this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
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Linux
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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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one of the main reasons the linux kernel is where it is today: "never break userspace"
unfortunately not every project keeps to this principle.
There are good reasons to break userspace sometimes. If we would never do so, we would stuck on X11 forever.
Wayland is definitely on the side of not breaking userspace, though. The API design, xWayland compatibility layer, and recent focus on protocols to fix missing functionality from xorg are all designed to make Wayland a seamless transition.
Otherwise we'd have been using Wayland as the only option for years now.
Linus would like to have a word with you
No, because the kernel has a different goal than most other software. Linux agrees that breaking the userspace from userspace is sometimes necessary.
can claw my xkcd 1172 from my cold dead hands /sarcasm
As Linus once, very articulately, reminded that one guy.
That one guy, In fact, being many one guys.