this post was submitted on 02 Sep 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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Truthfully, documentation is your friend, read it and interpret it as best as you can.
Linux systems use Repositories to install “packages”, these packages are pieces of software that are either small or relatively large, for example the Linux kernel itself is a pre-installed package on every Linux distro.
Packages can sometimes depend on other packages to function properly, this is what we call “dependencies”, if you’re missing a dependency that a package requires it will likely fail to execute.
Lately we’ve been seeing packages like Flatpak and Snap enter the Linux ecosystem, their goal is to make Linux easy for newcomers such as yourself where you don’t have to worry about dependencies and you just click the “install” button for a package and be done with it however, in the background Flatpaks and Snaps put that package in a “virtualized container” with the already required dependencies installed, which works great for newcomers but most Linux veterans will prefer native packages as they’re easier to troubleshoot and requires less overhead (resources) from the computer.
Circling back, it is important to note the top 3 distributions available. Debian, Fedora and Arch the majority of distros out there base themselves off of one of these 3, Ubuntu is based off of Debian, SteamOS is based off of Arch and Nobara is based of off Fedora, you get the idea, personally I’m a Debian user and suggest it only if you want the ”raw” Linux experience otherwise I would suggest Linux Mint and or Kubuntu for beginners who’re just learning.