this post was submitted on 04 Jun 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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The different spins are just different default desktop environments with the same underlying system otherwise.
Gnome or KDE are the two most popular desktop environments. Gnome is more like MacOS (simplified, smooth, and minimal), while KDE is a bit more like Windows (verbose, menus laid out how you'd expect).
You choose whichever and just run it. You can just run a LiveUSB of whatever to try out for a few days and get a feel for both, or just dive in and install something. If you find you don't like something, just switch to a different distro spin. Either way works.