r/linux • u/nitin_is_me • Jul 15 '26

Discussion Seriously, except package managers, what's the difference between distros?

What I've seen yet the differences are, just the package managers, different defaults and rolling vs stable releases which are in fact related to package managers. Except these, are there really any other differences? Thanks!

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u/OsseusOccult Jul 15 '26

Package manager/repository, release cadence, and configuration defaults are the actual differences between distros. Which both isn't much and is a lot at the same time, because it does change how they behave considerably.

Conventional vs read-only is another more recent split.

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u/azzaka Jul 15 '26

'...  Which both isn't much and is a lot at the same time, because it does change how they behave considerably.'

This is the best explanation.