It is a kernel, not an os. Anyways, what the f*ck is a kernel. The kernel is the thing that manages the ressources of the system and makes the software be able to communicate with the software.
The linux kernel is, guess what. A kernel ! It's a kernel but it's also free and open source. Why does it matter ? Since it's open source, people can :
- Make their own OSes with it
- contribute to it
That makes it one of the most secure kernels. It's also used in a lot of servers since it's also very stable.
There are a lot of OSes using Linux, they're called
Distros™. Which brings to :
A Distro is an operating system that uses Linux as a kernel. There are a lot, some you might know are:
- Ubuntu (known for crappy snap packages (but based on the extremely based Debian))
- (I use) Arch (BTW)
- LFS (Pure pain & suffering)
- Debian (A bit outdated but great overall)
- Fedora (I swear it's not a hat)
- SteamOS (GAMING)
- Linux for the PS2 (what ?)
- Hannah Montana Linux (...)
- Biebian (I'm not paid enough for this... leaves)
Anyways, most of them are free and open source. There are a lot of types of distros, there are rolling releases; such as Arch, Endeavour & OpenSuse Tumbleweed. They're distros that are constatly being updated and usually don't require reinstalling a new version.
Unless you mess up the install, some are really unstable (cough
arch cough). Then there are point release distros; Debian, Linux Mint, Fedora & OpenSuse Leap. They usually have packages that are a bit older but they are also a bit more stable.
Distros have varying levels of complexity and difficulty. The best distro for begginers, the one i always recommend is Linux Mint. It's simple to install, the cinnamon interface is clean and simple to use, and it's based on Ubuntu, so it has .deb compatibility, one of the biggest software repos and a big community and a lot of guides.
The Distro that i would only recommend to someone who wants to be tortured is LFS, also known as Linux From Scratch. It's a ~600 page long pdf explaining how to make your own Linux From Scratch. It's very instructive but it is HARD.
