This page discusses the process of having a distribution listed in the DistroWatch database and explains why it could take a long time for a new distribution to be accepted.
Distribution Submission
Once you've created a Linux distribution and would like to have it listed on DistroWatch, you should e-mail us to tell us about your project. Please provide the following four pieces of information in your e-mail:
The name of the project or distribution.
The URL of the project's website.
A brief description of the distribution, such as its goal(s) and what other distribution it uses as its base, if applicable.
A link to the distribution's installmedia media (ISO file).
We will take a look at the website and will let you know if we need further information. There are a few situations where we might not list a new distribution, but those are rare.
A newly submitted distribution will not be added to the DistroWatch database straight away; instead it will first go on the waiting list. However, it will be briefly mentioned in the next issue of DistroWatch Weekly. The waiting list is maintained for two reasons:
We receive an average of 2 - 4 distro submissions each week (every Tom, Dick and Harry has now created one) and we don't have the time and resources to add every one of them to the database straight away. The listing process itself is not particularly time-consuming, but once a distribution is added, it will also require a life-long commitment to monitor the project, update the package listing, boot/install the distribution and take screenshots, publish news, check the page for broken links, etc.
The waiting list gives a new project time to mature. Given that a large number of newly created distributions don't survive beyond the first year of their existence, it gives the new project time to set up a proper infrastructure, including forums, mailing lists, documentation, bug tracking databases, etc. This normally takes some time, but once the project shows the commitment to putting these in place, their chances of listing on DistroWatch will increase exponentially. Nevertheless, be prepared for a long wait.
If all this sounds depressing, there is some good news for those developers who absolutely and desperately want to have their distribution listed on DistroWatch today. All you need to do is to buy an advertising banner and your distro will be listed straight away. Additionally, your banner will attract extra visitors to your website. Currently the smallest advertising deal available is 100,000 impressions of a standard leaderboard (728x90 pixels), which costs US$220.00 (half of this amount will be donated to open-source software projects as part of the monthly DistroWatch donations programme). Of course you are welcome to purchase a more cost-effective advertisement - please see this page for further details. If you'd like to pursue this option please use the advertising page to make a payment (via PayPal or with a credit card) and e-mail us one or more 720x90 banner in GIF, JPG or PNG formats (no Flash please). Further good news is that once your distro is listed on DistroWatch, it will apparently be also accepted for listing on Wikipedia. Needless to say, you should only pursue this option if you are serious about your distribution and plan to maintain it for a long time.
One last comment: We won't enter into any correspondence regarding listing of distributions on DistroWatch. Over the years we have received too many angry and abusive e-mails from distro developers to engage in any such conversation. If you don't have the budget to buy advertising (and don't have enough satisfied users who would donate funds), your only other course of action is patience.
Here is the current waiting list of distributions to be included in DistroWatch:
Projects waiting evaluation:
Projects not yet ready:
Projects with locale, language or trademark concerns:
Projects which are ready to be added, pending new release:
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