this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2026
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Linux
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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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Init managers for sure! Amongst file managers and DEs, firewalls, package managers, modern packaging systems and their sandbox/security systems, display servers (probably the funniest one), audio servers, filesystems.
Lots of stuff we should appreciate having as FOSS, especially the options we don't choose.
Fully switching over for the last couple years has made this modularity feel especially apparent compared to commercial systems (when things aren't always so seamlessly integrated) but I'm glad for it all; it's really fucking cool to think about how dramatically you can change the experience of a Linux desktop OS.