this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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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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As a long time less-technical linux user I don't really wanna be that person but I do think its important to point out that generally the issues they were frustrated with are things that would be invisible to average users, and would irk the hell out of technically competent people and power users pretty much exclusively
I adore linux and have used it exclusively for like 10+ years, but it has a fair bit of jank that is most noticable to normal folks, and is frankly invisible to technical folks because it just doesnt pose a meaningful obstacle or speedbump to them. So yes, talking about the ways in which its way better is fantastic, but much of this is not a useful comparison for anyone except the people who already use linux and have happily done so for ages
There's kinda this disconnect where technical folks will tell you linux is light years ahead and so much better than dreadful proprietary options, and as a less technical art and design nerd, I can tell you it still really needs UX polish and attention to usability (like more graphical ways of doing things), and those are things that impact the kinds of folks who don't use linux and have been standard on windows and Mac for a long time.
It's both, but I do wish technical folks could see the things that less technical new users get hung up on, because that stuff is REALLY important for linux to keep improving if we want more and more adoption
Thats one of the reasons I'm so excited for it to be gaining steam (hah, Valve pun) with gamers, since volume of users that aren't sysadmins or pen testers is really important to those issues becoming visible to folks building linux and talking about where it needs to improve.