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Ask HN: Why do people refer to Linux as an OS when it is just a kernel?

by akagusu on 5/24/25, 12:56 PM with 5 comments

• by _wire_ on 5/24/25, 7:21 PM

  Why do people call businessmen "suits"? Or say that "planes fly" but not that "submarines swim"? When and where does an aircraft carrier "set sail"?

  What exactly is "pre-boarding" at an airport?

  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vdPy5Ikn7dw&pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5t...

• by constantcrying on 5/24/25, 2:03 PM

  Because "Operating systems based around the Linux Kernel, excluding Android" doesn't roll of the tongue so nicely.

  Everyone knows that when someone says "Linux" he means a certain category of Operating Systems.

• by compressedgas on 5/29/25, 4:29 PM

  Because Linux is an operating system. Linux can run user-space programs without any user-land.

• by johncoltrane on 5/24/25, 1:10 PM

  Because the distinction is meaningless for most people.