Besides theLinux distributions designed for general-purpose use on desktops and servers, distributions may be specialized for different purposes includingcomputer architecture support,embedded systems, stability, security, localization to a specific region or language, targeting of specific user groups, support forreal-time applications, or commitment to a given desktop environment. Furthermore, some distributions deliberately include onlyfree software. As of 2015[update], over four hundred Linux distributions are actively developed, with about a dozen distributions being most popular for general-purpose use.[1]
The popularity of Linux on standard desktop computers and laptops has been increasing over the years.[2] Most modern distributions include a graphical user environment, with, as of February 2015[update], the three most popular environments being theKDE Plasma Desktop,Xfce andGNOME.[3][4][5]
No single official Linux desktop exists: rather desktop environments and Linux distributions select components from a pool offree and open-source software with which they construct a GUI implementing some more or less strict design guide. GNOME, for example, has itshuman interface guidelines as a design guide, which gives thehuman–machine interface an important role, not just when doing the graphical design, but also when considering people withdisabilities, and even when focusing on security.[6]
The collaborative nature of free software development allows distributed teams to performlanguage localization of some Linux distributions for use in locales where localizing proprietary systems would not be cost-effective. For example, theSinhalese language version of theKnoppix distribution became available significantly before Microsoft translatedWindows XP into Sinhalese.[7] In this case theLanka Linux User Group played a major part in developing the localized system by combining the knowledge of university professors,linguists, and local developers.
The performance of Linux on the desktop has been a controversial topic;[8] for example in 2007Con Kolivas accused the Linux community of favoring performance on servers. He quit Linux kernel development out of frustration with this lack of focus on the desktop, and then gave a "tell all" interview on the topic.[9] Since then a significant amount of development has focused on improving the desktop experience. Projects such assystemd andUpstart (deprecated in 2014) aim for a faster boot time; the Wayland and Mir projects aim at replacingX11 while enhancing desktop performance, security and appearance.[10] Userspacescheduler extensions make it possible to use a scheduler specialized for a specific usage, such as gaming or desktop usage.[11][12]
Many popular applications are available for a wide variety of operating systems. For example,Mozilla Firefox,LibreOffice andBlender have downloadable versions for all major operating systems. Furthermore, some applications initially developed for Linux, such asPidgin, andGIMP, were ported to other operating systems (includingWindows andmacOS) due to their popularity. In addition, a growing number of proprietary desktop applications are also supported on Linux,[13] such asAutodesk Maya andThe Foundry's Nuke in the high-end field of animation and visual effects; see the list of proprietary software for Linux for more details. There are alsoseveral companies that have ported their own or other companies' games to Linux, with Linux also being a supported platform on both theSteam andDesura digital-distribution services.[14]
Many other types of applications available for Microsoft Windows and macOS also run on Linux. Commonly, either afree software application will exist which does the functions of an application found on another operating system, or that application will have a version that works on Linux, such as withSkype and somevideo games likeDota 2 andTeam Fortress 2. Furthermore, theWine project provides a Windows compatibility layer to run unmodified Windows applications on Linux. It is sponsored by commercial interests includingCodeWeavers, which produces a commercial version of the software. Since 2009, Google has also provided funding to the Wine project.[15][16]CrossOver, a proprietary solution based on the open-source Wine project, supports running Windows versions ofMicrosoft Office,Intuit applications such asQuicken andQuickBooks,Adobe Photoshop versions through CS2, and many games such asWorld of Warcraft. In other cases, where there is no Linux port of some software in areas such asdesktop publishing[17] andprofessional audio,[18][19][20] there is equivalent software available on Linux. It is also possible to run applications written forAndroid on other versions of Linux usingAnbox (deprecated) or withWaydroid.
Besides externally visible components, such asX window managers, a non-obvious but quite central role is played by the programs hosted byfreedesktop.org, such asD-Bus orPulseAudio; both major desktop environments (GNOME and KDE) include them, each offering graphical front-ends written using the corresponding toolkit (GTK orQt). Adisplay server is another component, which for the longest time has been communicating in the X11 display server protocol with its clients; prominent software talking X11 includes theX.Org Server andXlib. Frustration over the cumbersome X11 core protocol, and especially over its numerous extensions, has led to the creation of a new display server protocol,Wayland.
