WorldWide Telescope. Desktop Linux distributions -- from A to Z. (Updated April 26, 2007) There are hundreds of Linux distributions. This handy reference guide includes the ones we think are especially interesting for desktop Linux users -- from A rch Linux to Z enwalk -- and we plan to update the list on an ongoing basis. Whether you're looking for an easy Windows-to-Linux migration distro, one for home use or serious enterprise workstation use, a free one, a commercial one, a tiny one to fit alongside Windows 98 on an old underpowered laptop, or one aimed at educational institutions, we think you'll find something suitable, below.
Arch Linux This is a Linux distribution whose designers believe in KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid). Website: Recent news: Coming soon Reviews: Coming soon CRUX Linux Another Linux distribution whose designers believe in simplicity. Recent news: Reviews: Coming soon Damn Small Linux The name says it all. Recent news: Reviews: Fedora Foresight Linux Freespire Freespire 1.0 is Linspire's free Linux distribution. Gentoo Linspire Mandriva. DSL information. §. The Celestia Motherlode: Home. Celestia: Home. Watch and explore outer space with Stellarium, Celestia, and Xplanet.
The GNU GPL covers all three programs, and most major distributions include all of them as packages. Stellarium Stellarium lets you watch the night sky, learn about the stars, and find constellations without going outside or even waiting for dark. Stellarium won the SourceForge.net Project of the Month Award in May 2006, and Digitalis Education Solutions, Inc, uses Stellarium in portable planetarium projectors that sell for as much as $41,100. Stellarium comes with data to display more than 300,000 planets, stars, and other astronomical light sources, and from Stellarium's download page you get data to display even more stars. Start Stellarium from a desktop menu icon or type stellarium at a command prompt, and Stellarium will show the current Parisian sky. If you don't live in Paris, click the Settings button, choose the Location tab, and select a nearby city from the map.
I chose the nearest city to me, Philadelphia. Stellarium displays an empty field and clear sky. Celestia Xplanet.