Whats the difference between GNU/Linux and Linux?
In common use of the terms, there is no difference. Although the operating system is often called just Linux, it started out as the GNU project, aimed to create a Free Software operating system. This system adopted a kernel (the core of the operating system, which deals with communication between software and hardware) called Linux, created by Linus Torvalds. The term Linux properly refers to the kernel and not the whole operating system, which included GNU software created before Linux. GNU/Linux thus stands for a version of the GNU operating system using the Linux kernel, which is the most commonly used version of GNU, but not the only one.
In common use of the terms, there is no difference. Although the operating system is often called just Linux, it started out as the GNU project, aimed to create a Free Software operating system. This system adopted a kernel (the core of the operating system, which deals with communication between software and hardware) called Linux, created by Linus Torvalds. The term ‘Linux’ properly refers to the kernel and not the whole operating system, which included GNU software created before Linux. ‘GNU/Linux’ stands for a version of the GNU operating system using the Linux kernel, which is the most commonly used version of GNU, but not the only one.
