Comment by vkazanov
2 months ago
In practice Linux is a family of different OSes. Sometimes POSIX-centric, sometimes not.
What do you even count as "an OS"? Linux + gnu userland + Gnome? Or is it KDE? Embedded Linux? Does ChromeOS count? LG's WebOS?
2 months ago
In practice Linux is a family of different OSes. Sometimes POSIX-centric, sometimes not.
What do you even count as "an OS"? Linux + gnu userland + Gnome? Or is it KDE? Embedded Linux? Does ChromeOS count? LG's WebOS?
Desktop Linux has a clear scope, and we all know. We can act like we don't, but we do.
Can I install LibreOffice on Android? Gnome, KDE, Xfce? Which percentage of packages in the Debian repos can I use on Android?
Linux is a kernel, that's it. There is an organisation maintaining it, and also the trademark.
There is also a major family of OSes building on the kernel + gnu userspace, which you probably call "desktop linux".
In my house there are dozens of devices running linux the kernel: routers, a tv set, washing machines, NAS, printers, etc. Some have the full gnu posix-like stack, others are very barebones.
Then, there's is a bunch of android devices running the kernel as well.
What's wrong with all of these? At what point should i draw a line?
To me, Desktop Linux is the Linux I run on my work computer: the one that has a screen, a keyboard and a mouse. It is based on Linux (obviously), the GNU userland to some extent, and then it has a graphical environment (usually based on Xorg or Wayland).
This is different from embedded Linux or Linux on a server. And this is different from Linux-the-kernel (which runs on Android).
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