7 Common Linux Myths You Should Stop Believing
How-To Geek, Monday, June 3rd, 2024
Time to debunk some myths. Linux has come a long way since its inception. Yet, so many myths continue to cloud its reputation. Some of these myths have died in the long run. But a lot of them still exist. So I decided to wear my detective hat and investigate some of the myths surrounding Linux.
One of the most prevalent myths about Linux is that it refers to an operating system just like Windows or macOS. In reality, though, Linux is just the kernel, the core part of the operating system responsible for managing hardware resources and providing essential services to other software. So when someone says that they use Linux, what is actually meant is that they use an operating system based on the Linux kernel.
If we're going to dive deep into semantics, then you could say that Linux refers to the whole family of Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel. However, the more appropriate term for that would be "Linux distributions" or even "Linux distros" for short.