Distributions

Distributions (henceforth referred to as distros) can be thought of as 'flavours' of Linux. Some are general purpose or try to be one-size-fits all. Some try to be minimalistic. Some are tailored for specific applications. They all have the Linux kernel at the core though, be it in stock or modified form.

It so happens that, for various reasons, newcomers to Linux often feel utterly overwhelmed by the sheer choice of distros. This page aims to resolve that by removing unnecessary or outdated choices, and presenting a clear, concise picture of the current distro scene.

Newcomers are advised to select from one of the 'ready-to-go' distributions dedicated to music-making (→). If you are an advanced (=Linux-experienced) user, you might find our resources on building your setup from scratch (→) valuable.

Henceforth known simply as 'music-making distros'.

Currently, the two most popular of these are KXStudio and AVLinux.

KXStudio should work on most modern machines, if the KDE version is tweaked for that or the XFCE version is used. AVLinux uses the extremely lightweight LXDE desktop environment and can and will run on all but the most ancient hardware.

Both can be obtained as an ISO from their site. Both are presetup and preconfigured for use - you'll only need to setup up your hardware on them, and you're ready. Lots of pro-audio software are preinstalled. This is the quickest and easiest method of getting a Linux studio started, and we recommend this to all those who are new to Linux.

With the ISO method, however, you are also limited to the distro's choice of base distro (specialized distros, like music-making distros, are almost always based on a bigger distro - KXStudio is based on UbuntuStudio and is shifting to Debian, and AVLinux is based on Debian Stable.) and DE. So some, like KXStudio, also offer another option, that of installing their repositories on another distro. This requires an internet connection and slightly more setup, but is easy enough for people with a little experience in Linux to do - and usually, the simple and concise install instructions provided (atleast in the case of KXStudio) are of great help.

Other names in this category include - <put in the list>

To see an exhaustive list of about every music-making distro that ever existed, see this page.

Choosing a base distro. Configuration.