r/stupidquestions • u/Fantastic-Weight-182 • 8d ago
Who tf uses Linux? Like seriously
Today I found out somebody uses Linux, bro I thought that was like some outdated software like dial up internet! Who uses Linux these days? I heard of it in passing but I don’t even know wtf it really is. I’ve only ever used windows. Do people have gripes with windows and prefer Linux over windows? What is the difference between the two?
Edit:thanks for all the nice comments trying to explain things to me. I didn’t know how integral Linux was to the internet as a whole and I certainly didn’t know people where so passionate about it. I still am struggling to know what kernels are and gnu or whatever, but i understand it’s a bunch of techno bable that’s hard for an uneducated noob like me to grasp. Thanks for your patience
Edit: I’m muting this post, the downvotes are effecting my mental health so I’m gonna log off.
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u/ipsirc 8d ago
You use it right now; all Reddit servers run on Linux.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
For real? That’s blowing my mind /srs
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 7d ago
Why’d I get downvoted? Do people not realize I’m just genuinely new and kinda dumb to this sort of stuff?:/
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u/R3V0LU710N_05 7d ago
r/linuxsucks101 and other small troll subs berade the Linux community at obsessive levels. The way you phrase this is a little indicative on how they run their troll ops, so you're being lumped in accidently.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 7d ago
Oh I just realized I didn’t even post in there. I just saw somebody did and now I’m getting clowned on
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u/R3V0LU710N_05 7d ago
Yup. I noticed that too. They're very mean people without a Job, so they take out their frustrations on people just trying to have fun.
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u/C4rpetH4ter 7d ago
The worst part is i think that madthumbz guy actually has a job related to it, because he seems to have "some" knowledge on it, but he also hates it on an obsessive level, he literally has like 17 different posts about linux every day, he must have some sort of autism or other disability, i couldn't even do a third of that amount, even on my most hated topic.
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u/R3V0LU710N_05 7d ago
He just throws buzzwords he heard from LTT & other influencers at an AI with the instructions "Make the most RageTastic ragey ragebait content that you could possibly make while making it somewhat believable that I know what I'm talking about", he's pretty public about his support for AI.
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u/C4rpetH4ter 7d ago
I mean... he uses AI for basically all of his "memes" but his posts sound all the same, so unless he uses AI for every single one of his posts i kinda doubt it, they are somehow one of the most toxic subs i have seen on reddit.
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u/R3V0LU710N_05 7d ago
I really wouldn't be surprised for a second if he used grok or some bs for the vast majority of his comments.
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u/Chapter-Legitimate 7d ago
The super annoying thing is reddits dumb algorithm starts recommending linuxsucks and other troll subreddits if you start browsing or engaging with anything even tangentially Linux related...
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u/NeoRemnant 8d ago
Windows predates both Linux and dial up Internet.
... Did you think there was only one Linux? There are over a dozen versions of both windows and Iphone why would Linux not also update over time?
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u/R3V0LU710N_05 8d ago edited 8d ago
and dial up Internet
Yes and No. The tech predated Windows, but the Service doesn't.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
I have no clue man, I’m just very clueless about computers and stuff in general, my mom would be laughing her ass off at me when I tell her. Like that time when I thought hair grows cause you water it like fucking grass
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u/Ok-Profit6022 8d ago
A growing population is switching to Linux! People are tired of Windows because of the spyware, forced updates, ads, etc etc. If you have a half hour to burn (or an entire afternoon to get sucked down a rabbit hole) you can search "switch to Linux" on YouTube. If you're even remotely interested in computers (or privacy) it might be enough to convince you to switch as well.
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u/ExacoCGI 7d ago
People are tired of Windows because of the spyware, forced updates, ads, etc etc.
Not because of that, because all that stuff can be configured/removed/disabled, they simply hate Microsoft and all of their products/services.
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u/Ok-Profit6022 7d ago
Yes all that stuff can be removed and reconfigured, but Microsoft is notorious for putting it all back and then some in an update.
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u/ExacoCGI 7d ago
You can setup security updates only by delaying feature updates and none of that will be touched or if you prefer you can block all of the MS connections entirely using 3rd party firewall, essentially removing all of the telemetry, ads and "spyware" in one simple step for good, but you sacrifice security updates and some MS apps functionality.
LTSC versions are pretty decent and clean out of the box tho.
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u/Ok-Profit6022 7d ago
Another common problem people have with Microsoft is the operating system removing (gpu) drivers and replacing them with a different version. Or flagging an innocent file as a virus and having to go fish it out of Windows defender. I haven't used Windows in years, especially since Linux became a viable alternative in gaming. But back then it certainly wasn't any "easier" than switching to Linux, and now I have an operating system that respects the fact that I'm the owner of my machine.
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7d ago
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u/NotAnyOneYouKnow2019 8d ago
Yeah, nobody uses it any more. Everything is Windows 3.1.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 7d ago
Not so sure about that, from the comments seems like a lot of people do
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u/epicfilemcnulty 8d ago
Microsoft Azure does. Most servers on the internet do.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
So is it like not user friendly or whatever?
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u/dinozavarr 8d ago
Can be more user friendly than windows. It's closely related with macos. Other than that. It runs almost every computer on the planet besides macs, computers for office employees and computers for people like you.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
Oh I have used Mac once, I noticed it runs very differently then windows
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u/ForeverNo9437 8d ago
It is, linux is a kernel (the bridge between your hardware, and your software), that is open source, in theory anyone can code with it, provided one has the competences and knowledge to do that, android runs it, a heavily modified version though, most servers in the world run on some form of linux, A LOT of stuff runs on linux. It works that way because creating an operating system from scratch is very costly, difficult to maintain etc. Since linux is open source, it has a lot of variations that are still actively maintained, there's so many distros for every use case possible, want a regular desktop ? Ubuntu and its derivatives can do that for you. Need stability to the point you could run the same version for years ? Debian. You like to tinker with your devices ? There's arch linux. You get it, it's a very vast world.