Installing, updating and removing software in Linux is typically done through the use of package managers such as theSynaptic Package Manager,PackageKit, andYum Extender. While most major Linux distributions have extensive repositories, often containing tens of thousands of packages, not all the software that can run on Linux is available from the official repositories. Alternatively, users can install packages from unofficial repositories, download pre-compiled packages directly from websites, or compile the source code by themselves. All these methods come with different degrees of difficulty; compiling the source code is in general considered a challenging process for new Linux users, but it is hardly needed in modern distributions and is not a method specific to Linux.
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Linux distributions have also become popular in thenetbook market, with many devices such as theAsus Eee PC andAcer Aspire One shipping with customized Linux distributions installed.[21]
In 2009, Google announced itsChromeOS as a minimal Linux-based operating system, using theChrome browser as the main user interface. ChromeOS initially did not run any non-web applications, except for the bundled file manager and media player. Netbooks that shipped with the operating system, termedChromebooks, started appearing on the market in June 2011.[22]
By 2015 Chromebooks with large screens were available, and also in other forms factors such as laptop, desktop, tablet and all-in-one.Android applications support was added.[23] As of 2018, Google added the ability to install any Linux software in a container,[24] enabling ChromeOS to be used like any other Linux distribution.
Linux distributions have long been used asserver operating systems, and have risen to prominence in that area;Netcraft reported in September 2006, that eight of the ten (other two with "unknown" OS) most reliable internet hosting companies ran Linux distributions on theirweb servers,[25] with Linux in the top position. In June 2008, Linux distributions represented five of the top ten,FreeBSD three of ten, andMicrosoft two of ten;[26] since February 2010, Linux distributions represented six of the top ten, FreeBSD three of ten, and Microsoft one of ten,[27] with Linux in the top position.
Linux distributions are the cornerstone of theLAMP server-software combination (Linux,Apache,MariaDB/MySQL,Perl/PHP/Python) which is one of the more common platforms for website hosting.[28]
Linux distributions have become increasingly common onmainframes, partly due to pricing and the open-source model.[29] In December 2009, computer giantIBM reported that it would predominantly market and sell mainframe-based Enterprise Linux Server.[30] AtLinuxCon North America 2015, IBM announcedLinuxONE, a series of mainframes specifically designed to run Linux and open-source software.[31][32]
Linux distributions are also dominant asoperating systems forsupercomputers.[33] As of November 2017, all supercomputers on the500 list run some variant of Linux.[34]
Several operating systems forsmart devices, such assmartphones,tablet computers,home automation,smart TVs (Samsung andLGSmart TVs useTizen andWebOS, respectively),[37] andin-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems[38] (for exampleAutomotive Grade Linux), are based on Linux. Major platforms for such systems includeAndroid,Firefox OS,Mer andTizen.
Based on web use, Android'susage share of operating systems dominates globally, with almost double the marketshare of Microsoft Windows. As of September 2024 it has 45.4% of the global market, followed by Windows with less than 25.6%.[39]
Although Android is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel, commentators disagree on whether the term "Linux distribution" applies to it, and whether it is "Linux" according to the common usage of the term. Android is aLinux distribution according to theLinux Foundation,[40] Google's open-source chiefChris DiBona,[41] and several journalists.[42][43] Others, such as Google engineer Patrick Brady, say that Android is not Linux in the traditionalUnix-like Linux distribution sense; Android does not include theGNU C Library (it usesBionic as an alternative C library) and some other components typically found in Linux distributions.[44]Ars Technica wrote that "Although Android is built on top of the Linux kernel, the platform has very little in common with the conventional desktop Linux stack".[44]
Cellphones and PDAs running Linux on open-source platforms became more common from 2007; examples include theNokia N810,Openmoko'sNeo1973, and theMotorola ROKR E8. Continuing the trend,Palm (later acquired byHP) produced a new Linux-derived operating system,webOS, which is built into its line ofPalm Pre smartphones.
