<s>
Besides	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
designed	O
for	O
general-purpose	O
use	O
on	O
desktops	O
and	O
servers	O
,	O
distributions	O
may	O
be	O
specialized	O
for	O
different	O
purposes	O
including	O
computer	B-General_Concept
architecture	I-General_Concept
support	O
,	O
embedded	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
,	O
stability	O
,	O
security	O
,	O
localization	O
to	O
a	O
specific	O
region	O
or	O
language	O
,	O
targeting	O
of	O
specific	O
user	O
groups	O
,	O
support	O
for	O
real-time	B-General_Concept
applications	I-General_Concept
,	O
or	O
commitment	O
to	O
a	O
given	O
desktop	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
some	O
distributions	O
deliberately	O
include	O
only	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
over	O
four	O
hundred	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
are	O
actively	O
developed	O
,	O
with	O
about	O
a	O
dozen	O
distributions	O
being	O
most	O
popular	O
for	O
general-purpose	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
popularity	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
on	O
standard	O
desktop	O
computers	O
and	O
laptops	O
has	O
been	O
increasing	O
over	O
the	O
years	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
modern	O
distributions	O
include	O
a	O
graphical	O
user	B-Application
environment	I-Application
,	O
with	O
,	O
,	O
the	O
three	O
most	O
popular	O
environments	O
being	O
the	O
KDE	B-Language
Plasma	I-Language
Desktop	I-Language
,	O
Xfce	B-Language
and	O
GNOME	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
No	O
single	O
official	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
desktop	O
exists	O
:	O
rather	O
desktop	O
environments	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
select	O
components	O
from	O
a	O
pool	O
of	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
software	I-License
with	O
which	O
they	O
construct	O
a	O
GUI	O
implementing	O
some	O
more	O
or	O
less	O
strict	O
design	O
guide	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GNOME	B-Application
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
has	O
its	O
human	B-Application
interface	I-Application
guidelines	I-Application
as	O
a	O
design	O
guide	O
,	O
which	O
gives	O
the	O
human	B-Application
–	I-Application
machine	I-Application
interface	I-Application
an	O
important	O
role	O
,	O
not	O
just	O
when	O
doing	O
the	O
graphical	O
design	O
,	O
but	O
also	O
when	O
considering	O
people	O
with	O
disabilities	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
when	O
focusing	O
on	O
security	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
collaborative	O
nature	O
of	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
development	I-Application
allows	O
distributed	O
teams	O
to	O
perform	O
language	O
localization	O
of	O
some	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
for	O
use	O
in	O
locales	O
where	O
localizing	O
proprietary	O
systems	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
cost-effective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
Sinhalese	O
language	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Knoppix	O
distribution	O
became	O
available	O
significantly	O
before	O
Microsoft	O
translated	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
into	O
Sinhalese	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
this	O
case	O
the	O
Lanka	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
User	O
Group	O
played	O
a	O
major	O
part	O
in	O
developing	O
the	O
localized	O
system	O
by	O
combining	O
the	O
knowledge	O
of	O
university	O
professors	O
,	O
linguists	O
,	O
and	O
local	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
performance	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
on	O
the	O
desktop	O
has	O
been	O
a	O
controversial	O
topic	O
;	O
for	O
example	O
in	O
2007	O
Con	O
Kolivas	O
accused	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
community	O
of	O
favoring	O
performance	O
on	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
quit	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
development	O
out	O
of	O
frustration	O
with	O
this	O
lack	O
of	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
desktop	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
gave	O
a	O
"	O
tell	O
all	O
"	O
interview	O
on	O
the	O
topic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Projects	O
such	O
as	O
systemd	B-Application
and	O
Upstart	B-Device
(	O
deprecated	O
in	O
2014	O
)	O
aim	O
for	O
a	O
faster	O
boot	O
time	O
;	O
the	O
Wayland	B-Language
and	O
Mir	O
projects	O
aim	O
at	O
replacing	O
X11	B-Operating_System
while	O
enhancing	O
desktop	O
performance	O
,	O
security	O
and	O
appearance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
popular	O
applications	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
a	O
wide	O
variety	O
of	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
Mozilla	B-Application
Firefox	I-Application
,	O
OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice	O
and	O
Blender	B-Application
have	O
downloadable	O
versions	O
for	O
all	O
major	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
some	O
applications	O
initially	O
developed	O
for	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
such	O
as	O
Pidgin	B-Protocol
,	O
and	O
GIMP	B-Application
,	O
were	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
(	O
including	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
)	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
a	O
growing	O
number	O
of	O
proprietary	O
desktop	O
applications	O
are	O