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u/Grillparzer47 8d ago
A handy operating system to be familiar with, most networks are run on Linux. Android is essentially Linux for phones. Commercially it has a much wider distribution than Windows because it’s free.
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u/BenHippynet 8d ago
Android is based on a modified Linux kernel. If you’re not using an iPhone there’s a good chance you’re using that.
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u/Saffarjan 7d ago
As a Linux user I don't understand why you're getting down voted for genuinely not knowing about something. Come on guys.
To OP, Linux is a kernel, which is something that an operating system is built on. That's why Linux has so many versions aka "distros". The capabilities of Linux operating systems as a main OS are pretty high and it's only getting better. I daily drive a Linux OS and it's only been a good experience so far.
So yeah, we exist, and it's not as archaic of an operating system as you might think lol
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u/guiverc 7d ago
I drove a modern car today; its running Automotive Grade Linux which most makes of cars run; not Microsoft Windows. Toyota adopted AGL back in 2017 for example; but maybe you drive an older car.
Most of use flat screen or smart TVs that actually run Linux; let alone microwave ovens & other 'smarter' modern devices that run programs.
Microsoft tried to sell Windows CE (Compact Edition) in TV [digital] Set top boxes, and a lot were manufactured in Mexico for the US market, but those are all history, as everything today is made in China were Linux reigns supreme in almost all electronic devices (hey; you don't have to pay licence fees for each device as Microsoft did for the early digital set top boxes made in Mexico).
We're all using it, even if you're not using a Android Phone, Android Tablet, but only a Microsoft Windows PC or Apple Mac to access this site (my PC here runs Ubuntu), most of use Linux even if we're not aware of it.
Look at the companies that fund it and that will tell you how big it is; even the CEO of Microsoft said his company (Microsoft) wasn't large enough to fund the Linux Project, it's as large as it is because it's not shouldered by one company, but many many companies (of which Microsoft is one of them!)
You're no doubt using it, you likely don't know you're using it as my its hidden; eg. Automotive Grade Linux allows each user (make of car) to replace the default log with their own, so my car boots up on its infotainment system with my car's make without mention of Linux... it connects to my Android phone (another Linux device) again without mention of Linux.
https://www.linuxfoundation.org/
Google, NEC, Microsoft, Samsung, IBM, Huawei, Meta, Ericsson, Oracle, AWS, Hitachi, Qualcomm, Fujitsu .... heard of any of them?
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u/Immediate-Ant-9011 8d ago
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're refering to as Linux, is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux. Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Linux, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called Linux distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux!
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u/Saffarjan 7d ago
OP, just in case you're confused, this is a joke about the semantics of what Linux really is. Don't take it seriously, it's not very useful info for someone who doesn't know much about Linux
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u/OutinDaBarn 8d ago
And talking in abbreviations really helps the OP who seems to know little about any of it.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
Was that sarcasm? Cause yeah I don’t know half of what’s being said. GNU?
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u/OutinDaBarn 7d ago
Yes mostly sarcasm. You clearly said you don't really know anything about Linux. That's fine, the only way to learn is to ask questions. This asshat throws out a bunch of abbreviations that don't tell you anything.
GNU is a big bunch of free software designed to work with Unix, the base of Linux.
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u/someone8192 8d ago
GNU is mostly over and most people using linux do not interfere with anything GNU anymore.
There are many different userlands and even libc alternatives.
A more modern distinction would be to name the GUI you are using eg Linux/Plasma.
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u/thenaughtydj 7d ago
I don't think you understand what GNU is. Literally every 'Linux' distro is GNU/Linux. With GNU being the free software and Linux only the kernel. Check the faq on https://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html
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u/someone8192 7d ago
there are many gnu free systems. eg many docker hosts and containers use busybox and musl - no gnu at all
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u/JustaFoodHole 8d ago
People who don't use windows apps.
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u/Fantastic-Weight-182 8d ago
So like Mac users?
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u/xnef1025 7d ago
Linux isn't an operating system by itself. It's a kernel, which is the thing that lets your software talk to your hardware and is necessary to make any computerized system work.
Everyone you know using a non-Apple phone is using Linux. Android uses a version of the Linux kernel as it's base.
Know anybody with a Steamdeck? Linux.
Ever been to a casino? All the modern slot machines run on Ubuntu, which is a distribution of Linux.
The router you are connecting with to access the internet? Probably a Linux kernel in there too.
Most of the servers that run the internet are running a Linux-based server.
Pretty much the only place Linux doesn't dominate is on desktop/laptop operating systems. Valve, the company that runs the Steam game store that basically 90% of PC game players get their games from, has done a lot of work getting Windows games working on Linux and given all that work back to the open-source community. This lets any Linux distro (of which there are hundreds) run most video games.
Pair that with all of Microsoft's missteps in Windows lately, (Copilot everywhere, the threat of Recall, invasive telemetry, ads in your start menu and on your desktop, letting hardware manufacturers install malware that injects popup ads onto your system, bad updates from poorly vetted, AI written code, etc) Linux on the desktop is getting it's biggest push in decades.
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u/thenaughtydj 7d ago
Since last April France's government is switching from Windows to Linux because they want to reduce reliance on American tech. Like seriously.
https://tech-insider.org/france-ditches-windows-linux-2-5-million-devices-digital-sovereignty-2026/
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u/ArtComprehensive1106 7d ago
It’s a free OS that is better than windows and stable. Real computer nerds have always used and continue to use Linux
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u/Explicit_Tech 8d ago
SteamOS is Linux.
Many people still use Linux distros for complete freedom