Nokia'sMaemo, one of the earliest mobile operating systems, was based onDebian.[45] It was later merged withIntel'sMoblin, another Linux-based operating system, to formMeeGo.[46] The project was later terminated in favor of Tizen, an operating system targeted at mobile devices as well as IVI. Tizen is a project withinThe Linux Foundation. SeveralSamsung products are already running Tizen,Samsung Gear 2 being the most significant example.[47]Samsung Z smartphones will use Tizen instead of Android.[48]
As a result of MeeGo's termination, the Mer project forked the MeeGo codebase to create a basis for mobile-oriented operating systems.[49] In July 2012,Jolla announcedSailfish OS, their own mobile operating system built upon Mer technology.
Mozilla's Firefox OS consists of the Linux kernel, ahardware abstraction layer, aweb-standards-basedruntime environment and user interface, and an integratedweb browser.[50]
Canonical has releasedUbuntu Touch, aiming to bring convergence to the user experience on this mobile operating system and its desktop counterpart,Ubuntu. The operating system also provides a full Ubuntu desktop when connected to an external monitor.[51]
TheLibrem 5 is a smartphone developed byPurism. By default, it runs the company-made Linux-basedPureOS, but it can also run other Linux distributions.[52] Like Ubuntu Touch, PureOS is designed with convergence in mind, allowing desktop programs to run on the smartphone. An example of this is the desktop version ofMozilla Firefox.[53]
Another smartphone is thePinePhone, made by the computer manufacturerPine64. The PinePhone can run a variety of Linux-based operating systems such as Ubuntu Touch andpostmarketOS.[54]
Due to its low cost and ease of customization,Linux is often used inembedded systems. In the non-mobile telecommunications equipment sector, the majority ofcustomer-premises equipment (CPE) hardware runs some Linux-based operating system.OpenWrt is a community-driven example upon which many of the OEM firmware releases are based.
For example, theTiVo digital video recorder also uses a customized Linux,[55] as do several networkfirewalls androuters from such makers asCisco/Linksys. TheKorg OASYS, theKorg KRONOS, theYamaha Motif XS/Motif XFmusic workstations,[56] Yamaha S90XS/S70XS, Yamaha MOX6/MOX8 synthesizers, Yamaha Motif-Rack XStone generator module, and Roland RD-700GXdigital piano also run Linux. Linux is also used instage lighting control systems, such as the WholeHogIII console.[57]
In the past, there were few games available for Linux. In recent years, more games have been released with support for Linux (especiallyIndie games), with the exception of a fewAAA title games.Android, a mobile platform which uses theLinux kernel, has gained much developer interest and is one of the main platforms for mobile game development along withiOS operating system byApple foriPhone andiPad devices.
On February 14, 2013,Valve released a Linux version ofSteam, a gaming distribution platform on PC.[58] Many Steam games were ported to Linux.[59] On December 13, 2013, Valve releasedSteamOS, a gaming-oriented OS based on Debian, forbeta testing, and had plans to shipSteam Machines as a gaming and entertainment platform.[60] Valve has also developedVOGL, anOpenGL debugger intended to aid video game development,[61] as well as porting itsSource game engine to desktop Linux.[62] As a result of Valve's effort, several prominent games such asDotA 2,Team Fortress 2,Portal,Portal 2 andLeft 4 Dead 2 are now natively available on desktop Linux.
On July 31, 2013,Nvidia releasedShield as an attempt to use Android as a specialized gaming platform.[63]
Some Linux users play Windows-based games usingWine orCrossOver Linux.
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On August 22, 2018, Valve released their own fork of Wine calledProton, aimed at gaming. It features some improvements over the vanilla Wine such as Vulkan-based DirectX 11 and 12 implementations, Steam integration, better full screen and game controller support and improved performance for multi-threaded games.[64]
In 2021, ProtonDB, an online aggregator of games supporting Linux, stated that 78% of the top thousand games on Steam were able to run on Linux using eitherProton or a native port.[65]
On February 25, 2022, Valve releasedSteam Deck, ahandheld gaming console runningArch Linux-based operating system SteamOS 3.0.[66][67]
Due to the flexibility, customizability and free and open-source nature of Linux, it becomes possible to highly tailor Linux towards a specific purpose. There are two main methods to assemble a specialized Linux distribution: building from scratch or from a general-purpose distribution as a base. The distributions often used for this purpose includeDebian,Fedora,Ubuntu (which is itself based on Debian),Arch Linux,Gentoo, andSlackware. In contrast, Linux distributions built from scratch do not have general-purpose bases; instead, they focus on theJeOS philosophy by including only necessary components and avoidingresource overhead caused by components considered redundant in the distribution's use cases.
