GNU/Linux

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What Does GNU/Linux Mean?

GNU/Linux is a combination of operating system components and services that together create the Linux operating system. GNU/Linux is considered the first version of Linux that was built alongside the components and services of GNU and the Linux kernel.

Techopedia Explains GNU/Linux

GNU/Linux is primarily referred to as the combination of the Linux kernel with the GNU OS components that form the complete Linux operating system. According to GNU the bulk of the work, except the Linux kernel itself, was done by the GNU community. The whole system as a whole is largely considered the work of GNU, but it is complimented with the Linux Kernel.

The GNU Project initially created the components and services that were to be used by UNIX, which were later embedded with the Linux kernel to create the GNU/Linux operating systems.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.