also	O
supported	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
such	O
as	O
Autodesk	B-Language
Maya	I-Language
and	O
The	B-Language
Foundry	I-Language
's	I-Language
Nuke	I-Language
in	O
the	O
high-end	O
field	O
of	O
animation	O
and	O
visual	O
effects	O
;	O
see	O
the	O
list	B-Application
of	I-Application
proprietary	I-Application
software	I-Application
for	I-Application
Linux	I-Application
for	O
more	O
details	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
several	O
companies	O
that	O
have	O
ported	O
their	O
own	O
or	O
other	O
companies	O
 '	O
games	O
to	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
with	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
also	O
being	O
a	O
supported	O
platform	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
and	O
Desura	B-Language
digital-distribution	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
other	O
types	O
of	O
applications	O
available	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
macOS	B-Application
also	O
run	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Commonly	O
,	O
either	O
a	O
free	B-Application
software	I-Application
application	O
will	O
exist	O
which	O
does	O
the	O
functions	O
of	O
an	O
application	O
found	O
on	O
another	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
or	O
that	O
application	O
will	O
have	O
a	O
version	O
that	O
works	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
such	O
as	O
with	O
Skype	B-Application
and	O
some	O
video	O
games	O
like	O
Dota	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
Wine	B-Application
project	I-Application
provides	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
compatibility	O
layer	O
to	O
run	O
unmodified	O
Windows	B-Application
applications	I-Application
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2009	O
,	O
Google	O
has	O
also	O
provided	O
funding	O
to	O
the	O
Wine	B-Application
project	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
CrossOver	B-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
proprietary	O
solution	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
open-source	O
Wine	B-Application
project	I-Application
,	O
supports	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
versions	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
,	O
Intuit	O
applications	O
such	O
as	O
Quicken	B-Application
and	O
QuickBooks	B-Application
,	O
Adobe	B-Operating_System
Photoshop	I-Operating_System
versions	O
through	O
CS2	O
,	O
and	O
many	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
World	B-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
Warcraft	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
other	O
cases	O
,	O
where	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
port	O
of	O
some	O
software	O
in	O
areas	O
such	O
as	O
desktop	O
publishing	O
and	O
professional	O
audio	O
,	O
there	O
is	O
equivalent	O
software	O
available	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
possible	O
to	O
run	O
applications	O
written	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
on	O
other	O
versions	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
using	O
Anbox	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
externally	O
visible	O
components	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
X	B-Application
window	I-Application
managers	I-Application
,	O
a	O
non-obvious	O
but	O
quite	O
central	O
role	O
is	O
played	O
by	O
the	O
programs	O
hosted	O
by	O
freedesktop.org,	O
such	O
as	O
D-Bus	B-Language
or	O
PulseAudio	B-Library
;	O
both	O
major	O
desktop	O
environments	O
(	O
GNOME	B-Application
and	O
KDE	O
)	O
include	O
them	O
,	O
each	O
offering	O
graphical	O
front-ends	O
written	O
using	O
the	O
corresponding	O
toolkit	O
(	O
GTK	B-Application
or	O
Qt	B-Language
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
display	O
server	B-Application
is	O
another	O
component	O
,	O
which	O
for	O
the	O
longest	O
time	O
has	O
been	O
communicating	O
in	O
the	O
X11	B-Operating_System
display	O
server	B-Application
protocol	O
with	O
its	O
clients	O
;	O
prominent	O
software	O
talking	O
X11	B-Operating_System
includes	O
the	O
X.Org	B-Operating_System
Server	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xlib	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Frustration	O
over	O
the	O
cumbersome	O
X11	B-Operating_System
core	O
protocol	O
,	O
and	O
especially	O
over	O
its	O
numerous	O
extensions	O
,	O
has	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
new	O
display	O
server	B-Application
protocol	O
,	O
Wayland	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Installing	O
,	O
updating	O
and	O
removing	O
software	O
in	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
typically	O
done	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
package	O
managers	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Synaptic	B-Language
Package	I-Language
Manager	I-Language
,	O
PackageKit	B-Language
,	O
and	O
Yum	B-Application
Extender	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
most	O
major	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
have	O
extensive	O
repositories	O
,	O
often	O
containing	O
tens	O
of	O
thousands	O
of	O
packages	O
,	O
not	O
all	O
the	O
software	O
that	O
can	O
run	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
official	O
repositories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
users	O
can	O
install	O
packages	O
from	O
unofficial	O
repositories	O
,	O
download	O
pre-compiled	O
packages	O
directly	O
from	O
websites	O
,	O
or	O
compile	O
the	O
source	B-Application
code	O
