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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Linux’s history is littered with failed projects.
- There’ve been several distributions that have come and gone.
- These are, by far, my favorites (some of which I still miss).
I’ve been using Linux for so long that I’ve forgotten how many of the distributions I’ve tried are no longer with us. At the same time, there are some distributions that have lodged in my memory and refuse to vanish.
Some of those distributions hang about in my gray matter because of nostalgia, while at least one is a sore spot among the Linux faithful.
But what are my favorite Linux distributions that no longer exist?
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1. Mandrake
Mandrake was special for several reasons. First, Mandrake was one of the first distributions with the goal of making Linux accessible to new users. This came about in the late ’90s/early 2000s, and it really rocked the Linux community (in a good way). Mandrake was one of the first distributions with graphical installers and config tools, as well as one of the initial distributions that led the charge for live CDs.
Another reason why Mandrake holds a special place in my heart is that the development team was the first I met that didn’t take itself so seriously. The group responsible for Mandrake knew how to have fun. I remember hanging out with them at one of my first Linux conventions and dancing into the wee hours of the night. Those people not only loved Linux and open-source, but they loved life. Since then, every time I think of Mandrake, I smile.
2. Caldera OpenLinux
Caldera OpenLinux 1.0 was the first distribution I ever tried. This was back in 1997, and I purchased the installation CD at CompUSA for around $50. Looking back, I cannot believe I was willing to pay that much money for Linux. I did, and I didn’t regret it.
Well, not exactly.
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As much as I think fondly of Caldera OpenLinux, I only stuck with it for a short while. The reason was that the distribution wouldn’t work with my modem. Because of that, I fairly quickly purchased another distribution (more on that in a bit), only to find out it had the same problem. Turns out, the issue was that my PC had a Winmodem. I purchased an external US Robotics 33.6k modem, and everything was grand. I could have stuck with Caldera OpenLinux all along.
At the time, I didn’t know that Caldera OpenLinux was actually focused on business users. Even if that modem had worked, I probably would have found the distribution a bit too much for someone just trying to learn the way of Linux.
3. Red Hat
That second distribution I purchased was Red Hat 5.2. Once I had the modem issue straightened out, I found Red Hat to work like an absolute champ, and I stuck with it for years.
Honestly, had it not been for Red Hat working with that external modem, I may not have stuck it out and learned how to use Linux. I can’t imagine how different my life would have been without this release. One of the first things I did with Red Hat was install a different window manager. I believe this was another crucial step in my relationship with Linux. Once I discovered AfterStep, it was game over for Windows.
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Do remember, this was way before Fedora and Red Hat split.
4. Corel Linux
If there’s only one reason why Corel Linux is on this list, it’s because it was the first distribution I remember that shipped with a full-blown office suite. That office suite in question was WordPerfect. If you’ve used WordPerfect, then you fully understand why this distribution is on the list. Anyone who ever had the pleasure of using WordPerfect remembers it fondly.
For me, however, it marked a real turning point with Linux because it proved the open-source operating system could and should be taken seriously. Corel Linux came with serious GUI tools that promised users that they wouldn’t always have to depend on the command line.
5. CentOS
This is the one on the list that stings. CentOS was my go-to server OS for a long time. It was stable, serious, and could do anything Red Hat Linux could… without the associated cost.
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CentOS being free bit into Red Hat’s bottom line, which meant it had to change. To that end, the company moved CentOS to CentOS Stream, and everyone who’d come to depend on the OS had to make a sudden shift. A large number of admins and developers had to find a new platform to use, and CentOS Stream was deemed the “enemy.”
Fortunately, distributions like AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux came about to stand in where CentOS left off.
But, wow, the loss of CentOS hurt.
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