop (or tablet) on which Windows 8 was installed. What will you need to do after Windows 8.1 has been installed (updated)?
First of all, create a backup copy of your system. Because very often the return to standard settings It just won't work. If it was done clean install systems, install everything necessary drivers and updates. After this, create a Refresh image, this will allow you to get the same solutions that the manufacturer of this computer provides.
If desired, you can create an image using special software, or even permanently roll back the system to its original form using the created image.
Additionally, this method will solve problems with rolling back to factory settings that may arise after updating the system.
What is the difference between downloading an image and updating the system using a key?
This method is suitable for those who need a disk with this operating system.
Will this drive fit Surface?
Of course, although it would be better to use special images for Surface. Please note that the image must be downloaded from the English support page, in Russian version Only RT version is available.
Here you can get a fresh ISO image of the Windows 7 operating system. The download is available to all users who own a boxed version of the system or have purchased this OS from the Microsoft Store. To download, enter the key of this product. Please note that keys for Retail from MSDN/TechNet will not be available for rent here. 
At the time of publication of this article, Russian-language page, for this method, did not exist.
How to download a Windows virtual machine for free
Ask why is this necessary? The answer is simple: it may be useful for familiarizing yourself with the system, or for tests and experiments. Moreover, this method is available to absolutely everyone. And operating systems from XP to the latest “ten” (English localization). Such a system will be able to run on Hyper-V, VMware and Virtual Box. 
We will take the OS from a specially created resource of the IE development team - modern.ie. Here you can download different versions Windows with Internet browser Explorer (from 6 to 11 versions) and a new browser
What they are, what they can be called and what they can’t, and where this concept came from.
What it is?
The concept of “distribution” entered our lives relatively recently, around the time of the growing popularity of the free Linux family. System distributions at that time were mainly distributed on CD blanks, since the speed of Internet access did not allow downloading ISO images from the Internet. Over time, the name spread to other products. Now you can hear the word “distribution” almost everywhere. What it is? This is exactly what we will try to understand in this material.
The beginning of the use of the word "distribution"
This concept came to us from among users and developers of free operating systems. They called a distribution a compiled image containing the kernel, main programs, the working environment shell and in general everything that was needed for installation working system. Now this concept is used to refer to any software product recorded on disk or somewhere else.
At all, this term assumes the presence of a minimum set of programs to ensure the operation of the operating system at the initial stages. This definition of the concept does not fit well with phrases such as “game distribution”. What kind of distribution is this if it doesn't have one as such? IN in this case it's simple computer game on physical media or compiled for downloading over the Internet and installation without a disk. This is especially true now, when this method is becoming increasingly popular. It has gotten to the point that sometimes, when assembling a new computer, there is simply no disk drive in it.
With the development of the Internet, ISO images began to be called distributions. They can be downloaded from the official website and burned to a disk or USB drive. With this bootable media you can install the operating system on any computer.
Linux distributions
Since this concept came to us from the world of free operating systems, let us first consider Linux OS distributions. There are plenty of them. They all have their own specific “tricks”. But they are similar in one thing. All Linux distributions have a full set of drivers and applications necessary for operation. And you don’t need to pay for any of them. This is what a real distribution means. What is it? Mainly it is Ubuntu, Linux Mint and Debian. They are all based on Debian, so they are fully compatible with each other.
Distributions of such “Linux-like” systems as AltLinux, ArchLinux, CentOS and Fedora cannot boast of such compatibility with computer hardware. For them you will have to download additional drivers. But they also have basic set necessary applications.
Windows distributions
Strictly speaking, Windows operating system installation disks can hardly be called distributions. After all, this concept presupposes the presence of drivers “out of the box” and a set of applications for full system functionality.
True, with the release of the “ten” the situation has changed somewhat. Now the Windows distribution contains a number of drivers necessary for normal operation of the system. But you still have to download programs for the video card. The apps are bad. They can't provide normal work systems. Although Windows 10 has adopted a lot from Linux (terminal, alternative desktops), it is still far from the proud name of “distribution”.
The main advantage of Windows OS is its compatibility with all computers and devices. If desired, it can be installed on Apple computers. But I still don’t want to spoil perfect Apple computers with a fake from Microsoft.
MacOS distribution
Since MacOS is a “Unix-like” system, it was possible not to consider it, but without it the review would be incomplete. Like all operating systems, Macos has its own distribution. What is it in this case?
It should be noted that MacOS is only produced for products Apple. And their support in the OS is implemented in the most in the best possible way. Drivers for all devices are installed without problems, and there are so many applications that it’s quite possible not to add third-party ones. As always, Apple is great. The system image from Yabloko can definitely be called a distribution kit.
If you use some specialized programs, the MacOS distribution can be made to work on regular computers. True, it is very desirable to have a processor from Intel from Core line. It is with these processors that we observe best performance MacOS on “third party” computers.
Program distributions
Now let's talk about what cannot be called a distribution kit - about disks with software. Many are accustomed to calling the media with this or that program this way (for example, 1C distribution). This is fundamentally wrong. Mainly because there is no operating system on the disk at all.
Very often, a distribution kit is called a collection of programs for a particular system. There is a deal of truth in it. It is quite possible to call such a collection of programs and applications a distribution kit.
Some software products have their own additional distributions. For example, databases or sample sets.
Conclusion
This is how we ended up with a short “educational program” on the topic “distribution”. What is it - we finally figured it out. Now you know what types there are and what can generally be called a distribution. Of course, in our time the framework of this concept has become somewhat blurred and now this word is used to refer to everything. But thanks to our article, you now know what can rightfully be defined as a distribution.