VIP, Automoderated users, Bureaucrats, Check users, Interface administrators, Suppressors, Administrators
18,533
edits
Linux: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit |
No edit summary Tag: 2017 source edit |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
'''Linux''' is an free and open source, monolithic, Unix-like, operating system kernel originally developed by [[w:Linus Torvalds|Linus Torvalds]] in 1991. By extension, the term also refers to full operating systems that combine the Linux kernel with a set of user | '''Linux''' is an free and open source, monolithic, Unix-like, operating system kernel originally developed by [[w:Linus Torvalds|Linus Torvalds]] in 1991. By extension, the term also refers to full operating systems that combine the Linux kernel with a set of system software, tools and user applications to provide a full user experience. These so-called Linux distributions usually bundle GNU tools, which led to the combination also often being called GNU/Linux. | ||
Operating systems such as [[Android]] and [[Chrome OS]] are also based on the Linux kernel; however, they are not usually considered Linux distributions due to the large differences in their architecture as compared to a conventional GNU/Linux system. | Operating systems such as [[Android]] and [[Chrome OS]] are also based on the Linux kernel; however, they are not usually considered Linux distributions due to the large differences in their architecture as compared to a conventional GNU/Linux system. | ||
== Distributions == | == Distributions == | ||
Linux distributions are operating systems that | Linux distributions are operating systems that bundle the Linux kernel with other common software to provide a complete environment. While most distributions offer the same basic Unix tools, they often differ in their overall focus and purpose, which impacts the choice of bundled application software or settings. Unlike most commercial operating systems, Linux distributions in general are also highly modular, making the used package management solution another key difference across various distributions. | ||
Overall, most Linux distributions can be organized into several groups: | Overall, most Linux distributions can be organized into several groups: | ||