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Linux distributions have also become popular in the [[netbook]] market, with many devices such as the [[Eee pc|ASUS Eee PC]] and [[Aspire One|Acer Aspire One]] shipping with customized Linux distributions installed.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/may/28/netbooks-sales | title = Are netbooks losing their shine? | accessdate = 2010-06-02 | ___location=London | date=2009-05-28 | work=The Guardian | first=Jack | last=Schofield}}</ref>
===Current development===
Torvalds continues to direct the development of the kernel. Stallman heads the Free Software Foundation, which in turn supports the GNU components. Finally, individuals and corporations develop third-party non-GNU components. These third-party components comprise a vast body of work and may include both kernel modules and user applications and libraries. Linux vendors and communities combine and distribute the kernel, GNU components, and non-GNU components, with additional package management software in the form of [[Linux distribution]]s.
==Design==
A Linux-based system is a modular [[Unix-like]] operating system. It derives much of its basic design from principles established in Unix during the 1970s and 1980s. Such a system uses a [[monolithic kernel]], the [[Linux kernel]], which handles process control, networking, and [[peripheral]] and [[file system]] access. [[Device drivers]] are either integrated directly with the kernel or added as modules loaded while the system is running.
Separate projects that interface with the kernel provide much of the system's higher-level functionality. The GNU [[userland (computing)|userland]] is an important part of most Linux-based systems, providing the most common implementation of the [[C standard library|C library]], a popular [[shell (computing)|shell]], and many of the common [[Unix tool]]s which carry out many basic operating system tasks. The [[graphical user interface]] (or GUI) used by most Linux systems is built on top of an implementation of the [[X Window System]].
===User interface===
{{See also|User interface}}
Users operate a Linux-based system through a [[command line interface]] (CLI), a [[graphical user interface]] (GUI), or through controls attached to the associated hardware, which is common for embedded systems. For desktop systems, the default mode is usually a graphical user interface, by which the CLI is available through [[terminal emulator]] windows or on a separate [[virtual console (PC)|virtual console]]. Most low-level Linux components, including the GNU [[userland (computing)|userland]], use the CLI exclusively. The CLI is particularly suited for automation of repetitive or delayed tasks, and provides very simple [[inter-process communication]]. A graphical [[terminal emulator]] program is often used to access the CLI from a Linux desktop. A Linux system typically implements a CLI by a [[shell (computing)|shell]], which is also the traditional way of interacting with a Unix system. A Linux distribution specialized for servers may use the CLI as its only interface.
On desktop systems, the most popular user interfaces are the extensive [[desktop environment]]s [[KDE Plasma Desktop]], [[GNOME]], and [[Xfce]],<ref>{{cite web | title = Debian popularity-contest program information | url = http://times.debian.net/1092-30000-popcon-submissions }}</ref> though a variety of additional user interfaces exist. Most popular user interfaces are based on the [[X Window System]], often simply called "X". It provides [[network transparency]] and permits a graphical application running on one system to be displayed on another where a user may interact with the application.<ref name="manX">Manual page for "X" (xorg-docs 1:1.4-4 on Debian)</ref>
Other GUIs may be classified as simple [[X window manager]]s, such as [[FVWM]], [[Enlightenment (window manager)|Enlightenment]], and [[Window Maker]], which provide a [[minimalism (computing)|minimalist]] functionality with respect to the desktop environments. A window manager provides a means to control the placement and appearance of individual application windows, and interacts with the X Window System. The desktop environments include window managers as part of their standard installations ([[Metacity]] for GNOME, [[Kwin]] for KDE, [[Xfwm]] for Xfce as of 2010) although users may choose to use a different window manager if preferred.
==Development==
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The primary difference between Linux and many other popular contemporary operating systems is that the [[Linux kernel]] and other components are [[free software|free]] and [[open source software]]. Linux is not the only such operating system, although it is by far the most widely used.<ref name="MarketShare09NOV">{{cite web|url = http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8|title = Operating System Market Share|accessdate = 2009-12-11|last = Operating System Market Share |authorlink = |year = 2009|month = November}}</ref>
Some [[free software license|free]] and [[open source license|open source]] software licenses are based on the principle of [[copyleft]], a kind of reciprocity: any work derived from a [[copyleft]] piece of software must also be copyleft itself. The most common free software license, the [[GNU GPL]], is a form of [[copyleft]], and is used for the Linux kernel and many of the components from the [[GNU project]].
Linux based distributions are intended by developers for [[interoperability]] with other operating systems and established computing standards. Linux systems adhere to [[POSIX]],<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ukuug.org/newsletter/linux-newsletter/linux@uk21/posix.shtml | title = POSIX.1 (FIPS 151-2) Certification }}</ref> [[Single UNIX Specification|SUS]],<ref>{{cite web | title = How source code compatible is Debian with other Unix systems? | url = http://www.debian.org/doc/FAQ/ch-compat.en.html#s-otherunices | work = Debian FAQ | publisher = the Debian project }}</ref> [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], and [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]] standards where possible, although to date only one Linux distribution has been POSIX.1 certified, Linux-FT.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/0131 | title = Certifying Linux }}</ref>
Free software projects, although developed in a [[collaboration|collaborative]] fashion, are often produced independently of each other. The fact that the software licenses explicitly permit redistribution, however, provides a basis for larger scale projects that collect the software produced by stand-alone projects and make it available all at once in the form of a [[Linux distribution]].
A [[Linux distribution]], commonly called a "distro", is a project that manages a remote collection of system software and application software packages available for download and installation through a network connection. This allows the user to adapt the operating system to his/her specific needs. Distributions are maintained by individuals, loose-knit teams, volunteer organizations, and commercial entities. A distribution is responsible for the default configuration of the installed Linux kernel, general system security, and more generally integration of the different software packages into a coherent whole. Distributions typically use a [[package manager]] such as [[dpkg]], [[Synaptic (software)|Synaptic]], [[YAST]], or [[Portage (software)|Portage]] to install, remove and update all of a system's software from one central ___location.
===Community===
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