Linux is a wonderful thing because of its diversity, but in a sense that diversity is also its weakness, perhaps its greatest one. It's as paradox I know, but the truth is that there are just too many different versions of the OS, many of which have their own standards as regards installation package formats and so forth. If only all Linuxes could unite into one then maybe it would become the "completed" thing is deeply yearns to be.
"Four Linux companies on four continents have introduced a joint effort homogenize one version of the open-source software.... The Linux Core Consortium was launched Wednesday by Conectiva, Mandrakesoft, Progeny and Turbolinux, which are headquartered in Brazil, France, Japan and the United States, respectively. The group will work to create a common core implementation of the Linux Standard Base (LSB) 2.0 guideline, which will serve as the nucleus for the companies' future Linux products."
The goal of LSB 2.0 is to standardize how some aspects of Linux work, making it possible for the Linux Core Consortium to create programs that run on different companies' versions of Linux. Lending some credibility behind the movement, Red Hat and Novell's SuSE have also pledged support. Other important players such as Computer Associates International, Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems have also said they will conform, and have pledged their support also.