Top Linux Distros for 2016

8/18/2019 Top Linux Distros for 2016

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Top Linux Distros for 2016 As the star t of 2016 is approaching, it is now t ime to look at the most popular Linux distribut ions to start the new year. he

list is comprised of the top 10 Linux distros, followed by the runner!up distros. Although technically not Linux, included inthe list is "ree#$%, pf$ense, and &pen#$%. 'ankings are determined by the site(s popularity based off Alexa website

rankings.

Top 10 Linux Distros for 2016

# LINUX

DISTRIBUTION

GLOBAL

WEBSITE

RANKING

PREVIOUS LIST

RANK

1 Ubuntu 1,479 1

2 Red Hat 4,140 4

3 Debian 5,545 2

4 CentOS 5,614 3

5 Arch Linu 5,!15 !

http://www.alexa.com/https://linuxdistros.org/ubuntu/https://linuxdistros.org/ubuntu/https://linuxdistros.org/redhat/https://linuxdistros.org/redhat/https://linuxdistros.org/debian/https://linuxdistros.org/debian/https://linuxdistros.org/centos/https://linuxdistros.org/centos/https://linuxdistros.org/arch-linux/https://linuxdistros.org/arch-linux/https://linuxdistros.org/ubuntu/https://linuxdistros.org/redhat/https://linuxdistros.org/debian/https://linuxdistros.org/centos/https://linuxdistros.org/arch-linux/http://www.alexa.com/


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1

3

SUS& Linu 4!,!52 13

1

4

&(e/entar 54,!!0 -.A

1

5

ai( 63,432 -.A

1

6

)actrac Linu 67,64! 11

1

7

Ubuntu "A& !6,433 -.A

1

8

Untan(e !6,655 -.A

1

9

C$reOS !9,0!2 -.A


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2

0

O%en)SD 91,596 -.A

2

1

'ubuntu 101,719 16

2

2

ubuntu 109,149 15

2

3

S(acare 115,930 1!

2

4

C(earOS 122,143 -.A

2

5

Lubuntu 125,161 -.A

2

6

u%% 135,077 -.A


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2

7

CLinuOS 135,926 19

2

8

$rin OS 139,4!5 -.A

2

9

"an8ar$ Linu 154,947 14

3

0

"aeia 162,421 17

3

1

LL& 16!,310 -.A

The Best Linux Distros of 2016uesday, 12 +anuary 2016 1*- $wapnil #hartiya / xclusie

"acebook1,-0witter

http://www.linux.com/#facebookhttp://www.linux.com/#facebookhttp://www.linux.com/#twitterhttp://www.linux.com/#facebookhttp://www.linux.com/#twitter


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3interest Linked4n$tumble5pon

open$5$ has become a ery important distribution, and no other distro has made such an impressie comeback in my memory.

201 was a ery important year for Linux, both in the enterprise as well as in the consumer space. As a Linux user since 200, 4 can see that theoperating system has come a long way in the past 10 years. And, 2016 is going to be een more exciting. 4n this article, 4 hae picked some of the best

distros that will shine in 2016.

Best Comeback Distro: openSUSE

$5$, the company behind open$5$, is the oldest Linux company7 it was formed 8ust a year after Linus oralds announced Linux. he company

actually predates Linux king 'ed 9at. $5$ is also the sponsor of the community!based distro open$5$.

http://www.linux.com/#pinteresthttp://www.linux.com/#pinteresthttp://www.linux.com/#pinteresthttp://www.linux.com/#linkedinhttp://www.linux.com/#stumbleuponhttp://www.cio.com/article/3017983/linux/2015s-most-exciting-linux-devices.htmlhttp://www.cio.com/article/3017983/linux/2015s-most-exciting-linux-devices.htmlhttp://www.cio.com/article/3017177/linux/11-predictions-for-linux-in-2016.htmlhttp://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/866964-exclusive-interview-with-suse-president-nils-brauckmannhttps://www.opensuse.org/https://www.opensuse.org/https://www.opensuse.org/http://www.linux.com/#pinteresthttp://www.linux.com/#linkedinhttp://www.linux.com/#stumbleuponhttp://www.cio.com/article/3017983/linux/2015s-most-exciting-linux-devices.htmlhttp://www.cio.com/article/3017177/linux/11-predictions-for-linux-in-2016.htmlhttp://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/866964-exclusive-interview-with-suse-president-nils-brauckmannhttps://www.opensuse.org/


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4n 201, open$5$ teams decided to come closer to $5$ Linux nterprise :$L; so that users could hae a distribution that shares its %ith this moe, open$5$ isalso ditching the regular release cycle, and a new ersion will be released in sync with $L. hat means each ersion will hae a much longer life cycle.

