devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system. Linux also runs on embedded systems, i.e. Linux is the leading operating system on servers (over 96.4% of the top 1 million web servers' operating systems are Linux), leads other big iron systems such as mainframe computers, and is the only OS used on TOP500 supercomputers (since November 2017, having gradually eliminated all competitors). Although Linux is used by only around 2.3 percent of desktop computers, the Chromebook, which runs the Linux kernel-based Chrome OS, dominates the US K–12 education market and represents nearly 20 percent of sub-$300 notebook sales in the US.

Because of the dominance of the Linux-based Android on smartphones, Linux also has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems. Linux was originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture, but has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system. Because Linux is freely redistributable, anyone may create a distribution for any purpose. Distributions intended for servers may omit graphics altogether, or include a solution stack such as LAMP. Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system such as X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma. Commercial distributions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise. Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora Linux, and Ubuntu. 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. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution.ĭistributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Linux ( / ˈ l iː n ʊ k s/ ( listen) LEE-nuuks or / ˈ l ɪ n ʊ k s/ LIN-uuks) 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. GPLv2 and others (the name 'Linux' is a trademark )

Most distributions include a desktop environment ( GUI).

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