Linux
is a Unix-like and mostly POSIX-compliant computer operating system
assembled under the model of free and open source software
development and distribution. The defining component of Linux is the
Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on 5 October
1991 by Linus Torvalds. The Free Software Foundation uses the name
GNU/Linux,
which has led to some controversy.
Linux was
originally developed as a free operating system for Intel x86-based
personal computers. It has since been ported to more computer
hardware platforms than any other operating system. It is a leading
operating system on servers and other big iron systems such as
mainframe computers and supercomputers. As of June 2013, more than
95% of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers run some variant of
Linux, including all the 44 fastest. Linux also runs on embedded
systems, which are devices whose operating system is typically built
into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system; this includes
mobile phones, tablet computers, network routers, facility automation
controls, televisions and video game consoles. Android, which is a
widely used operating system for mobile devices, is built on top of
the Linux kernel.
The
development of Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free
and open source software collaboration. The underlying source code
may be used, modified, and distributed—commercially or
non-commercially—by anyone under licenses such as the GNU General
Public License. Typically, Linux is packaged in a format known as a
Linux
distribution
for desktop and server use. Some popular mainstream Linux
distributions include Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, openSUSE,
Arch Linux, and the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE
Linux Enterprise Server. Linux distributions include the Linux
kernel, supporting utilities and libraries and usually a large amount
of application software to fulfill the distribution's intended use.
A
distribution oriented toward desktop use will typically include X11,
Wayland or Mir as the windowing system, and an accompanying desktop
environment such as GNOME or the KDE Software Compilation. Some such
distributions may include a less resource intensive desktop such as
LXDE or Xfce, for use on older or less powerful computers. A
distribution intended to run as a server may omit all graphical
environments from the standard install, and instead include other
software to set up and operate a solution stack such as LAMP. Because
Linux is freely redistributable, anyone may create a distribution for
any intended use.
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