Linux Distros Vocab

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Across
  1. 6. whose source code is publicly available for anyone to view, modify, and distribute. Linux is the most famous example.
  2. 9. The program that interprets commands typed in the terminal. Bash (Bourne Again Shell) is the most common shell on Linux systems.
  3. 11. A tool that installs, updates, and removes software on a Linux system. Different distros use different ones — Ubuntu uses apt, Fedora uses dnf, Arch uses pacman.
  4. 13. An open-source kernel created by Linus Torvalds in 1991, inspired by UNIX. Combined with GNU tools, it forms the basis of hundreds of operating systems worldwide.
  5. 14. A project started by Richard Stallman in 1983 to build a free Unix-like operating system. GNU provided most of the tools that surround the Linux kernel in a complete OS.
  6. 15. The core of an operating system — the part that directly talks to the hardware. Linux is technically just a kernel; everything else built around it makes a full OS.
  7. 19. Software that manages a computer's hardware and provides services for programs to run. Linux, Windows, and macOS are all examples.
  8. 20. A server that stores software packages for a distro. When you install software through a package manager, it downloads from the distro's official repo.
Down
  1. 1. A text-based interface for interacting with the OS by typing commands. Central to Linux and a major focus of your course.
  2. 2. Finnish-American software engineer who created the Linux kernel in 1991 as a personal project while a student at the University of Helsinki.
  3. 3. A mobile operating system built on the Linux kernel, developed by Google. One of the most widely used Linux-based systems in the world — most students already use it.
  4. 4. Environment The graphical layer of a Linux system — windows, icons, menus, and taskbars. Examples include GNOME, KDE Plasma, and XFCE. One distro can offer multiple DEs.
  5. 5. Software Software that gives users the freedom to run, study, modify, and share it. "Free" refers to freedom, not price — a distinction Richard Stallman famously emphasized.
  6. 7. A complete Linux-based operating system packaged with a kernel, GNU tools, a desktop environment, and software. Examples include Ubuntu, Fedora, and Arch Linux.
  7. 8. When developers take an existing open-source project's code and start a new, independent version of it. Many Linux distros are forks of other distros — Ubuntu forked from Debian, for example.
  8. 10. An influential operating system developed at Bell Labs in 1969. Most modern OSes, including Linux and macOS, trace their design philosophy back to it.
  9. 12. The license that protects Linux and GNU software. It guarantees that anyone can use, modify, and share the software — but any modifications must also remain open source.
  10. 16. Programmer and activist who founded the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation, and authored the GPL. Argues that software freedom is a moral issue, not just a technical one.
  11. 17. Software Software whose source code is owned and kept private by a company. Users can use it but can't see or modify how it works. Windows is an example.
  12. 18. A version of a distro that receives security and bug fix updates for an extended period (often 5 years). Important for servers and schools that need stability.