Linux – community, kernel, and more

What is Linux really?

It’s a kernel — the heart of the operating system. Some people couldn’t care less what makes their operating systems work. Some people do. And for some who chose Linux based on its technical merits and how hackable it is, this matters a lot.

Linux has a community of people working on improving it, using it, localizing distributions that would be beneficial for a particular purpose or another. That’s why we have a lot of local communities and user groups. Whenever I look at very active mailing lists and see the different opinions, I could see different aspects of Linux though I don’t always understand them. I have to admit that I am mainly concerned with localization efforts, artwork, and other desktop goodness, not really into kernel hacking or patching of stuff. I am not a developer after all, but somehow, I could relate with others in the community who make it better for everyone who’s using it.

Now that Linux seems to be getting popular, especially because of distros like Ubuntu, PCLinuxOS and Fedora Core, it can’t be helped that there would be different opinions about it. And sometimes, we’d also see what’s called FUD: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt being spread around via email or other advertising materials. Sometimes, it seems to be on other tech-oriented sites too. Especially since I read about the supposed identity crisis of Linux.

Well, whatever that article says, I think that Linux isn’t about to go into annihilation. Nuh-uh. Not anytime soon. There are people who are really working hard on making it better. Besides, the article seems to want to stop Linux from going mainstream — when it already began. Hmm. Maybe the writer thinks it’s not going to happen even when it has. *shrug*