Throughout this book we distinguish between the Linux kernel and the GNU/Linux operating system. Many people call both of these things
Linux, but this is somewhat misleading and certainly unfair to the GNU project which has created almost all of the basic operating system software (shells, compilers, editors, tools, documentation systems, document processors etc.) It had done all this before the Linux kernel came on the scene and enabled the powerful combination we see today of GNU software running on the Linux kernel. We feel the distinction is important as well as reducing confusion and thus maintain it in this document.
