Linux distribution (distro)
jargonIT supportprogramming
A complete operating system assembled around the Linux kernel: the kernel plus userland tools, a package manager, an installer, default configuration, and a promise about how updates will arrive and for how long.
Distributions differ far less in software than newcomers expect - the kernel and core tools are largely the same everywhere. What actually separates them is packaging format, release model (fixed, rolling or immutable), what the project defines as its job, and governance. That last one is a technical property, not a political footnote: who decides determines whether your deployment plan survives the next announcement.
Also known as: distribuicao, distro, base image, rolling release