Over the years, another difference between distributions has come with the desktop
environment that is provided by default by the distribution. In recent years, distribu‐
tions have created their own custom views on existing desktop environments.
Whether it’s the GNU Object Model Environment (GNOME), the K Desktop Envi‐
ronment (KDE), or Xfce, they can all be customized with different themes and wall‐
papers and organization of menus and panels. Distributions will often provide their
own spin on a different desktop environment.
Some distributions, like Elementar‐
yOS, have even provided their own desktop environment.
While in the end the software all works the same, sometimes the choice of package
manager or even desktop environment can make a difference to users. Additionally,
the depth of the package repository can make a difference to some users. They may
want to ensure they have a lot of choices in software
they can install through the
repository rather than trying to build the software by hand and install it. Different
distributions may have smaller repositories, even if they are based on the same pack‐
age management utilities and formats as other distributions. Because of dependencies
of software that need to be installed before the software
you are looking for will work,
packages are not always mix-and-match between even related distributions.
Sometimes, different distributions will focus on specific groups of users, rather than
being general-purpose distributions for anyone who wants a desktop. Beyond that,
distributions like Ubuntu will even have two separate installation
distributions per
release, one for a server installation and one for a desktop installation. A desktop
installation generally includes a graphical user interface (GUI), whereas a server
installation won’t, and as a result will install far fewer packages. The fewer packages,
the
less exposure to attack, and servers are often where sensitive information is stored
in addition to being systems that may be more likely to be exposed to unauthorized
users.
Kali Linux is a distribution that is specifically tailored to a particular type of user—
those who are interested in performing security testing or forensics work. Kali Linux,
as a distribution
focused on security testing, falls into the desktop category, and there
is no intention to limit the number of packages that are installed to make Kali harder
to attack. Someone focused on security testing will probably
need a wide variety of
software packages, and Kali loads their distribution out of the gate. This may seem
mildly ironic, considering distributions that focus on keeping their systems safe from
attack (sometimes
called
secure
) tend to limit the packages. Kali, though, is focused
on testing, rather than keeping the distribution safe from attack.
