Top 5 Free Linux Distributions for Servers in 2010

There are five distributions to compare - Debian, CentOS, Slackware , Ubuntu and Gentoo.

One of the main consideration for server use is stability and long term security support.

Debian

Surely a seasoned pro with more than a decade of development. The distribution is entirely based volunteers bound by Debian social contract. There are leaders elected annually from and by members of the Debian project.

Those using the up-to-date and they age rapidly, especially since the new stable releases are only published. The users who prefer the latest packages and technologies are forced to use the potentially buggy Debian testing and unstable branches.

APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) is a Debian package management system. Installing the application is as simple as 'apt-get install amarok' and fetching all the updates that can be done with 'apt-get update && apt-get upgrade'. There are APT front-ends such as Synaptic that can be used with a graphical application.

Debian is one of the few distributions that benefit hundreds of dedicated websites with documentation. The official documentation found on Debian's website is also abundant. There is a Wiki and there's IRC . If you really need an answer quickly and you can always try the UbuntuForums. 

Pros

• The Linux distribution is very stable
• It offers remarkable quality control
• The library stocks more than 20,000 packages
• It is responsible for inspiring over 120 Debian-based distribution and live CDs.
• It supports more processor architectures

Cons 

• Conservation due to its support for many processor architectures
• Lacks some of the newest technologies
• The release cycle is slow

Link

CentOS

In case you are looking for a Linux server distribution with features comparable to Red Hat Enterprise Linux without spending a dime, then Cent OS is what you need to look for. CentOS is based on RHEL and aims at providing a free enterprise class computing platform and strive to maintain full binary compatibility with its upstream distribution. The server distribution is meant to be used in production environment where users do not care what type of applications they have installed. CentOS is a Linux distro that deals with long-term stability and security. CentOS has everything that most important server distribution feature, except the expensive, official support from the vendor. Technical support is offered by the community through its official mailing lists, web forum and chat rooms. It is commercial support offered via a number of vendors.

Pros

• Stable and reliable
• Free to download and use
• Comes with 5-years of free security updates
• Prompt releases and security updates
• CentOS has numerous advantages over some of the other clone projects including
• An active and growing user community
• Quickly rebuilt
• QA'ed errata packages
• Extensive mirror network
• Developers who are contactable and responsive
• Multiple free support avenues that include IRC Chat, Mailing Lists, Forums, a dynamic FAQ.

Cons

• Lacks the latest Linux technologies
• Most software packages are outdated

Link

Ubuntu Server

This is newest and fastest growing distribution based on Debian and managed by Canonical. The Ubuntu Server Edition has an increasing impact on server market for business by delivering the best of free software on the stable, fully supported and secure platform.

Ubuntu overcomes the flaws in similar project and avoids them. It features an excellent web-based infrastructure with Wiki-style documentation, creative bug-reporting facility and professional approach to the end users. Ubuntu comes with a number of excellent packages such as GENOME, Firefox and OpenOffice.org, which is updated to their latest versions.

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Source: taragana