this post was submitted on 24 Nov 2025
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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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Is that headline number for the free or paid for version? I couldn't tell from the article.
Looks like all downloads are direct from them, so it's much harder for distros using torrents to know their install base, but I suspect they're not much different.
I've seen increased activity with the Arch, Mint & Raspios torrents that I seed - although I don't have cold figures to say how much by.
Why would someone get a free OS from anywhere other than the developer website?
Download mirrors and torrents to save the developer's bandwidth cost and to get the files faster. Safe, if you know how to verify the integrity of the files.
And only if you get the torrent / magnet from the official site.