Linux FAQ: answers to common questions about Linux today

Linux is an operating system kernel: the core program that manages the processor, memory, disks and devices, and runs every other program. It was started by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and is now developed by thousands of people and companies. In everyday speech, "Linux" means a whole system built around that kernel, with tools, a desktop and applications. It runs on PCs, servers, phones (Android's kernel is based on Linux long-term kernels), routers and many embedded devices.

Yes. The kernel is released under the GNU General Public License, version 2 only. You may use it for any purpose, study and change the source code, and share copies, including modified ones, as long as you pass on the same rights and the source. Most distributions are free of charge too. Some companies sell subscriptions for support and certified updates (for example Red Hat Enterprise Linux), but the software itself stays open source.

Linux is a Unix-like system written from scratch, not derived from the original Unix source. The kernel's own documentation describes it as aiming at POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance, so shell scripts, commands and C programs written for Unix usually work with little or no change. See the Unix and Internet fundamentals HOWTO for how the pieces fit together.

A distribution ("distro") is a complete, installable system: the Linux kernel plus system tools, a desktop, applications, an installer, a package manager and a team that publishes security updates. Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, openSUSE, Arch Linux and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (with its rebuilds AlmaLinux and Rocky Linux) are the best known. They share most software but differ in release schedule, defaults and tools.

For a first desktop, choose a popular one so help is easy to find: Ubuntu 26.04 LTS (five years of standard security updates), Linux Mint 22.3 (based on Ubuntu 24.04, supported until April 2029), Fedora Workstation 45 (newest software) or Debian 13 (stable and conservative), all current as of November 2026. For servers, Debian, Ubuntu LTS and RHEL or its rebuilds are the usual choices. Getting started with Linux compares them.

Yes. Most desktop distributions offer a "live" image: write the ISO file to a USB stick, boot the computer from it, and choose the option to try the system. Nothing is written to your disk unless you start the installer. This is also the best way to check that Wi-Fi, sound and graphics work. See the boot media HOWTO.

Less than Windows, usually. Ubuntu 26.04 Desktop asks for a 2 GHz dual-core processor, 6 GB of memory and 25 GB of disk. Debian 13 with a desktop installs with 1 GB of memory (2 GB recommended) and 10 GB of disk, and without a desktop in 512 MB. Lighter desktops such as Xfce help on older machines.

Most PCs and laptops work out of the box, because drivers are part of the kernel. The usual exceptions are brand-new Wi-Fi and graphics chips (a newer kernel may be needed), some fingerprint readers and webcams, and NVIDIA graphics, which often run best with NVIDIA's own driver. Test with a live USB first. The Hardware HOWTO shows how to check a device before you buy.

Yes, this is called dual booting. Back up first, make room by shrinking the Windows partition, and turn off Windows Fast Startup, which otherwise leaves the Windows disk hibernated rather than shut down. If BitLocker is on, save the recovery key first, because changing Secure Boot settings can make Windows ask for it. Details are in the dual-boot page and the Installation HOWTO.

Use the software store that comes with your desktop, or the package manager in a terminal: sudo apt install vlc on Debian, Ubuntu and Mint, sudo dnf install vlc on Fedora and RHEL, sudo pacman -S vlc on Arch. Programs come from the distribution's signed repositories and are updated with the rest of the system. Many desktop apps are also available as Flatpaks from Flathub, which work on every distribution. Avoid installing random downloads from web sites.

Often, yes. Wine runs many Windows applications directly, and Valve's Proton, which is built on Wine, runs Windows games from within Steam. Results vary, so check other users' reports before you rely on one. Where a native Linux version or a good open-source alternative exists, use that instead.

LibreOffice (version 26.8 as of November 2026) is free and preinstalled on many distributions. It can open and save Microsoft Office formats, including .docx, .xlsx and .pptx, although documents with complex layouts can look slightly different. Web-based office suites also work in any Linux browser.