As a result of this moe, open$5$ has become a ery important distribution because potential $L users can now use open$5$ Leap. hat(s not all,

howeer7 open$5$ also announced the release of umbleweed, a pure rolling!release ersion. $o, now, users can use either the super!stable

open$5$ Leap or the always up!to!date open$5$ umbleweed.

iki is my to!go resource for eerything Linux related.

• >hat 4 like the most about Arch is that is offers almost eery package and software that(s aailable for @any Linux distribution, thanks to the Arch

5ser 'epository, aka A5'.

https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Leaphttps://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Leaphttp://www.cio.com/article/3008856/open-source-tools/is-opensuse-tumbleweed-good-enough-for-a-seasoned-arch-user.htmlhttps://www.archlinux.org/https://en.opensuse.org/Portal:Leaphttp://www.cio.com/article/3008856/open-source-tools/is-opensuse-tumbleweed-good-enough-for-a-seasoned-arch-user.htmlhttps://www.archlinux.org/


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Best$Lookin% Distro: e"ementar& 'S

%ifferent Linux distributions hae different focus areas !! in most cases, these are technical differences. 4n many Linux distributions. the look and feel is an

afterthought !! a side pro8ect at the mercy of the specific desktop enironment.

elementary &$ is trying to change all that. 9ere, design is at the forefront, and the reason is Cuite obious. he distro is being deeloped by designers

who hae made their name in the Linux world by creating beautiful icons.

elementary &$ is Cuite strict about the holistic look and feel. he deelopers hae created their own components, including the desktop enironment.

Additionally, they choose only those applications that fit into the design paradigm. &ne can find heay influence of Dac &$ E on elementary &$.

Best (e)comer: So"us

$olus operating system has garnered Cuite a lot of attention lately. 4t(s a decent!looking operating system that has been created from scratch. 4t(s not a

deriatie of %ebian or 5buntu. 4t comes with the #udgie desktop enironment, which was built from scratch but aims to integrate with Fnome. $olus hasthe same minimalistic approach as Foogle(s =hrome &$.

https://elementary.io/https://elementary.io/https://solus-project.com/https://elementary.io/https://solus-project.com/


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$olus is the best newcomer.

4 hae not played with $olus much, but it does look promising. $olus is actually not a @new &$. 4t has been around for a while in different forms and

names. #ut the entire pro8ect was reied back in 201 under this new name.

Best C"ou* 'S: Chrome 'S

=hrome &$ may not be your typical Linux!based distribution because it(s a browser!based operating system for online actiities. 9oweer, because it(s

based on Linux and its source code is aailable for anyone to compile, it(s an attractie &$. 4 use =hrome &$ on a daily basis. 4t(s an excellent,

https://www.chromium.org/chromium-oshttps://www.chromium.org/chromium-os


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maintenance!free, always updated &$ for anyone using a computer purely for web!related actiities. =hrome &$, along with Android, deseres all the

credit for making Linux popular in the 3= and mobile space.

Best Laptop 'S: Ubuntu #TE

Dost laptops don(t hae ery high!end hardware, and if you are running a really resource!intensie desktop enironment then you won(t hae much

system resources or battery life at your disposal !! they will be used by the &$ itself. hat(s where 4 found 5buntu DA to be an excellent operating

system. 4t(s lightweight, yet has all the bells and whistles needed for a pleasant experience. hanks to its lightweight design, the ma8ority of system

resources are free for applications so you can still do some heay work on it. 4 also found it to be a great distro on really low!end systems.

Best Distro for '"* +ar*)are: Lubuntu

4f you hae an old laptop or 3= sitting around, breathe new life into it with Lubuntu. Lubuntu uses LE%, but the pro8ect has merged with 'a?or Gt to

create LEGt. Although the latest release 1.0 is still using LE%, the future ersions will be using LEGt. Lubuntu is a decent operating system for old

hardware.

Best Distro for ,oT: Snapp& Ubuntu Core

$nappy 5buntu =ore is the best Linux!based operating system out there for 4nternet of hings :4o; and other such deices. he operating system holds

great potential to turn almost eerything around us into smart deices !! such as routers, coffeemakers, drones, etc. >hat makes it een more interesting

is the way the software manages updates and offers containeri?ation for added security.

