this post was submitted on 15 May 2025
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Linux
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux-libre
It's essentially a kernel with only open source code. OP would need to research all of the hardware in their machine to ensure that there are open source drivers. I think there are some laptop manufacturers that sell units which are compatible, if you're ordering from one of the major manufacturers then you'll likely have some hardware (like wifi) that requires proprietary binaries.
The hardest part is usually finding a machine that has open source drivers for every component. You may have to do some kernel compiling and other low level tasks to get your specific setup to work. OP says they're not a power user, but after this they will be