this post was submitted on 31 May 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five
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Simplifying Complexity, One Answer at a Time!
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I don’t know… I think his description can be overly complex/abstract for eli5 AND all the other descriptions can be wrong.
Here’s my attempt:
You know how with Lego you can make all sorts of stuff, but you can also buy a kit with some main pieces pre-molded that you attach the other bits to, to make your object?
Linux is like that pre-made bit, with bumps on it in specific places to build the object. It’s designed to be the interface between the non-Lego objects and the Lego pieces.
But unlike in most systems, with Linux, everyone can tweak the pre-made bit, and it must be given away, along with the instructions on how to build it.
And of course, this all runs in software on electronics, not using physical objects made of plastic.