Difference between revisions of "GNU/Linux"

Revision as of 09:33, 17 August 2008

GNU/Linux is a Unix-like operating system composed of the Linux kernel developed by Linus Torvalds and the GNU userland as well as any other programs that organizations and individuals choose to distribute the operating system with. It should be noted that "Linux" is really just a kernel rather than an operating system. There is no single GNU/Linux operating system, but rather distributions (aka "distros") of GNU/Linux that are created and maintained by many different organizations and individuals. Some popular distributions of GNU/Linux are Fedora, Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Gentoo, and Slackware.

GNU/Linux is free software. Most distributions are free to use, modify, and redistribute without restrictions other than those set forth in the GPL (such as the requirement to keep it free software). Many promote the use of Linux over proprietary operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS because of it's technical superiority (security, reliability) and freedom.

Some argue that the free software movement that drives the development of GNU/Linux distributions is anarchist in nature.

Anarchist Linux distributions

• The most anarchistic distribution seems to be Blag Linux.
• Debian is non-commercial and depends heavily on its community. Other suggestions?
• idea: Black Flag Linux

Trivia

• Anarchopedia runs on Linux.
• Installing the anarchism package on Debian will download a copy of the Anarchist FAQ.

External links

• Linux kernel website
• GNU website
• Distrowatch Linux distribution database
• Reincarnating a discarded laptop with Linux (article how to generally install Linux on old Laptops, nice!)