No. Everyday tasks (browsing, email, office work, settings, installing apps and updates) all have graphical tools. The terminal is still worth learning: many guides give commands because they are exact and easy to copy, and some admin work is faster there. The terminal basics take about ten minutes, and the Bash introduction goes further.

GNOME, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon and Xfce are desktop environments: the panels, menus, file manager and settings you see. You can install more than one and choose at the login screen. Wayland is the modern display system that draws windows on the screen; it replaces the older X11 (Xorg). GNOME and KDE Plasma use Wayland by default, and older X11 programs keep working through Xwayland. For screens and resolutions, see the display HOWTO.

Yes. The kernel includes the NTFS3 driver for NTFS (the Windows system format) and an exFAT driver for most USB sticks and memory cards, and FAT32 has always been supported. If Windows was hibernated or used Fast Startup, its NTFS partition was not closed cleanly, and writing to it from Linux can lose data. The NTFS3 driver refuses to mount a volume marked "dirty" for writing (read-only still works), so shut Windows down fully first.

Many more than a few years ago. Steam runs natively on Linux, and its Proton compatibility tool runs a large share of Windows games, often with no setup. The main exception is online multiplayer games whose anti-cheat systems block Linux: crowd-sourced lists such as Are We Anti-Cheat Yet? show, for example, Fortnite and Valorant as denied. Check ProtonDB for user reports on a game before you buy it.

AMD and Intel graphics use open-source drivers that come with the kernel and Mesa, so there is nothing to install; keep the system updated for the latest fixes. NVIDIA cards usually perform best with NVIDIA's own driver, which most distributions offer as an optional package. A newer kernel and Mesa can matter for brand-new graphics cards, so rolling or frequently updated distributions get support sooner.

Most Linux desktops do not run antivirus, and you rarely need it. Your protection comes from installing updates promptly, getting software from your distribution's repositories or Flathub instead of random downloads, and not running commands you do not understand. ClamAV, an open-source scanner, is mainly used on mail and file servers to catch Windows malware in attachments before it reaches Windows users.

Install updates (turn on automatic security updates on servers), use a normal user account with sudo instead of logging in as root, keep a firewall on, use strong passwords or SSH keys, and keep backups. On servers, run only the services you need. The Security HOWTO and the Firewall HOWTO have the details.

root is the administrator account, which can change anything on the system. Instead of logging in as root, you use sudo in front of a single command, such as sudo apt upgrade; it asks for your own password and records who did what. Only users in the admin group (sudo on Debian and Ubuntu, wheel on Fedora and RHEL) can use it. See the system administrator's guide.

As of November 2026, the latest stable kernel series is 7.3 (7.3.1), the next one (7.4) is in testing as release candidates, and the long-term (LTS) kernels are 6.18, 6.12, 6.6, 6.1, 5.15 and 5.10, with 5.15 and 5.10 due to end in December 2026. A new mainline kernel comes out every two to three months. Check kernel.org for today's list, and uname -r for the one you are running.

Usually not. Your distribution's kernel is configured for your hardware, receives security fixes, and is supported by the distribution's maintainers. Build your own only to test a fix, use a driver that is not yet in your distribution, or learn. If you do, keep the distribution kernel installed as a fallback. The Kernel HOWTO explains how.

Start with the manual pages (man command) and your distribution's own documentation and forums: Ask Ubuntu and Ubuntu Discourse, Fedora Discussion, the Debian and Linux Mint forums. The ArchWiki is useful whatever distribution you run. When you ask, include the output of cat /etc/os-release, the exact error message, and what you have tried. Getting started lists the main forums.

Report it to your distribution first, through its bug tracker or forum, unless you built the kernel or program yourself. Distribution kernels are often older or patched, and the kernel's own reporting guide asks you to reproduce a problem with a current vanilla kernel before you report it upstream. For other programs, check the project's issue tracker, search for an existing report, and give clear steps to reproduce.

The classic HOWTOs, guides and FAQs from around 2000 are kept by the Linux Documentation Project at tldp.org. This site has current rewrites at the same old addresses: see the HOWTOs, the network administrator's guide and Linux Gazette for where to read Linux news today.