Kernels

[medicben]

I know that this might sound stupid, but what is a kernel?

[jcannonb]

The kernel is what LINUX is. Without it, Linux would not exist. When you see redhat, mandraket etc... those are called distributions. They all use the (same) linux kernel. Some may use a slightly newer version of the kernel. The kernel what is what makes it linux, instead of DOS, or NT or MAC or anything else. The things that set a distribution apart are the applications, utilities, etc... that they ship with the linux kernel

[A_Lawn_GNOME]

The kernel is what separates the men from the boys... errr, the hardware from the software. It basically is one big driver for your computer. Well it does a few other things but that's the best simplification I can think of.