this post was submitted on 24 Feb 2025
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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No it's not, it's based on BSD, or more specifically Darwin, which is derived from BSD, so Unix-like, but not Linux.
Although, oddly, macOS is a certified UNIX OS so it can rightfully sit at the table with the SysV distros such as AIX, HP-UX, or Solaris, but it's nothing like those OSes in its nature.
Just remember that they didn't certify macOS for any practical reason, Apple was just weaseling out of a lawsuit and figured that paying the certification was cheaper than damages. I think they lost the certification some time later. Newer macOS is not Unix certified.
It's UNIX 03 compliant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification
While I was doing OS-X stuff, I remember Darwin just being a really painfully bad implementation of the apt functionality in Debian based Linuxes... Potaytoe, Potahtoe, Darwin is like burnt house fries, IMO.
Not just Unix-like but actually ancestrally Unix as well as being certified as Unix