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A core Linux distribution contains a kernel, one or more graphical desktop environments, and just about every Linux application that is available, precompiled for the kernel. It provides one‐stop shopping for a complete Linux installation. Table 1.5 shows some of the more popular core Linux distributions.

TABLE 1.5: Core Linux Distributions

DISTRIBUTION	DESCRIPTION
Slackware	One of the original Linux distribution sets, popular with Linux geeks
Red Hat Enterprise	A commercial business distribution used mainly for Internet servers
Gentoo	A distribution designed for advanced Linux users, containing only Linux source code
openSUSE	Different distributions for business and home use
Debian	Popular with Linux experts and commercial Linux products

In the early days of Linux, a distribution was released as a set of floppy disks. You had to download groups of files and then copy them onto disks. It would usually take 20 or more disks to make an entire distribution! Needless to say, this was a painful experience.

Nowadays, Linux distributions are released as an ISO image file. The ISO image file is a complete disk image of a DVD as a single file. You use a software application to either burn the ISO image file onto a DVD or create a bootable USB stick. You then just boot your workstation from the DVD or USB stick to install Linux. This makes installing Linux much easier.

However, beginners still often run into problems when they install one of the core Linux distributions. To cover just about any situation in which someone might want to use Linux, a single distribution has to include lots of application software. They include everything from high‐end Internet database servers to common games.

While having lots of options available in a distribution is great for Linux geeks, it can become a nightmare for beginning Linux users. Most core distributions ask a series of questions during the installation process to determine which applications to load by default, what hardware is connected to the PC, and how to configure the hardware. Beginners often find these questions confusing. As a result, they often either load way too many programs on their computer or don't load enough and later discover that their computer won't do what they want it to do.

Fortunately for beginners, there's a much simpler way to install Linux.