by	O
themselves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
these	O
methods	O
come	O
with	O
different	O
degrees	O
of	O
difficulty	O
;	O
compiling	O
the	O
source	B-Application
code	O
is	O
in	O
general	O
considered	O
a	O
challenging	O
process	O
for	O
new	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
users	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
is	O
hardly	O
needed	O
in	O
modern	O
distributions	O
and	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
method	O
specific	O
to	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
have	O
also	O
become	O
popular	O
in	O
the	O
netbook	B-Device
market	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Asus	B-Device
Eee	I-Device
PC	I-Device
and	O
Acer	B-Application
Aspire	I-Application
One	I-Application
shipping	O
with	O
customized	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2009	O
,	O
Google	O
announced	O
its	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
minimal	O
Linux-based	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
using	O
the	O
Chrome	B-Application
browser	I-Application
as	O
the	O
main	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
initially	O
did	O
not	O
run	O
any	O
non-web	O
applications	O
,	O
except	O
for	O
the	O
bundled	O
file	O
manager	O
and	O
media	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
certain	O
level	O
of	O
support	O
for	O
Android	B-Application
applications	I-Application
was	O
added	O
in	O
later	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
2018	O
,	O
Google	O
added	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
install	O
any	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
software	O
in	O
a	O
container	O
,	O
enabling	O
ChromeOS	B-Operating_System
to	O
be	O
used	O
like	O
any	O
other	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Netbooks	B-Device
that	O
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
termed	O
Chromebooks	B-Operating_System
,	O
started	O
appearing	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
in	O
June	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
have	O
long	O
been	O
used	O
as	O
server	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
have	O
risen	O
to	O
prominence	O
in	O
that	O
area	O
;	O
Netcraft	O
reported	O
in	O
September	O
2006	O
,	O
that	O
eight	O
of	O
the	O
ten	O
(	O
other	O
two	O
with	O
"	O
unknown	O
"	O
OS	O
)	O
most	O
reliable	O
internet	O
hosting	O
companies	O
ran	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
on	O
their	O
web	B-Application
servers	I-Application
,	O
with	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
top	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2008	O
,	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
represented	O
five	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
ten	O
,	O
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
three	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
two	O
of	O
ten	O
;	O
since	O
February	O
2010	O
,	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
represented	O
six	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
ten	O
,	O
FreeBSD	B-Operating_System
three	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
and	O
Microsoft	O
one	O
of	O
ten	O
,	O
with	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
top	O
position	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
are	O
the	O
cornerstone	O
of	O
the	O
LAMP	O
server-software	O
combination	O
(	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
Apache	B-Application
,	O
MariaDB/MySQL	O
,	O
Perl/PHP/Python	O
)	O
which	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
common	O
platforms	O
for	O
website	O
hosting	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
have	O
become	O
increasingly	O
common	O
on	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
,	O
partly	O
due	O
to	O
pricing	O
and	O
the	O
open-source	O
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2009	O
,	O
computer	O
giant	O
IBM	O
reported	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
predominantly	O
market	O
and	O
sell	O
mainframe-based	O
Enterprise	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
Server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
LinuxCon	O
North	O
America	O
2015	O
,	O
IBM	O
announced	O
LinuxONE	B-Application
,	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
specifically	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
and	O
open-source	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
are	O
also	O
dominant	O
as	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
for	O
supercomputers	B-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
November	O
2017	O
,	O
all	O
supercomputers	B-Architecture
on	O
the	O
500	B-Operating_System
list	O
run	O
some	O
variant	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
for	O
smart	B-Device
devices	I-Device
,	O
such	O
as	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
tablet	B-Device
computers	I-Device
,	O
home	O
automation	O
,	O
smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
(	O
Samsung	B-Application
and	O
LG	O
Smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
use	O
Tizen	B-Application
and	O
WebOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
respectively	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
in-vehicle	O
infotainment	O
(	O
IVI	O
)	O
systems	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
Automotive	B-Application
Grade	I-Application
Linux	I-Application
)	O
,	O
are	O
based	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Major	O
platforms	O
