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# System prepended metadata

title: What is Linux?

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# What is Linux?

**Linux is a Kernel**, this is the part of your Operating System which allows your Applications and Programs to talk to your Hardware
<span style="font-size:12px;color:grey">(For example: it allows your favourite game to "talk" to your CPU and GPU)</span>

**Linux is often used to make Desktop operating systems**, Ubuntu would be one you have likely heard of, or maybe even Linux Mint

**Outside of Ubuntu, many other Linux Distributions exist**, made by different people with different goals, and with different technologies

**What Linux Distro you choose is up to you, because there is no best one.**
but here are some popular Linux Distros to get you started:

:::spoiler popular Linux distros
- [Zorin OS](https://zorin.com/os/) --- Linux Distribution made for people switching from Windows/macOS
- [Pop!_OS](https://pop.system76.com/) --- Linux Distro made by System76 with a unique desktop experience
- [Fedora](https://getfedora.org) --- A set of Linux Distributions which offers many modern technologies ootb^1^, as well as many different Desktop Environments to choose from
<span style="font-size:12px;color:grey">1 --- for instance Wayland, PipeWire, PipeWire-Pulse or Offline Upgrades</span>
- [Linux Mint](https://linuxmint.com/) --- A Linux distribution made by developers with experience, designed to be an all-round system which works ootb
:::

*[Linux Distribution]: An Operating System made using Linux
*[Linux Distributions]: Operating Systems made using Linux
*[Linux Distros]: Operating Systems made using Linux
*[Linux Distro]: An Operating System made using Linux
*[Wayland]: A modern Display Server Protocol, which is aimed at replacing X.org
*[ootb]: Out Of The Box (By Default)
*[PipeWire]: Software for Multimedia processing on Linux
*[PipeWire-Pulse]: An addition to Pipewire, which adds Audio functionality compatible with PulseAudio
*[PulseAudio]: An older Audio implementation used on Linux, which has been mostly replaced by PipeWire
*[Offline Upgrades]: Upgrades/Updates, which reboot the PC to apply