So Linux Is Not Actually An OS
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It’s a piece of information that eludes and confuses people from the very first day they hear about it. Linux is not an operating system. No, rather it is a kernel that is used with various distributions that make up different bundles of software that happen to use the kernel.
Perhaps an easier way to look at it is by desktop. While not completely accurate, it is close enough to get the point across. KDE is a desktop environment bundled with a number of distros. Using the Linux kernel, it is not at all representative of what Linux actually is as it is merely the face of one type of desktop environment.And the same goes for GNOME.
As for whether or not we consider the various distros of Linux built for the desktop to be successful or not, I suppose you would have to consider that for Linux users, it is simply not a numbers game. It’s about personal experiences. If a specific desktop distro is meeting with your needs, then chances are that it is going to meet the needs a number of others who have yet to discover it yet. But it helps to present Linux on the desktop pre-installed and ready to go.
6 Comments
Sid Gilbert
July 16th, 2009
at 10:05am
I know it is a point of contention with some people whether or not Linux is a kernel or an operating system. I defer to Linus Torvalds. From Wikipedia: “Torvalds attended the University of Helsinki from 1988 to 1996, graduating with a master’s degree in computer science. His M.Sc. thesis was titled Linux: A Portable Operating System.” Since Linus Torvalds considers it an operating system, who am I to disagree?
Bouncerman
July 16th, 2009
at 3:58pm
According to that line of thought then, I would have also Windows. According to that theory, Windows was not an operating system until the earliest version of XP; which could even only be looked at as a partial OS. I can not say much about Vista, because I do as much as possible to steer clear of it, but prior to XP you were viewing GUI (Graphical User Interface) because it was the front end of DOS.
Curtis Allen Gibeaut Jr.
July 16th, 2009
at 4:00pm
Linux is an Operating system. Just because the core (kernel) does not have a UI doesn’t mean it is an operating system. The operating system is the code that carries out the system calls. Think of it this way. DOS was an operating system without a read UI. You can run linux headless. For that matter you can even run Windows Server 2008 headless now. The UI is just a layer added on to the operating System.
Even your alarm clock (electronic) has an operating system. It takes input and provides output in the form of time and alarms. And maybe music.
Sorry to sink your ship, but you first have to understand what an operating system is before jumping to a conclusion.
Curtis Allen Gibeaut Jr.
July 16th, 2009
at 4:01pm
Reposted due to some edits it needed.
Linux is an Operating system. Just because the core (kernel) does not have a UI doesn’t mean it isn’t an operating system. The operating system is the code that carries out the system calls. Think of it this way. DOS was an operating system without a real UI. You can run linux headless. For that matter you can even run Windows Server 2008 headless now. The UI is just a layer added on to the operating System.
Even your alarm clock (electronic) has an operating system. It takes input and provides output in the form of time and alarms. And maybe music.
Sorry to sink your ship, but you first have to understand what an operating system is before jumping to a conclusion.
Mike-Linux-NL
July 16th, 2009
at 4:28pm
when we look at a technical level, then yes, linux is indeed the kernel. The “operating system” as we know it, is a mixture of software, a desktop enviroment all powered by the linux kernel as its heart.
However, what we install from a cd or dvd, or as virtual machine can be considered as an OS. a distro in a whole provides software,drivers and a choice of desktop enviroments as a whole. even with updates and support. If its not an “Operating system” then with what are we working, when we say ” i am using linux”? The experience of a linux distro on the desktop is for the end user almost equal than a operating system like windows.
the only difference is, that a GNU/Linux system is using different independant parts, put together as 1.
we can tell, because the code is open and we can see it, and figure out how its put together. In windows u can’t see it since its all closed source.
So for my experience i can say its an OS, since it can as much as windows/osx in its own way.Lets not make it difficult by saying this is an OS and this is not. its all about what you experience to be a full operating system.
Connor Bryant
July 16th, 2009
at 5:05pm
Thanks for the info!