for	O
such	O
systems	O
include	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
Firefox	B-Application
OS	O
,	O
Mer	B-Application
and	O
Tizen	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
has	O
become	O
the	O
dominant	O
mobile	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
for	O
smartphones	B-Application
,	O
running	O
on	O
79.3	O
%	O
of	O
units	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
during	O
the	O
second	O
quarter	O
of	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
is	O
also	O
used	O
on	O
tables	O
,	O
smart	B-Device
TVs	I-Device
,	O
and	O
in-vehicle	O
navigation	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Android	B-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
commentators	O
disagree	O
on	O
whether	O
the	O
term	O
"	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
"	O
applies	O
to	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
whether	O
it	O
is	O
"	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
"	O
according	O
to	O
the	O
common	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
term	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
is	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
according	O
to	O
the	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
,	O
Google	O
's	O
open-source	O
chief	O
Chris	O
DiBona	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
journalists	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Others	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Google	O
engineer	O
Patrick	O
Brady	O
,	O
say	O
that	O
Android	B-Application
is	O
not	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
traditional	O
Unix-like	B-Operating_System
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
sense	O
;	O
Android	B-Application
does	O
not	O
include	O
the	O
GNU	B-Language
C	I-Language
Library	I-Language
(	O
it	O
uses	O
Bionic	B-Application
as	O
an	O
alternative	O
C	O
library	O
)	O
and	O
some	O
of	O
other	O
components	O
typically	O
found	O
in	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ars	O
Technica	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Although	O
Android	B-Application
is	O
built	O
on	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
the	O
platform	O
has	O
very	O
little	O
in	O
common	O
with	O
the	O
conventional	O
desktop	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
stack	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cellphones	O
and	O
PDAs	O
running	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
on	O
open-source	O
platforms	O
became	O
more	O
common	O
from	O
2007	O
;	O
examples	O
include	O
the	O
Nokia	B-Language
N810	I-Language
,	O
Openmoko	B-Application
's	O
Neo1973	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Motorola	O
ROKR	O
E8	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Continuing	O
the	O
trend	O
,	O
Palm	O
(	O
later	O
acquired	O
by	O
HP	O
)	O
produced	O
a	O
new	O
Linux-derived	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
webOS	B-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
is	O
built	O
into	O
its	O
line	O
of	O
Palm	B-Application
Pre	I-Application
smartphones	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nokia	O
's	O
Maemo	B-Operating_System
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
earliest	O
mobile	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
,	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Debian	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
merged	O
with	O
Intel	O
's	O
Moblin	B-Language
,	O
another	O
Linux-based	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
,	O
to	O
form	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
was	O
later	O
terminated	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
Tizen	B-Application
,	O
an	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
targeted	O
at	O
mobile	O
devices	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
IVI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tizen	B-Application
is	O
a	O
project	O
within	O
The	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
Samsung	B-Application
products	O
are	O
already	O
running	O
Tizen	B-Application
,	O
Samsung	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
2	I-Application
being	O
the	O
most	O
significant	O
example	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
Z	O
smartphones	B-Application
will	O
use	O
Tizen	B-Application
instead	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
's	O
termination	O
,	O
the	O
Mer	B-Application
project	I-Application
forked	O
the	O
MeeGo	B-Operating_System
codebase	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
basis	O
for	O
mobile-oriented	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2012	O
,	O
Jolla	B-Operating_System
announced	O
Sailfish	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
,	O
their	O
own	O
mobile	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
built	O
upon	O
Mer	B-Application
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mozilla	B-Operating_System
's	I-Operating_System
FirefoxOS	O
consists	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
hardware	B-Operating_System
abstraction	I-Operating_System
layer	I-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
web-standards-based	O
runtime	B-Device
environment	I-Device
and	O
user	B-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
and	O
an	O
integrated	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Canonical	O
has	O
released	O
Ubuntu	B-Protocol
Touch	I-Protocol
,	O
aiming	O
to	O
bring	O
convergence	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
