Is the Linux kernel required to run Linux?

tux_tina

At the risk of sounding like a complete dumb: is the Linux kernel required to run Linux? I ask because I'm brand spanking new to the Linux scene and Google doesn't help with this question.

Originally asked by Damian Downfall on Stack Exchange (askubuntu) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

I think what you want to ask here is actually: is the Linux kernel required to run the GNU operating system? If this is the case, then the answer is no . Linux is not the official kernel of GNU. The GNU project officially comes with an another kernel: Hurd. GNU runs on the FreeBSD kernel too. Debian is one of the few (probably the only one) distributions that offer GNU on the FreeBSD kernel. What is Linux? Linux is a kernel. The traditional definition of kernel states that it is that piece of software that lets processes communicate with the hardware. You rarely interact with Linux directly. What is GNU? It is an operating system. If you have ever fiddled with the command line, than you...

Full answer by Andrea Corbellini: https://askubuntu.stackexchange.com/a/357055 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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