Linux is an operating system kernel, the core of the android and GNU operating systems that manages things like memory, processes and hardware.
First released in 1991, the Linux kernel complemented the gnu project to create a working operating system.
The kernels author, Linus Torvalds, as well as most open-source advocates, refer to this operating system as «Linux.»
Free software advocates, who created the gnu operating system, usually refer to this as «GNU/Linux» or «GNU+Linux.»
There is no legal requirement to include «GNU» in the name, so its use is a good indicator that the person calling it this really cares about your freedom.
GNU/Linux is most commonly shared or downloaded as part of a «software distribution» or «distro».
This page was last edited on 2026-10-08 22:39:22.
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