on	O
this	O
mobile	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
its	O
desktop	O
counterpart	O
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
also	O
provides	O
a	O
full	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
desktop	O
when	O
connected	O
to	O
an	O
external	O
monitor	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Librem	B-Application
5	I-Application
is	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
developed	O
by	O
Purism	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
it	O
runs	O
the	O
company-made	O
Linux-based	O
PureOS	B-Language
,	O
but	O
it	O
can	O
also	O
run	O
other	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Ubuntu	B-Protocol
Touch	I-Protocol
,	O
PureOS	B-Language
is	O
designed	O
with	O
convergence	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
allowing	O
desktop	O
programs	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
the	O
smartphone	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
example	O
of	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
desktop	O
version	O
of	O
Mozilla	B-Application
Firefox	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
smartphone	B-Application
is	O
the	O
PinePhone	B-Application
,	O
made	O
by	O
the	O
computer	O
manufacturer	O
Pine64	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PinePhone	B-Application
can	O
run	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
Linux-based	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
such	O
as	O
Ubuntu	B-Protocol
Touch	I-Protocol
and	O
postmarketOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
its	O
low	O
cost	O
and	O
ease	O
of	O
customization	O
,	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
often	O
used	O
in	O
embedded	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
non-mobile	O
telecommunications	O
equipment	O
sector	O
,	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
customer-premises	O
equipment	O
(	O
CPE	O
)	O
hardware	O
runs	O
some	O
Linux-based	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenWrt	B-Application
is	O
a	O
community-driven	O
example	O
upon	O
which	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
OEM	O
firmware	O
releases	O
are	O
based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
TiVo	B-Application
digital	O
video	O
recorder	O
also	O
uses	O
a	O
customized	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
as	O
do	O
several	O
network	B-Application
firewalls	I-Application
and	O
routers	B-Protocol
from	O
such	O
makers	O
as	O
Cisco/Linksys	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Korg	O
OASYS	O
,	O
the	O
Korg	O
KRONOS	O
,	O
the	O
Yamaha	O
Motif	O
XS/Motif	O
XF	O
music	O
workstations	O
,	O
Yamaha	O
S90XS/S70XS	O
,	O
Yamaha	O
MOX6/MOX8	O
synthesizers	O
,	O
Yamaha	O
Motif-Rack	O
XS	O
tone	O
generator	O
module	O
,	O
and	O
Roland	O
RD-700GX	O
digital	O
piano	O
also	O
run	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
also	O
used	O
in	O
stage	O
lighting	O
control	O
systems	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
WholeHogIII	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
past	O
,	O
there	O
were	O
few	O
games	O
available	O
for	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
recent	O
years	O
,	O
more	O
games	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
(	O
especially	O
Indie	O
games	O
)	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
exception	O
of	O
a	O
few	O
AAA	O
title	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
,	O
a	O
mobile	O
platform	O
which	O
uses	O
the	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
kernel	I-Operating_System
,	O
has	O
gained	O
much	O
developer	O
interest	O
and	O
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
platforms	O
for	O
mobile	O
game	O
development	O
along	O
with	O
iOS	B-Application
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
by	O
Apple	O
for	O
iPhone	B-Device
and	O
iPad	B-Device
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
14	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
a	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
a	O
gaming	O
distribution	O
platform	O
on	O
PC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
Steam	B-Application
games	I-Application
were	O
ported	O
to	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
13	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
SteamOS	B-Application
,	O
a	O
gaming-oriented	O
OS	O
based	O
on	O
Debian	O
,	O
for	O
beta	O
testing	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
plans	O
to	O
ship	O
Steam	B-Device
Machines	I-Device
as	O
a	O
gaming	O
and	O
entertainment	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
has	O
also	O
developed	O
VOGL	B-Language
,	O
an	O
OpenGL	B-Application
debugger	O
intended	O
to	O
aid	O
video	O
game	O
development	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
porting	O
its	O
Source	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
to	O
desktop	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
a	O
result	O
of	O
Valve	O
's	O
effort	O
,	O
several	O
prominent	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
DotA	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Portal	B-Application
,	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
Left	B-Application
4	I-Application
Dead	I-Application
2	I-Application
are	O
now	O
natively	O
available	O
on	O
desktop	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
July	O
31	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Nvidia	O
released	O
Shield	B-Application
