Linux like the pet dog comes in many breeds, known as distributions or distros. In the same way that all dogs are descended from wolves all distros are descended from Gnu/Linux and the different types are bred for specific purposes.

Transcript -- Linux - Open Source Software

The Linux Operating System is 20 years old. This podcast series, presented by the Senior Lecturer in Computing at The Open University, Blaine Price, tells the story of an extraordinary operating system that in two short decades has grown from a students’ project to the foundation of the internet. Linux runs on everything from your wireless router and Android Smartphone to CERN's most powerful computer. It has championed a whole new philosophy of collaboration and freedom in the software development community. We will hear from its users, its innovators and its originators. This is the story of Linux. For an entry level approach to learning Linux, try The Open University course T155 Linux: an introduction.