Yeah it's just as simple as the calculator program I copy pasted in highschool computer class.
this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2025
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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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Well, the kernel is not “just a program” in that it is not like the other programs on your system. If it was, you would “just” run it in your shell. The kernel cannot run this way of course because it is not a user mode program.
That said, if course the kernel is a program in the sense that it is a set of machine instructions that make the hardware do what you want.
And the kernel is designed to talk to hardware and other programs—to be the bridge between the two. It is not something an end-user interacts with directly.
Well, the kernel is not “just a program” in that it is not like the other programs on your system. If it was, you would “just” run it in your shell. The kernel cannot run this way of course because it is not a user mode program.
Actually...
Point taken but….
UML requires:
1 - extensive support from the host kernel above and beyond what is required to execute for regular programs
2 - the guest kernel to be specially compiled to be a UML guest
In other words, even though UML allows a guest Linux kernel to execute as a process on a host Linux kernel, that Linux kernel is not “just a program” like every other user mode application is.
It’s a program certainly, but “just a program” is a bit misleading because it places it on the same footing as Doom or cat or an Arduino project. Linux is a ring 0 program, which processors give unique treatment.
Zaphod’s just zis guy, you know?
Thanks op this is a great article. Having compiled kernels since 2.4 or thenabouts, it's a great topic and I never really thought of it as just another program. Neat stuff!
On my arch install, all I have is vmlinuz-linux under /boot. How come there's no further information appended like in the article?
Different distros vary a bit here, and it will differ if you're on a system using efi.
Sometimes /boot isn't mounted by default (it's not needed unless you're updating a kernel). You may be seeing a symlink or placeholder there.
If you're using efi there will probably be /boot/EFI or something where your kernel is stored.
Pretty good article, I read both. Well explained without too much tech jargon.
I liked both this and the following article.
Pretty cool seeing everything it takes to have a minimalist Linux to boot, and I finally saw how to get started with strace that I've been postponing for like half a year.