this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2024
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Linux
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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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Yes Stable Linux variants (also known as distros) are very widely used, and range from Linux mint which is completely stable with no issues for day to day use (assuming you don't use an Nvidia card) to Debian which which has a selling point of not changing anything beyond security updates for like 6 years straight
Most people here will be talking about there bleeding edge systems which will use code that is often in beta or use systems so new they don't have proper documentation (the bcachefs file system which showed up last month comes to mind).
Just ot make it clear to OP, Stable does NOT nesesarily mean bug free. Just like how most people are on the "stable" branch of Windows 10 or 11,but they still encounter bugs, "stable" Linux distros can also have bugs.
The difference between "stable" and not stable is that: 1.) The system is "stable" in that it's very unlikely to crash. Stable Linux distros are much preferred for servers, for instance. 2.) Any OS related bugs you find will still be there likely until the next big release. (with Debian iirc this is like every 4 years)
Debian has been doing two years for a long time. The longest interval was three.