what is Linux?
This is interesting, this question was an indicator of how much i take as my "baseline" experience and how I just assume that people know things that I know. It was a very very good reminder that things that I take as "common-knowledge" are not common knowledge.
I was trying to explain to the technical director of the student radio at my college that there is an alternative operating system to windows 10 when Microsoft decided to stop supporting windows 10.
I was talking about how there are three major operating systems in the world currently, Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems... when I got the question "what is Linux?"
and i had to pause in my tracks and try to think of how to explain to her what Linux operating systems are.
I didn't have a good answer at the time, mostly because I hadn't thought of really what is a Linux operating system ... since I had been aware of Linux operating systems for 17+ years at this time.
I tried to talk about hoe it's open-source ... but realized she didn't know what open-source meant.
I tried to talk about how it's free, and how it's open to everyone to use.
How companies or organizations create these operating systems and let us use them ... but then realized how she didn't really understand what an operating system was. Just the biggest players (mac and windows)
it's a very interesting thing that we take for granted. At least I take it for granted currently that I know these things.
It's so worthwhile to realize that people do not know what you know. But that's also really hard to do. Thinking outside of yourself and keeping that open mind, as I consider it. Thinking of others, especially at the levels which they are at, and keeping that in mind when you interact with them.
so what is Linux?
that's a simple question, but it depends on where you are at in your journey and what it is that you know.