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GeForce NOW's Linux app exits beta, gets official Flatpak repo - OMG! Ubuntu
(www.omgubuntu.co.uk)
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this post was submitted on 15 Aug 2026
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Linux
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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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Except that it's not "linux" like an actual open source linux distro is. There is no parallel here.
Also, a negative example shouldn't make you go "oh I guess there's no hope then, let's embrace the death of ownership".
Android IS an open source Linux distro.
It's all the software that's added to Android that's proprietary. Binary blobs for Qualcomm chips, Google Play services, etc.
It's not. It uses a linux kernel but the architecture is completely different.
That's literally what makes it a Linux distro... It uses the Linux kernel.
Linux distros are free to choose which standard libraries and toolsets they use. Android has chosen not to use the standard GNU coreutils or glibc, they instead use toybox and bionic.
There are other distros that use for example musl and busybox over glibc and coreutils. Ubuntu is also looking to replace coreutils with a new rust version that isn't copyleft. There are also multiple init systems out there so you can't say that systemd must be used to consider something a Linux distro. Etc.
I'm wondering, what exactly about Android doesn't count as a Linux distro to you?
It's the kernel. For starters, Linux is a kernel. I don't understand your point, the people running the Linux ecosystem (the corpos injecting money in the infrastructure and participating in the governance through the Linux Foundation) don't care about user ownership. NVIDIA is a bad collaborator but it's still allowed to do the shit they do. As other nonfree contributors on drivers.
But let's suppose an open and universal implementation standard of ARM and modem drivers was enforced? We'd have hundreds of viable Linux phones already. The battle wouldn't be pretty but the alternative would be the current shitty state of affairs.