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 Server. Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora, 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 i n ʊ k s/ ( listen) LEEN-uuks 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).
