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Linux

Linux is a family of free and open-source software operating systems built around the Linux kernel. Typically, Linux is packaged in a form known as a Linux distribution (or distro for short) for both desktop and server use. The defining component of a Linux distribution is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name. The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to refer to the operating system family, as well as specific distributions, to emphasize that most Linux distributions are not just the Linux kernel, and that they have in common not only the kernel, but also numerous utilities and libraries, a large proportion of which are from the GNU project.\

Widely used distributions

  • Debian, a non-commercial distribution and one of the earliest, maintained by a volunteer developer community with a strong commitment to free software principles and democratic project management

  • Knoppix, the first Live CD distribution to run completely from removable media without installation to a hard disk, derived from Debian

  • Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) uses Debian packages directly (rather than Ubuntu's)

  • Ubuntu, a desktop and server distribution derived from Debian, maintained by British company Canonical Ltd.

    • Kubuntu, the KDE version of Ubuntu

    • Linux Mint, a distribution based on and compatible with Ubuntu. Supports multiple desktop environments, among others GNOME Shell fork Cinnamon and GNOME 2 fork MATE.

    • Trisquel, an Ubuntu-based distribution based on Linux-libre kernel composed entirely of free software

    • Elementary OS, an Ubuntu-based distribution with strong focus on the visual experience without sacrificing performance.

  • Fedora, a community distribution sponsored by American company Red Hat and the successor to the company's previous offering, Red Hat Linux. It aims to be a technology testbed for Red Hat's commercial Linux offering, where new open source software is prototyped, developed, and tested in a communal setting before maturing into Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), a derivative of Fedora, maintained and commercially supported by Red Hat. It seeks to provide tested, secure, and stable Linux server and workstation support to businesses.

    • CentOS, a distribution derived from the same sources used by Red Hat, maintained by a dedicated volunteer community of developers with both 100% Red Hat-compatible versions and an upgraded version that is not always 100% upstream compatible.

    • Oracle Linux, which is a derivative of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, maintained and commercially supported by Oracle

    • Scientific Linux, a distribution derived from the same sources used by Red Hat, maintained by Fermilab

  • Mandriva Linux was a Red Hat derivative popular in several European countries and Brazil, backed by the French company of the same name. After the company went bankrupt, it was superseded by OpenMandriva Lx,[20][21] although a number of derivatives now have a larger user base.

  • Mageia, a community fork of Mandriva Linux created in 2010

  • PCLinuxOS, a derivative of Mandriva, which grew from a group of packages into a community-spawned desktop distribution

  • ROSA Linux, another former derivative of Mandriva, now developed independently

  • openSUSE, a community distribution mainly sponsored by German company SUSE.

  • SUSE Linux Enterprise, derived from openSUSE, maintained and commercially supported by SUSE

  • Arch Linux, a rolling release distribution targeted at experienced Linux users and maintained by a volunteer community, offers official binary packages and a wide range of unofficial user-submitted source packages. Packages are usually defined by a single PKGBUILD text file.

  • Manjaro Linux, a derivative of Arch Linux that includes a graphical installer and other ease-of-use features for less experienced Linux users. Rolling release packages from Arch repositories are held for further testing to achieve increased stability, and packages identified as addressing security issues of critical or high severity are "fast-tracked" to the stable branch.

  • Gentoo, a distribution targeted at power users, known for its FreeBSD Ports-like automated system for compiling applications from source code

  • Chrome OS, Google's commercial operating system (using Gentoo and its Portage) that primarily runs web applications

  • Chromium OS, the fully open-source version of Chrome OS

  • Slackware, created in 1993, one of the first Linux distributions and among the earliest still maintained, committed to remain highly Unix-like and easily modifiable by end users