this post was submitted on 13 Jan 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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Android as well. These are operating systems distributing Linux Kernel, therefore they are Linux distributions. Nothing more, nothing less. From there, it depends what the use case is to classify an operating system. Is it a Desktop system? A smartphone system? Or specifically made for gaming? For IOT devices or for servers or for supercomputers? Does it use GNU tools? Where is the line when you stop saying it is Linux based operating system?
Linux is Linux. ChromeOS is distributing the Linux Kernel. Even if an operating system wouldn't use the GNU tools and if you could not run the application that runs on your Desktop PC, does not mean it wouldn't be Linux. I don't care how people categorize it or arbitrary ignore Linux based systems.
Windows contains WSL. It's distributing the Linux kernel which makes it a Linux distro, right?
No. WSL contains entire operating systems. Embedding a distribution in an operating system doesn't make itself the operating system... The OS is Windows not Linux. I'm not sure if you are trolling or not...
I'm being a little facetious to highlight that your "operating systems distributing Linux Kernel, therefore they are Linux distributions" comment is a bit silly.
Yes technically Android and ChromeOS are Linux, but that's not really what people mean when they say Linux. It's not the Linux kernel specifically that they want, it's usually the freedom and openness.