> edit: Thank you for the responses so far, but noone has yet answered the core question: WHY are there eleven of them?
Because Linux is "just" a kernel that happens to be used by different OS. Linux is just the program that runs binaries amongst your computer, it’s not a package manager or an OS.
There is no official cooperation between different Linux OS. People developing package management at Suse or Redhat (which are commercial companies) aren’t the same that are developing APT at Debian foundation. Odds are that they don’t even know each others.
Look, Android is based on Linux but they have their own package management because most of the existing ones weren’t compatible with what they wanted to achieve.
It’s the same with other vendors : while package managers looks like they are mostly doing the same thing, they all had their own requirements that justified their creation.
Anyway as a developer you mostly don’t have to package your app yourself. It’s the job of either the distribution developers themselves (in fact that’s most of the work in making a "distribution": they package and distribute software) or in some organizations like Suse or Arch, this job can also be done by the community which allows more up to date package.
It turns out my actual question is "Do we really need this many different Linux distributions" and I'm sure this will sound even more wrong but it really feels like the answer is no.
OK different ones for different hardware devices, sure.
But I asked ChatGPT of the difference between openSUSE and Debian (since you mentioned those) and everything listed seems like it could be just variants within the same OS not a fundamentally different OS
> Package Management:
> openSUSE uses the Zypper package manager and supports the RPM package format.
> Debian uses the APT (Advanced Package Tool) package manager and supports the DEB package format.
This comes back to my original question - they need different package managers because the OS's are different, the OS's aren't different because they wanted different package managers
> Release Model:
> openSUSE typically follows a fixed release model with regular releases of a stable version, like openSUSE Leap, which has a predictable release cycle.
> Debian follows a more flexible "when it's ready" release model. There are three main branches: stable, testing, and unstable.
you could have unstable, testing, stable, and then on top of that have a predictable stable release cycle. These aren't incompatible with each other.
> Philosophy:
> openSUSE is known for its strong integration with the open-source community and its adherence to the principles of the Free Software Movement. It emphasizes stability and ease of use.
> Debian is known for its commitment to free software principles, as outlined in the Debian Free Software Guidelines (DFSG). It prioritizes stability, security, and freedom.
This just feels like a ChatGPT hallucination. It sounds like both are focused on Free Software. That said, I suppose noone is stopped from creating a Linux OS extremely focused on FSM, a commercial one not-at-all interested in FSM, and one somewhere in between.
> Default Desktop Environment:
> openSUSE offers various desktop environments, including KDE Plasma and GNOME, but its default desktop environment may vary depending on the edition (Leap or Tumbleweed).
> Debian offers a wide range of desktop environments, including GNOME, KDE Plasma, Xfce, LXQt, and more. Its default desktop environment is GNOME.
Like the package manager, inverted cause and effect.
> Community and Support:
> Both distributions have active and supportive communities, offering forums, mailing lists, documentation, and other resources for users seeking help or guidance.
> System Configuration:
> openSUSE uses YaST (Yet Another Setup Tool), a comprehensive system configuration tool that allows users to manage various aspects of the system through a graphical interface.
> Debian relies more on manual configuration files and command-line tools for system administration, although there are also some graphical tools available.
I wonder what YaST uses underneath, I bet it's a series of...configuration files :)
Because Linux is "just" a kernel that happens to be used by different OS. Linux is just the program that runs binaries amongst your computer, it’s not a package manager or an OS.
There is no official cooperation between different Linux OS. People developing package management at Suse or Redhat (which are commercial companies) aren’t the same that are developing APT at Debian foundation. Odds are that they don’t even know each others.
Look, Android is based on Linux but they have their own package management because most of the existing ones weren’t compatible with what they wanted to achieve.
It’s the same with other vendors : while package managers looks like they are mostly doing the same thing, they all had their own requirements that justified their creation.
Anyway as a developer you mostly don’t have to package your app yourself. It’s the job of either the distribution developers themselves (in fact that’s most of the work in making a "distribution": they package and distribute software) or in some organizations like Suse or Arch, this job can also be done by the community which allows more up to date package.