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Someone says: > Here is a general purpose Linux distribution, give it a try! Where does your mind go? That this is a server-only distribution meant for a spec

Someone says: > Here is a general purpose Linux distribution, give it a try! Where does your mind go? That this is a server-only distribution meant for a specific provider? Or that it's something like Debian, that could be run on servers and desktops alike without much tinkering, or meant for any provider? FWIW, Microsoft themselves don't seem to call this a "general purpose Linux distribution", I could probably guess why, what Microsoft themselves say is "Purpose-Built for Azure" which sounds much more accurate. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/linuxandopensourceblog/announcing-azure-linux-4-0-purpose-built-for-azure-now-in-public-preview/4524267 https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/linuxandopensourceb... I think the author might have confused (unintentionally or intentionally, who knows?) "general purpose" with "Purpose-Built for Azure", since Microsoft's own announcements get this right, while submission article is littered with this mistake.

tossandthrow 5mo ago
Ubuntu server distributions are definitely general purpose.
- thesuperbigfrog 5mo ago
  Most Linux server distributions would be expected to be headless. "General purpose" Linux distributions (not "server") typically would include a GUI desktop.
  - joxdosba 5mo ago
    A GUI Linux distribution feels vastly more niche than a headless one.
    - thesuperbigfrog 5mo ago
      Really? What are some major Linux distributions that are only headless? What is the market share of those Linux distributions compared to Linux distributions that have a GUI desktop?
      - fragmede 5mo ago
        If we're counting the millions of servers that run the Internet, probably a lot more of them than GUI desktop Linux installs.
      - joxdosba 5mo ago
        This is a bit akin to saying that cabriolets are not a niche product because many major carmakers have one as a part of their wider lineup.
- embedding-shape 5mo ago
  So if I understand what you're saying, if someone asks you "Hey, could you recommend me a general purpose Linux distribution?", you'd recommend them Ubuntu Server rather than just straight up Ubuntu? I'd agree both could be used in a general-purpose way, but I'd definitively call one of them more general-purpose than the other.
  - tossandthrow 5mo ago
    If they need a general purpose distro for a server, absolutely. That would likely be a better recommendation than android.
    - embedding-shape 5mo ago
      But that wasn't the question, what they ask is specifically "Hey, could you recommend me a general purpose Linux distribution?", would you still first recommend Ubuntu Server?
      - tossandthrow 5mo ago
        Sure, why not?
        NuclearPM 5mo ago
        Because it isn’t general purpose, it is for servers. You are being _/
  - PeterStuer 5mo ago
    95% of my VM's run Ubuntu Server LTS, so yes, that is what I would recommend if I was a recommending person.

tossandthrow 5mo ago

Ubuntu server distributions are definitely general purpose.

thesuperbigfrog 5mo ago
Most Linux server distributions would be expected to be headless. "General purpose" Linux distributions (not "server") typically would include a GUI desktop.
- joxdosba 5mo ago
  A GUI Linux distribution feels vastly more niche than a headless one.
  - thesuperbigfrog 5mo ago
    Really? What are some major Linux distributions that are only headless? What is the market share of those Linux distributions compared to Linux distributions that have a GUI desktop?
    - fragmede 5mo ago
      If we're counting the millions of servers that run the Internet, probably a lot more of them than GUI desktop Linux installs.
    - joxdosba 5mo ago
      This is a bit akin to saying that cabriolets are not a niche product because many major carmakers have one as a part of their wider lineup.
embedding-shape 5mo ago
So if I understand what you're saying, if someone asks you "Hey, could you recommend me a general purpose Linux distribution?", you'd recommend them Ubuntu Server rather than just straight up Ubuntu? I'd agree both could be used in a general-purpose way, but I'd definitively call one of them more general-purpose than the other.
- tossandthrow 5mo ago
  If they need a general purpose distro for a server, absolutely. That would likely be a better recommendation than android.
  - embedding-shape 5mo ago
    But that wasn't the question, what they ask is specifically "Hey, could you recommend me a general purpose Linux distribution?", would you still first recommend Ubuntu Server?
    - tossandthrow 5mo ago
      Sure, why not?
      - NuclearPM 5mo ago
        Because it isn’t general purpose, it is for servers. You are being _/
- PeterStuer 5mo ago
  95% of my VM's run Ubuntu Server LTS, so yes, that is what I would recommend if I was a recommending person.