Best Distro for Desktops: Linux int Cinnamon

Linux Dint =innamon is the best operating system for desktops and powerful laptops. 4 will go as far as calling it the Dac &$ E of the Linux world.9onestly, 4 had not been a huge fan of Linux Dint for a long time because of unstable =innamon. #ut, as soon as the deelopers chose to use L$ as the

base, the distro has become incredibly stable. #ecause the deelopers don(t hae to spend much time worrying about keeping up with 5buntu, they are

now inesting all of their time in making =innamon better.

http://www.cio.com/article/2848475/ubuntu-mate-enterprise-customers.htmlhttp://lubuntu.net/http://lubuntu.net/http://www.cio.com/article/2914850/linux/is-ubuntu-moving-away-from-deb-packages-here-is-the-complete-story.htmlhttp://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/838569-review-linux-mint-172-release/http://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/838569-review-linux-mint-172-release/http://www.cio.com/article/2848475/ubuntu-mate-enterprise-customers.htmlhttp://lubuntu.net/http://www.cio.com/article/2914850/linux/is-ubuntu-moving-away-from-deb-packages-here-is-the-complete-story.htmlhttp://www.linux.com/news/software/applications/838569-review-linux-mint-172-release/


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Best Distro for -ames: Steam 'S

Faming has been a weakness of desktop Linux. Dany users dual!boot with >indows 8ust to be able to play games. Hale $oftware is trying to change

that. Hale is a game distributor that offers a client to run games on different platforms. And, Hale has now created their open operating system !! $team

&$ !! to create a Linux!based gaming platform. #y the end of 201, partners started shipping $team machines to the market.

Best Distro for .ri/ac&: Tai"s

4n this age of mass sureillance and tracking by marketers :anonymous tracking for targeted content is acceptable;, priacy has become a ma8or issue. 4f

you are someone who needs to keep the goernment and marketing agencies out of your business, you need an operating system that(s created !! from

the ground up !! with priacy in mind.

And, nothing beats ails for this purpose. 4t(s a %ebian!based distribution that offers priacy and anonymity by design. ails is so good that, according to

reports, the


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he best Linux distribution for multimedia production is 5buntu $tudio.

Best Enterprise Distro: SLE+EL

nterprise customers don(t look for articles like these to choose a distribution to run on their serers. hey already know where to go* 4t(s either 'ed 9at

nterprise Linux or $5$ Linux nterprise. hese two names hae become synonymous with enterprise serers. hese companies are also pushing

boundaries by innoating in this changing landscape where eerything is containeri?ed and becoming software defined.

https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linuxhttps://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linuxhttps://www.suse.com/https://www.suse.com/https://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linuxhttps://www.redhat.com/en/technologies/linux-platforms/enterprise-linuxhttps://www.suse.com/


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Best Ser/er 'S: DebianCent'S

4f you are looking at running a serer, but you can(t afford or don(t want to pay a subscription fee for '9L or $L, then there is nothing better

than %ebian or =ent&$. hese distributions are the gold standard when it comes to community!based serers. And, they are supported for a ery long

time, so you won(t hae to worry about upgrading your system so often.

Best obi"e 'S: ."asma obi"e

Although the Linux!based distribution Android is ruling the roost, many in the open source community, including me, still desire a distribution that offers

traditional Linux desktop apps on mobile deices. At the same time, it(s better if the distro is run by a community instead of a company so that a user

remains in the focus and not the company(s financial goals. And that(s where J%(s 3lasma Dobile brings some hope.

his Jubuntu!based distribution was launched in 201. #ecause the J% community is known for their adherence to standards and deeloping stuff in

public, 4 am Cuite excited about the future of 3lasma Dobile.

Best Distro for # De/ices: #rch Linux #

>ith the success of Android, we are now surrounded by A'D!powered deices !! from 'aspberry 3i to =hromebook and


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.re"a!ak na Linux

Da biste što prije počeli uspješno da koristite Linux, najbolje bi bilo da se sa njime prvo dobroupoznate. Nijedan novi početak nije nimalo lak i zbog toga ovaj tekst ima za cilj da vam što više olakša

prelazak na Linux. Bez obzira da li ste do sada koristili neki od Microsot !indo"s ili Mac #$ %

operativni& sistema ili ste pak, tek sada počeli da koristite računar, korisno bi bilo da razmotrite što

više mogu'nosti koje Linux mo(e da vam pru(i a zatim i odlučite da li je on za vas ili nije.