as	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
use	O
Android	B-Application
as	O
a	O
specialized	O
gaming	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
users	O
play	O
Windows-based	O
games	O
using	O
Wine	B-Application
or	O
CrossOver	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
August	O
22	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
their	O
own	O
fork	O
of	O
Wine	B-Application
called	O
Proton	B-Application
,	O
aimed	O
at	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
features	O
some	O
improvements	O
over	O
the	O
vanilla	O
Wine	B-Application
such	O
as	O
Vulkan-based	O
DirectX	O
11	O
and	O
12	O
implementations	O
,	O
Steam	B-Application
integration	O
,	O
better	O
full	O
screen	O
and	O
game	O
controller	O
support	O
and	O
improved	O
performance	O
for	O
multi-threaded	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2021	O
,	O
ProtonDB	B-Application
,	O
an	O
online	O
aggregator	O
of	O
games	O
supporting	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
stated	O
that	O
78%	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
thousand	O
games	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
were	O
able	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
using	O
either	O
Proton	B-Application
or	O
a	O
native	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
February	O
25	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Valve	O
released	O
Steam	B-Device
Deck	I-Device
,	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
gaming	I-Application
console	I-Application
running	O
Arch	O
Linux-based	B-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
SteamOS	B-Application
3.0	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
flexibility	O
,	O
customizability	O
and	O
free	B-License
and	I-License
open-source	I-License
nature	O
of	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
it	O
becomes	O
possible	O
to	O
highly	O
tailor	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
towards	O
a	O
specific	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
two	O
main	O
methods	O
to	O
assemble	O
a	O
specialized	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
:	O
building	O
from	O
scratch	O
or	O
from	O
a	O
general-purpose	O
distribution	O
as	O
a	O
base	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
distributions	O
often	O
used	O
for	O
this	O
purpose	O
include	O
Debian	O
,	O
Fedora	O
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
(	O
which	O
is	O
itself	O
based	O
on	O
Debian	O
)	O
,	O
Arch	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
,	O
Gentoo	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Slackware	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
contrast	O
,	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
built	O
from	O
scratch	O
do	O
not	O
have	O
general-purpose	O
bases	O
;	O
instead	O
,	O
they	O
focus	O
on	O
the	O
JeOS	B-Operating_System
philosophy	O
by	O
including	O
only	O
necessary	O
components	O
and	O
avoiding	O
resource	B-General_Concept
overhead	O
caused	O
by	O
components	O
considered	O
redundant	O
in	O
the	O
distribution	O
's	O
use	O
cases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
OpenELEC	B-Application
,	O
a	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
that	O
incorporates	O
the	O
media	O
center	O
software	O
Kodi	B-Application
,	O
is	O
an	O
OS	O
tuned	O
specifically	O
for	O
an	O
HTPC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Having	O
been	O
built	O
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
adhering	O
to	O
the	O
JeOS	B-Operating_System
principle	O
,	O
the	O
OS	O
is	O
very	O
lightweight	O
and	O
very	O
suitable	O
for	O
the	O
confined	O
usage	O
range	O
of	O
an	O
HTPC	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
also	O
special	O
editions	O
of	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
that	O
include	O
the	O
MythTV	B-Application
media	O
center	O
software	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Mythbuntu	B-Operating_System
,	O
a	O
special	O
edition	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kali	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
Debian-based	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
designed	O
for	O
digital	O
forensics	O
and	O
penetration	O
testing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
derivative	O
BackBox	O
provides	O
pre-installed	O
security	O
and	O
network	O
analysis	O
tools	O
for	O
ethical	O
hacking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
many	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
created	O
with	O
privacy	O
,	O
secrecy	O
,	O
network	O
anonymity	O
and	O
information	O
security	O
in	O
mind	O
,	O
including	O
Tails	B-Application
,	O
Tin	O
Hat	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
and	O
Tinfoil	O
Hat	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lightweight	O
Portable	O
Security	O
is	O
a	O
distribution	O
based	O
on	O
Arch	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
and	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Defense	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tor-ramdisk	O
is	O
a	O
minimal	O
distribution	O
created	O
solely	O
to	O
host	O
the	O
network	O
anonymity	O
software	O
Tor	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Operating_System
Live	O
CD	O
sessions	O
have	O
long	O
been	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
tool	O
for	O
recovering	O
data	O
from	O
a	O
broken	O
computer	O
system	O
and	O
for	O
repairing	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Building	O
upon	O
that	O
idea	O
,	O
