this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Android runs an only slightly modified Linux kernel, and yet the OS requires much less from the user than e.g. Windows or MacOS.
Chromebooks run a bog-standard Linux kernel and the target audience is kids.
My car's entertainment system runs a standard Linux kernel, and the UX is so cut down that PC expertise really doesn't matter when using it.
MacOS and iOS, two systems known for their ease of use, both stem from BSD, which comes from Unix.
The kernel has nothing to do with this.
In fact, the only mainstream kernel used in user-facing operating systems that doesn't "come from Unix" is Windows. Everything else is derived either from Linux or BSD, which both are derived from Unix.
There isn't even a mainstream phone OS anymore that doesn't "come from Unix".
If you don't root your Android, you can barely do anything. The UI on Android hides all of the ugliness of the implementation and that shows up as jarring bugs, which you can do nothing about as an ordinary user. If you use the manufacturer's stock OS it's always a horrible experience as well. They also use kernels which are very far from upstream and have a ton of custom proprietary patches. That's exactly my point regarding flashy nonsense. And that's exactly what Windows does as well.
Chromebooks rely on containers and web apps, but once you need to configure your OS, good luck.
MacOS and iOS rely on the company's complete control of their hardware, OS and apps. They have the most closed system out there and rely on things not changing too much. They also expect users to pay for every little inconvenience.
I've been using Linux for plenty of years now, I'm a fan, I love the model, I love the way it's developed, but I also recognize the issues it has. I love programming and going deep in the system, but that's not what ordinary users necessarily want. That's just the reality, the kernel is not setup and documented in a way that would allow easy comprehension and configuration. If you don't have that, then what can a user do when they have to configure the OS and you always need to do that for one reason or another. Companies like Canonical tried to market a model of keeping the system stable and comprehandable, but it never worked out in practice.