While I tried to gather information about software installation and Linux I also discussed this topic with several people. One argument I found rather strange was based on the statement that there is no Linux OS - but that every distribution is its own operating system. This is something I cannot agree with.

The argument was aimed at the general idea of an “installer” of any kind. If there is no common operating system there can hardly be a common installer. But this argument is dull.

First of all the scientific term “Operating System” is not clearly defined. Depending on the book you look into, and therefore depending on the author you ask you get different (scientific) definitions for the term “Operating System”. The range goes from the pure kernel itself up to fully running platforms with a set of normal daily use applications. If you ever joined a “GNU/Linux” vs “Linux” discussion you was probably faced with the same problem.

Second, and this is less theoretical but more practical reason.

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