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Server Distro Showdown: BTRFS, ZFS & Pragmatic Picks
Episode 3790
Published 3 days, 1 hour ago
Description
Why do server admins make such boringly pragmatic distro choices while desktop users debate wallpaper defaults? This episode unpacks the real decision tree behind server distro selection — where kernel versions, package availability, installer behavior, and support lifecycles matter far more than identity or aesthetics. We trace how filesystem support for BTRFS and ZFS can effectively pick your distro for you, examine what "supported" actually means across Ubuntu, Debian, OpenSUSE, and Fedora Server, and explore why Ubuntu dominates at 33% of web servers while Debian holds 20%. We also cover the death of CentOS, the rise of Rocky and AlmaLinux, OpenSUSE Leap's impending migration to ALP, and the CDDL vs GPLv2 legal standoff that keeps ZFS out of the Linux kernel tree.