Although the core of BU Linux is very similar to that of CentOs  or Fedora (any packages written specifically for CentOs/Fedora or Red Hat Linux should work fine), there are many key differences. Among them:

• Network install tailored for the BU environment. The install program asks fewer questions, because it already knows many of the answers.

• Works with centralized BU login names and Kerberos authentication. Users don't need to have local passwords. (Local passwords and NIS will still work if desired.) The new add-bu-user program (or the useradd -K option in previous releases) automatically configures Global UID compliant accounts.

  And, the system-config-users graphical tool also does automatic lookup of BU login names. You can access this program by logging into X as root using the default session, or by logging in as a regular user and choosing it from the System Settings menu.

• Tighter default security, making BU Linux systems safe to run in labs out of the box (when appropriate physical/hardware-access security is in place).

• Essential updates are automatically installed via bulinux-autoupdate. This makes it simple to keep your system up-to-date with the latest security fixes.
  
  You can also yum to install packages which you don't have on your system.

• OpenSSH configured for BU network. This is the preferred method for connecting between systems, replacing the older and much less secure telnet and rsh.

• OpenAFS allows access to campus-licensed programs like Matlab, Mathematica, SPlus, and Maple. (Please check with us for licensing and access details.)

• Local system administrators (in the group wheel) have sudo privileges, allowing secure and logged access to administrative functions.

  Members of wheel will also have sudo-like acceses to the graphical configuration tools.

• Automatic root alias management system attempts to insure that important system messages are delivered to a human being.

• Configured to automatically sync system clocks with our time servers.

• Many small usability tweaks and improvements to programs like less and joe. Several other packages have been updated to their latest versions.

• Added around 300 packages, including:

  • Window Maker desktop environment (including wmweather+ preconfigured for Boston)
  • FluxBox lightweight window manager
  • Dillo web browser (tiny and fast)
  • bash_completion (command-line junkies will wonder how they did without this)
  • Blender, a full-featured 3D graphics creation suite
  • Inkscape SVG vector-drawing program
  • Pybliographer framework for bibliographic databases
  • QCad 2d CAD program
  • PARI/GP number theory-oriented computer algebra system
  • 'R' language and environment for statistical computing and graphics, including R-gnomeGUI.
  • GAP system for computational discrete algebra
    
  • GRASS geographic information analysis system
    
  • LyX document processing system
  • Scribus desktop publishing program
    
  • BU utilities like ph, bkupfile, and flost
  • Audacity and Sweep sound editors
  • Objective Caml compiler and programming environment
  • SQLite self-contained zero-configuration database
  • Programmer's utilities like astyle and c_count
  • Additional libraries — ClanLib, Allegro, and others. This will make it easier for you to build other open source programs, or for us to add them to the distribution at your request
  • Perl modules from CPAN (dozens included; we'll add others on request)
  • many popular Python modules
    
  • Games! BSD games, LinCity, IceBreaker, Heroes, Enigma, SuperTux, TuxKart, Nethack Falcon's Eye, Foobillard, Powermanga, and more.