this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2023
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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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What are the major components of any Linux distribution? (lemm.ee)
submitted 11 months ago by perishthethought@lemm.ee to c/linux@lemmy.ml
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Hi all - I am learning about Linux and want to see if my understanding is correct on this - the list of major parts of any distro:

  1. the Linux Kernel
  2. GRUB or another bootloader
  3. one or more file systems (gotta work with files somehow, right?)
  4. one or more Shells (the terminal - bash, zsh, etc...)
  5. a Desktop Environment (the GUI, if included, like KDE or Gnome - does this include X11 or Wayland or are those separate from the DE?)
  6. a bunch of Default applications and daemons (is this where systemd fits int? I know about the GNU tools, SAMBA, CUPS, etc...)
  7. a Package Manager (apt, pacman, etc...)

Am I forgetting anything at this 50,000 foot level? I know there are lots of other things we can add, but what are the most important things that ALL Linux distributions include?

Thanks!

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[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm surprised you put shell so high when it tends to be less impactful in my experience. Like I care a lot more if my distro is using GNOME instead of KDE a lot more than if it's using bash instead of zsh. Plus it's easy to install and use a different shell

[–] khorovodoved@lemm.ee 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

It is easy to install another shell indeed, but it is quite difficult to configure it. While installation of DE is usually done with just one command. And you can use linux without DE, but not without shell. Many distributions even do not install DE by default at all.

[–] bionicjoey@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

Okay but unless you are spending a lot of time in the command line, one (POSIX compliant) shell is as good as another. Like yes every distro needs a shell, but I don't much care which shell it is.