this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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It could be done if you partition your disk prior to installing but, if there is no particular reason, you could make a bunch of VM's and daily drive one of the distros.
ummmm I dont really think I can give a good reason lol, just the way I want to do it. I feel if they're physically installed on my system, it would sort of force me to use other options, thus furthering my learning. I feel VMs or more impersonal and temporary. I use Ventoy for live OSs just to get a feel for things, but when it actually comes to daily use, I'd rather have them installed.
pick one. you'll end up with a favorite you use all of the time anyway, and sooner than you expect--after rebooting into this-or-that constantly to run something specific that's set up in it, or when you get tired of duplicating efforts a half-dozen times in all of them. you'll soon forget which distro has which app set up which way.
the rest in VMs so you can be familiar with their package management, system layout, and such. You can spin 'em up, destroy 'em, run them simultaneously, try out a new package or application or configuration, whatever; and in that process, mess shit up (it happens) without any damage done to your daily-use OS.
you mess up your octo-boot system and it won't boot up. you need answers. your only pc is on vacay. what are you gonna do? use your phone's tiny screen and poke questions or searches into google or stack one letter at a time? nah, mate. don't make it difficult when it don't need to be.
well damn lol.... this is deflating. I honestly would rather avoid VMs for now. trying to focus more on the meat and potatoes of Linux and other topics. I took a deep dive down virtualization and I got lost quickly and broke some stuff haha not really sure if now is the time for me to learn it. I've sorta put it on the backburner for now. So no easier, alternatives? You think manually doing this is not a good idea?
To be honest, VMs are probably the easiest way to do it, like many said already. You don't need to deep dive into virtualization to set up a few VMs and use them to learn about different distros. No need to think about how to partition your drive, mounting swap partition, disable hibernation... Want to try out another OS? Just create a new VM and you a ready to use it. You can simply create shared folders between host and guest and enable shared clipboard, if you want. Switching between the different systems is much easier than shutting down and rebooting another OS. You can even run them at the same time if you want and your hardware is good enough. And aside from the better convenience, the potential to break something is much less compared to tinkering around with a multi boot system, imo.
Do you have a recommended platform for virtualization that would fit my project?
I use VirtualBox, mostly because I started with that years ago amd had no reason to change. From what you described, it's capable of your project.
Perfect, thank you!
Just pick a distro. It sounds like you want to learn. I suggest arch. It does the least for you, is the least opinionated, but also has by far the best documentation (arch wiki is the de facto linux documentation).
The difference between the distros is otherwise simply what package management tool they use, and what packages are in their repository. Nothing else is different that's of any importance.
Do you have a recommended virtualization platform for such a project like this? Looks like that will be the route to take. I just want them to be actual workstations that keep all your settings and everything in place, not just like a sandbox to play around with. Not only do I want to learn other distros but I would like the option of actually using them for daily use as well