The Kernel

Linux is an open source kernel. It is often shipped with GNU software as a complete operating system.

Installing Linux

Microsoft provides the Linux subsystem for Windows, which runs a native Linux environment on top of Windows 10. Even Kali Linux is available from the Windows App Store, however setup isn’t exactly straightforward. They have a cool video guide for running the XFCE4 desktop environment on top of Windows 10 too…

The most common recommendation is to play around with Linux distros on Oracle VM VirtualBox.

Do you have an Android device? Because Android is powered by Linux! However, use of a command line on touchscreens is clumsy. (though if you’re interested, https://termux.com/).

For the daring, install Linux directly to your disk. You can replace your previous operating system, or partition a dual boot configuration. Don’t hesitate to contact me for more help.

If you really don’t want to risk your own machine, Canonical is kind enough to provide Ubuntu containers for demonstration. https://linuxcontainers.org/lxd/try-it/

Distro Recommendations

Solus. https://solus-project.com/

Solus is clean and user-friendly.