Linux also runs on embedded systems, i.e. Linux is the leading operating system on servers (over 96.4% of the top 1 million web servers' operating systems are Linux), leads other big iron systems such as mainframe computers, and is used on all of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers (since November 2017, having gradually displaced all competitors). Although Linux is, as of November 2022, used by only around 2.6 percent of desktop computers, the Chromebook, which runs the Linux kernel-based ChromeOS, dominates the US K–12 education market and represents nearly 20 percent of sub-$300 notebook sales in the US. Because of the dominance of the Linux-based Android on smartphones, Linux, including Android, has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems, as of May 2022. Linux was originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture, but has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system. Because Linux is freely redistributable, anyone may create a distribution for any purpose. Distributions intended for servers may omit graphics altogether, or include a solution stack such as LAMP.

Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system such as X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma. Commercial distributions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise. Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora Linux, and Ubuntu, the latter of which itself consists of many different distributions and modifications, including Lubuntu and Xubuntu. 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. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which includes the kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Linux ( / ˈ l iː n ʊ k s/ ( listen) LEE-nuuks or / ˈ l ɪ n ʊ k s/ LIN-uuks) 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. Most distributions include a desktop environment ( GUI).

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