this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2026
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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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Whether a system(d) service is activated by default after you install a package is a distro-specific choice. I know Debian and derivatives do, so it will be started at the next reboot; while Arch and derivatives don't, requiring an explicit
systemctl enable [--now] something.serviceto run it. The devs of the distro try to pick what they think their userbase wants and after the initial decision is taken it's not a behaviour that can be changed lightly.Regarding running as root, sometimes it's just the default configuration that can be changed to a dedicated user, other times it's required by the privileges they use (e.g. if they need to open a port below 1024)
that is a nice thing to know. Thank you