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ta 8e LinuxM

Linux je kernel )jezgro* operativnog sistema. #n čini glavnu

komponentu operativnog sistema jer predstavlja most izme+u korisnički& programa i stvarne obrade

podataka na &ardverskom nivou. Linux je napravio Linus orvalds dok je studirao na -elsinškom

niverzitetu u /inskoj. Maskota Linuxa je pingvin ux. 0ta je 1N2Linux3 1N2Linux je termin kojipromoviše 4ajednica za slobodan sotver )engl. /ree $ot"are /oundation* i

koji je izvorno potekao od 5ičarda $tolmana )5ic&ard $tallman* a predstavlja operativni sistem koji

uključuje 1N programe i Linux kernel u sebi. 6z razloga jednostavnosti često ga zovemo samo

Linux. 0ta je Linux distribucija3 Linux distribucija je deo amilije juniksoliki& )engl. nix7like* operativni&


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sistema izgra+eni& na bazi Linux kernela. $vaka Linux distribucija ili kra'e rečeno Linux distro, je

zapravo operativni sistem koji uključuje veliki broj korisnički& programa, kao što su Libre#8ce, 1imp,

6nkscape, Mozilla /ireox, itd. zavisnosti od izdavača svaka Linux distribucija dolazi sarazličitim paketima korisnički& programa. renutno postoji preko šest stotina Linux distribucija.

9reko tri stotine nji& se trenutno aktivno razvija, konstantno testira i unapre+uje.

Jo8a distribuci8a 8e ?a asM

koliko ste ostali bez da&a kada ste s&vatili da trebate da odaberete samo jedan distro od

stotine nji& po(eljno je da sebi postavite nekoliko pitanja. 9rije svega, koje su vaše potrebe koje

očekujete da novi distro za vas ispuni. koliko ste običan desktop korisnik najbolje je da razmislite o

koriš'enju jednostavni& Linux distribucija kao što su buntu Linux i Linux Mint.


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koliko (elite da istra(ujete i eksperimentišete, najbolje je da za to koristite krajnje pouzdane

distroe kao što je Debian. 6 na kraju, ukoliko ste napredni korisnik

kome trebaju "eb serveri i programski jezici razmislite o upotrebi distroa kao što su /edora ili $use.

NaOto treba da koristite LinuxM

9rije svega zato što imate slobodu da birate, a još više što uvijek mo(ete da znate šta je zapravo to što

birate. ako+e, pred vama je sotver otvorenog koda )slobodan sotver*, koga mo(ete slobodno

da izmenite ukoliko to po(elite. Linux je stabilan i pouzdan operativni sistem baziran na nix porodici

i prepun je poslovni& mogu'nosti. :ako mo(ete da koristite Linux3 Linux mo(ete da koristite na

dva načina. 6nstalacioni disk neke Linux distribucije je obično i live disk. $amim tim, tu Linux distribuciju

mo(ete da koristite direktno sa diska, pokretanjem operativnog sistema sa vašeg čitača diskova. :ada

se operativni sistem pokrene sa diska ka(e se da on radi u (ivom re(imu. ;ivi re(im prvenstveno

slu(i upravo za testiranje mnogobrojni& Linux distribucija. Bitno je da znate da se sve promjene koje

izvršite u sistemu kada ga koristite u live re(imu vra'aju na prvobitno stanje nakon što operativni

sistem restartujete i ponovo ga pokrenete u live re(imu. Dakle,

ukoliko nešto va(no radite na računaru dok ste pokrenuli Linux u live re(imu, obavezno


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snimite izmjene na neki od prenosni& medija prije nego što restartujete računar. Nakon što ste

isprobali više Linux distribucija u live re(imu i odlučili se za jednu koju bi nadalje koristili,

mo(ete je i instalirati na vašem računaru. Na vašem računaru mo(ete instalirati samo Linuxoperativni sistem, a mo(ete ga instalirati i uporedo sa nekim drugim operativnim sistemom, pri čemu

birate u koji 'ete operativni sistem da u+ete odma& nakon uključivanja računara.

hat is a Linux Distribution an* +o) to

Choose the Best 'neIf someone asks you what version of Linux are you using, they probably don’t mean which version of the

Linux kernel are you running, but rather which Linux distribution are you using and the version number of

that distribution. Technically, Linux is just an operating system kernel and all the other bits like the tools, the

graphical user interface and the apps are written separately and independently from that kernel. In fact many

of the tools and GUIs run equally well on systems like FreeBSD.

From early on, “Linux” became the de facto name for the entire OS from its kernel right up to the desktop

and it is this combination of kernel, installer, tools, GUI and apps which is known as a Linux distribution (or

distro). There are several major Linux distros, and thousands of minor ones, which can make picking the

right distribution a bit complicated.


