While your personal computer only keeps one copy of a file, large-scale services like Facebook rely on what are called content delivery networks to manage data and distribution.

We can't really tell you which distribution you should be using, for a couple of reasons; it really all depends on your personal preferences, and what you want to get done.

The invention of the printing press meant that many copies of a document could be produced more quickly than before, but distribution still relied on personal connections.