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this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2026
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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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20 years ago, fixing easy stuff in Linux was a matter of Google searching, finding it, then copy pasting what you needed to do from the browser into a terminal.
Since the beginning, the difference between a problem in Windows and a problem in Linux is that the problem in Windows can (and often does) hit a dead end - proprietary wall, it's broke and you just have to live with it. In Linux (more generally: free open source software) it may be broke, but the fix is always possible, if you're willing to put in the necessary work.
With AI reducing the effort necessary to do this kind of work, rather dramatically, I expect Linux and FOSS in general to be getting a bit of a boost. Not taking over the world, 2030 still won't be the year of the Linux desktop, but... the ability to scratch all the itches is more valuable today than it was a year ago.
I used to fairly frequently hit dead ends on Linux, e.g. regarding Wifi drivers or getting some (Linux) applications running. But the driver situation has improved greatly, and thanks to Flatpak, Distrobox & co. I've only ever run into one application I couldn't install - a corporate antivirus. Whoopsie!
Yeah, there is that about drivers, definitely been there and there were times "the grass was greener in Redmond" - but... as you say that has improved, to the point that I recently can't get Windows WiFi drivers from Ezurio, but they support every flavor of Linux.