Ahome theater PC (HTPC) is a PC that is mainly used as an entertainment system, especially ahome theater system. It is normally connected to a television, and often an additional audio system.
OpenELEC, a Linux distribution that incorporates the media center softwareKodi, is an OS tuned specifically for an HTPC. Having been built from the ground up adhering to the JeOS principle, the OS is very lightweight and very suitable for the confined usage range of an HTPC.
There are also special editions of Linux distributions that include theMythTV media center software, such asMythbuntu, a special edition of Ubuntu.
Kali Linux is a Debian-based Linux distribution designed fordigital forensics andpenetration testing. It comes preinstalled with several software applications for penetration testing and identifyingsecurity exploits.[68] The Ubuntu derivativeBackBox provides pre-installed security and network analysis tools for ethical hacking.
The Arch-basedBlackArch includes over 2100 tools for pentesting and security researching.[69]
There are many Linux distributions created with privacy, secrecy, network anonymity and information security in mind, includingTails,Tin Hat Linux andTinfoil Hat Linux.Lightweight Portable Security is a distribution based on Arch Linux and developed by theUnited States Department of Defense. Tor-ramdisk is a minimal distribution created solely to host the network anonymity softwareTor.
LinuxLive CD sessions have long been used as a tool for recovering data from a broken computer system and for repairing the system. Building upon that idea, several Linux distributions tailored for this purpose have emerged, most of which useGParted as a partition editor, with additional data recovery and system repair software:
SpaceX uses multiple redundantflight computers in afault-tolerant design in itsFalcon 9 rocket. Each Merlin engine is controlled by threevoting computers, with two physical processors per computer that constantly check each other's operation. Linux is not inherently fault-tolerant (no operating system is, as it is a function of the whole system including the hardware), but the flight computer software makes it so for its purpose.[70] For flexibility,commercial off-the-shelf parts and system-wide "radiation-tolerant" design are used instead ofradiation hardened parts.[70] As of July 2019[update], SpaceX has conducted over76 launches of the Falcon 9 since 2010, out of which all but one have successfully delivered their primary payloads to the intendedorbit, and has used it to transport astronauts to theInternational Space Station. TheDragon 2 crew capsule also uses Linux.[71]
Windows was deployed as the operating system on non-mission critical laptops used on the space station, but it was later replaced with Linux.Robonaut 2, the first humanoid robot in space, is also Linux-based.[72]
TheJet Propulsion Laboratory has used Linux for a number of years "to help with projects relating to the construction of unmanned space flight and deep space exploration";NASA uses Linux in robotics in the Mars rover, andUbuntu Linux to "save data from satellites".[73]
Linux distributions have been created to provide hands-on experience with coding and source code to students, on devices such as theRaspberry Pi. In addition to producing a practical device, the intention is to show students "how things work under the hood".[74]
The Ubuntu derivativesEdubuntu andThe Linux Schools Project, as well as the Debian derivative Skolelinux, provide education-oriented software packages. They also include tools for administering and building school computer labs and computer-based classrooms, such as theLinux Terminal Server Project (LTSP).
Instant WebKiosk andWebconverger are browser-based Linux distributions often used in webkiosks anddigital signage. Thinstation is a minimalist distribution designed forthin clients.Rocks Cluster Distribution is tailored forhigh-performance computing clusters.
There are general-purpose Linux distributions that target a specific audience, such as users of a specific language or geographical area. Such examples includeUbuntu Kylin for Chinese language users and BlankOn targeted at Indonesians. Profession-specific distributions includeUbuntu Studio for media creation and DNALinux forbioinformatics. There is also a Muslim-oriented distribution of the nameSabily that consequently also provides some Islamic tools. Certain organizations use slightly specialized Linux distributions internally, includingGendBuntu used by the FrenchNational Gendarmerie,Goobuntu used internally by Google, andAstra Linux developed specifically for the Russian army.
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