this post was submitted on 12 Feb 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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I think to make an informed choice you need a certain understanding of what an operating system is at all and what might be differences etc. I'm talking about people who are afraid that their emails disappear from the webmailer if they buy a new laptop.
From my experience it's important that, after booting the PC, they immediately find the 1-x icons on the desktop to open the browser etc. Within the browser they need bookmarks to find webmail, banking etc.
They won't try to install new software, enter commands in the terminal or tweak around with the settings.
But to calm you down a bit: if they really don't like it, they can stick with Windows. ;)