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Among the top Linux distros are Mint, Debian, Ubuntu, Mageia, Fedora, openSUSE and CentOS. Each has

it own unique angle on what makes a good Linux distribution. Here is a brief look at what makes each one

special.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is probably the most widely used Linux distribution today. It is easy to install and easy to use.

Although based on the Debian distribution (see below) it includes a unique graphical user interface called

Unity.

Reviews about Unity have been mixed but overall the Linux community is starting to accept it. Unity can bereplaced with another desktop if desired, or one of the official Ubuntu variations can be installed like

Kubuntu, which comes with the KDE desktop.

A key advantage of Ubuntu is that it is built and supported by a commercial company, Canonical, which

means its rate of development is fast and there are also options for professional support. The company also

offers a Long Term Support (LTS) version, which receives five years of support from Canonical.

http://www.ubuntu.com/http://www.ubuntu.com/


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Mint


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Linux Mint has become increasingly popular over the last few years, in part due to Ubuntu’s inclusion of

Unity as the default desktop. Mint is based directly on Ubuntu (and therefore also Debian) but comes in a

variety of versions with different default desktops. Mint’s Cinnamon desktop is a new desktop built on GTK+,

the user interface toolkit of GNOME, but it is not dependent on GNOME itself. There are also versions ofMint using the MATE desktop, a fork of GNOME 2, as well as KDE and Xfce versions.

With its roots in Ubuntu, Mint is designed to be easy to use and customizable, while offering a more

traditional desktop experience.

http://www.linuxmint.com/http://www.linuxmint.com/


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Mageia

Mageia has a long heritage which stretches back to the late 1990s where it can trace it roots to MandrakeLinux and then the Mandriva Linux. Technically it is a fork of Mandriva which was launched when the

company behind Mandriva went in to liquidation. Even though it has a turbulent past, it still remains popular,

particularly in Europe.

openSUSE

http://www.mageia.org/http://www.mageia.org/


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openSUSE is the community version of SUSE Linux, a commercial Linux distribution which has been around

a long time. Like Ubuntu and Fedora, having a commercial version means the development of the

distribution is tied to a business meaning the releases are timely and forward thinking. The commercial

versions of SUSE can even run on mainframes, while the community version even has a special RaspberryPi build.

http://www.opensuse.org/http://www.opensuse.org/


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Debian


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Debian is truly the grandfather of Linux distributions. It has been around since 1996 and has only had 11

releases in 17 years. It favors stability over bleeding edge and is 100% open source shunning any

proprietary technology including the graphics drivers from AMD and NVIDIA. It isn’t really a distro for

beginners but it does offer solid stability.

Fedora

Fedora is the community-supported cooking pot version of Linux owned by Red Hat. Red Hat offers a

commercial derivative of Fedora (with an emphasis on stability and less new features) that it sells to

business as Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). For those interested in RHEL,CentOS (Community

Enterprise Operating System) is a rebuild of the RHEL sources which aims at 100% compatibility with RHEL

without infringing on any of Red Hat’s copyrights.

Fedora’s biggest disadvantage for beginners is that it has a very short support life cycle with versions

becoming obsolete within a year. However for those who want the latest technology and want it quickly,

Fedora is often seen as the darling Linux distro.

ConclusionPicking the best is hard, however here is a rule of thumb. If you are a Linux beginner but you are used to the

desktop environment of Windows or OS X, then Mint is probably the best option. If you want something a bit

different that is still easy to use, then go with Ubuntu. For techie types, Fedora is probably the best choice.

To run it as a server, CentOS is the default choice for many system admins.

http://www.debian.org/http://fedoraproject.org/http://www.centos.org/http://www.debian.org/http://fedoraproject.org/http://www.centos.org/


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Neroing in on high!traffic sites, >-echs found that among the top 1000, %ebian is used by Q. percent of sites.

>-echsPs sureys focus on the top one million websites as defined by popularity rankings from Alexa. A full of that top

million switch to %ebian Linux eery day, making it the fastest!growing operating system in this arena, >-echs says.

@his growth comes primarily from websites that are starting to use Linux, because we see in the technology change

report that many sites subseCuently switch from %ebian to the 5buntu distribution :which is based on %ebian;, the report

explains.

%ebian gains market share primarily from =ent&$, $u$, and "edora, says >-ech, whose surey results are depicted

in the graph below :click to enlarge;.

http://w3techs.com/technologies/changes/os-debianhttp://w3techs.com/technologies/changes/os-debianhttp://w3techs.com/technologies/changes/os-debianhttp://w3techs.com/technologies/changes/os-debian


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3.references Chan%e 4uick"&3

>hile %ebian has held the


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Documents

Top Linux Distros for 2016