several	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
tailored	O
for	O
this	O
purpose	O
have	O
emerged	O
,	O
most	O
of	O
which	O
use	O
GParted	B-Application
as	O
a	O
partition	O
editor	O
,	O
with	O
additional	O
data	O
recovery	O
and	O
system	O
repair	O
software	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
GParted	B-Application
Live	I-Application
a	O
Debian-based	O
distribution	O
developed	O
by	O
the	O
GParted	B-Application
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Parted	O
Magic	O
a	O
commercial	O
Linux	B-Application
distribution	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SystemRescueCD	B-Application
an	O
Arch-based	O
distribution	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
editing	O
Windows	B-Protocol
registry	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
SpaceX	O
uses	O
multiple	O
redundant	O
flight	O
computers	O
in	O
a	O
fault-tolerant	B-General_Concept
design	I-General_Concept
in	O
its	O
Falcon	O
9	O
rocket	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Operating_System
is	O
not	O
inherently	O
fault-tolerant	B-General_Concept
(	O
no	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
is	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
is	O
a	O
function	O
of	O
the	O
whole	O
system	O
including	O
the	O
hardware	O
)	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
flight	O
computer	O
software	O
makes	O
it	O
so	O
for	O
its	O
purpose	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
SpaceX	O
has	O
conducted	O
over	O
76	O
launches	O
of	O
the	O
Falcon9	O
since	O
2010	O
,	O
out	O
of	O
which	O
all	O
but	O
one	O
have	O
successfully	O
delivered	O
their	O
primary	O
payloads	O
to	O
the	O
intended	O
orbit	B-Application
,	O
and	O
has	O
used	O
it	O
to	O
transport	O
astronauts	O
to	O
the	O
International	O
Space	O
Station	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Dragon	O
2	O
crew	O
capsule	O
also	O
uses	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
was	O
deployed	O
as	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
on	O
non-mission	O
critical	O
laptops	O
used	O
on	O
the	O
space	O
station	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
replaced	O
with	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Robonaut	O
2	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
humanoid	O
robot	O
in	O
space	O
,	O
is	O
also	O
Linux-based	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Jet	O
Propulsion	O
Laboratory	O
has	O
used	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
years	O
"	O
to	O
help	O
with	O
projects	O
relating	O
to	O
the	O
construction	O
of	O
unmanned	O
space	O
flight	O
and	O
deep	O
space	O
exploration	O
"	O
;	O
NASA	O
uses	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
in	O
robotics	O
in	O
the	O
Mars	O
rover	O
,	O
and	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
to	O
"	O
save	O
data	O
from	O
satellites	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
have	O
been	O
created	O
to	O
provide	O
hands-on	O
experience	O
with	O
coding	O
and	O
source	B-Application
code	O
to	O
students	O
,	O
on	O
devices	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Raspberry	B-Operating_System
Pi	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
derivatives	O
Edubuntu	B-Application
and	O
The	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
Schools	O
Project	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
Debian	O
derivative	O
Skolelinux	B-Application
,	O
provide	O
education-oriented	O
software	O
packages	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
include	O
tools	O
for	O
administering	O
and	O
building	O
school	O
computer	O
labs	O
and	O
computer-based	O
classrooms	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
Terminal	I-Application
Server	I-Application
Project	I-Application
(	O
LTSP	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instant	O
WebKiosk	O
and	O
Webconverger	B-Application
are	O
browser-based	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
often	O
used	O
in	O
web	O
kiosks	O
and	O
digital	O
signage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thinstation	O
is	O
a	O
minimalist	O
distribution	O
designed	O
for	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Rocks	B-Operating_System
Cluster	I-Operating_System
Distribution	I-Operating_System
is	O
tailored	O
for	O
high-performance	B-Operating_System
computing	I-Operating_System
clusters	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
general-purpose	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
that	O
target	O
a	O
specific	O
audience	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
users	O
of	O
a	O
specific	O
language	O
or	O
geographical	O
area	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
examples	O
include	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Kylin	O
for	O
Chinese	O
language	O
users	O
and	O
BlankOn	O
targeted	O
at	O
Indonesians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Profession-specific	O
distributions	O
include	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Studio	O
for	O
media	O
creation	O
and	O
DNALinux	O
for	O
bioinformatics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Certain	O
organizations	O
use	O
slightly	O
specialized	O
Linux	B-Application
distributions	I-Application
internally	O
,	O
including	O
GendBuntu	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
French	O
National	O
Gendarmerie	O
,	O
Goobuntu	B-Application
used	O
internally	O
by	O
Google	O
,	O
and	O
Astra	O
Linux	B-Operating_System
developed	O
specifically	O
for	O
the	O
Russian	O
army	O
.	O
</s>
