Distinguishing between Android and Linux-based operating systems

An overview of Linux, from the foundational program to its related operating systems

The Linux kernel, which bridges hardware and software, serves as the basis for many fully customizable operating systems, whose components can be modified or removed to optimize performance or reduce bloat on devices with limited resources. This has made these OSes useful for low-power devices like smart thermostats, as well as for powerful supercomputers that require computational efficiency.

The origin of Linux-based operating systems and why calling them 'Linux' is controversial

When Linus Torvalds developed the Linux kernel—the foundational layer of an operating system—developers incorporated it into other readily available components of the GNU Project to create complete systems. Although these OSes have been colloquially referred to as "Linux" for simplicity for decades, the GNU Project has long argued that they should be called "GNU/Linux" to honor the project's contributions.

A list of technologies that run on Linux, including those on the International Space Station

Besides the Astrobee robots and computer systems on the ISS, the security and reliability of Linux distros have led to their use by the Federal Aviation Administration, the Pentagon, the Library of Congress, and the New York Stock Exchange. Many of the operating systems found in smart devices, autonomous vehicles, and wearables also run atop the Linux kernel.

Explaining computer kernels and what makes monolithic kernels different from microkernels

A kernel is an intermediary piece of software on a device that manages the connection between software programs—the services and processes they perform to run correctly—and the available hardware resources, such as memory and computing bandwidth, including prioritizing resource allocation and managing access to specific hardware. A monolithic kernel manages all of an operating system's services, whereas a microkernel only handles essential services.

Explaining how open source systems like Linux can be secure, despite their public source code

While no computer system is immune to all cyberattacks and malware, the transparency of open-source technology means many thousands of developers can review and oversee the underlying code powering the software on an ongoing basis. This increases the likelihood of catching and patching vulnerabilities more quickly than smaller groups of cybercriminals looking to exploit them.

In 2020, the US DOJ sued Google for unlawful monopolization of the search engine market

The US Department of Justice and numerous states accused Google of making exclusionary agreements with Android phone manufacturers to make its search engine the default on those devices, preventing competitors from gaining market share.

Why the Linux Foundation partnered with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

In founding the Academy Software Foundation in 2018, the Linux Foundation spread its open-source philosophy to the cinema by establishing a neutral forum for sharing animation, visual effects, and audio technologies across projects. Its founding members include DreamWorks Animation, Epic Games, Google Cloud, Intel, and Walt Disney Studios.

Explore more than 7,000 of the world's languages

Google collects open-source data on languages, detailing how many known speakers each language has, whether its endangered, and where in the world it is spoken.

Your device can become infected with malware by simply browsing the internet

During a drive-by download attack, security flaws in a program or operating system (e.g., Windows) used to access online content are exploited, and malicious code is downloaded—for example, when loading a hacked webpage—onto a user's device without their knowledge. Restricting internet browsing to safe sites and installing security updates helps prevent these attacks.

A battery management system determines the displayed battery percentage

The software in modern devices provides values by combining estimates based on voltage—akin to knowing how much air is left in a tire based on the pressure of the escaping air—and coulomb counting, where the rate of electrical current is calibrated to the ratio of remaining charge to full capacity.

Samsung makes much more than smartphones

Samsung is best known for its highly popular smartphones and related consumer electronics. But the business, first created in 1938, is a conglomerate invested in container shipping, tank building, and even real estate construction like the Burj Khalifa. Its annual $200B in revenue comprises 20% of South Korea's gross domestic product. Watch this video for more on this diverse, enormous company.

Machine learning and deep learning are successive subsets of artificial intelligence

ML allows systems to learn from data, while DL uses complex neural networks to analyze large amounts of unstructured data. Neural networks enable capabilities like image and speech recognition through their use of algorithms to identify patterns in data.

Google data centers possess six layers of security

Property boundaries, such as anti-climb fencing, overlapping cameras, vehicle crash barriers, and circulating patrols, are coupled with lobby iris scans and ID and badge checks. The security operations center monitors individuals throughout their visit, including the less than 1% of Google users who ever receive permission to visit the data center floor.

How do touchscreens work?

Touchscreens have revolutionized digital interactions, but how they work widely varies depending on the device. Explore the history and workings of the most common types—capacitive and resistive—and new interaction methods incorporated into foldable screens and touchless interfaces.

Learn how the algorithms behind Tinger, Bumble, Hinge, and other dating apps work

Formerly based on the Elo rating system, which ranks chess players, the Tinder algorithm is built on user data, with more time spent on the app providing more data on user preferences from which to customize potential matches. OkCupid's match percentage algorithm relies on overlaps in users' search preferences and responses to a subset of over 4,000 questions.

What's the difference between an ale and a lager?

The major distinction is that ales are typically fruitier, while lagers are cleaner and crisper. This video breaks down several more of the nuanced differences between the two styles.

Opera terminology heavily relies on Italian

Most commonly used Opera terms are not in English. This glossary provides definitions of keywords like “libretto,” the text of a piece, “tenor,” the highest natural adult male singing voice, and “diva,” a female opera star.

Bitcoin and ethereum are decentralized cryptocurrencies with different functions

Bitcoin, launched in 2009, is primarily a digital currency and store of value with a fixed supply. Ethereum, introduced in 2015, enables smart contracts and decentralized apps, offering more flexibility.

Understand the differences between manga and comics

Manga and comics—often conflated with one another—are two distinct art forms. Manga is predominantly black-and-white, with long and continuous story arcs by a consistent creator. Western comics, meanwhile, are done in full color, released as individual issues, often feature multiple creative teams, and encourage shorter and self-contained narratives.

How do 5G base stations work?

5G relies on a combination of base stations, including macrocells, small cells, and femtocells. The differences between the three are apparent in size, coverage, and cost—but, small cells in particular are key to providing the high millimeter wave frequencies 5G promises. Learn more in this three-minute video.

Steve Jobs founded NeXT while on a break from Apple

While Steve Jobs was on a hiatus from working at Apple, he founded a company called NeXT and helped lead the release of its operating system NeXTSTEP. The operating system was used to create the first app store of sorts, as well as the first web browser.

How skeletal and smooth muscles differ

Skeletal and smooth muscles are two of the three muscle types found throughout the body. The former is attached to bones via tendons, enables limb movement, and is consciously controlled. The latter is found lining blood vessels and hollow organs (e.g., the intestines, stomach, and esophagus) and is managed by the autonomic nervous system, which means it's outside conscious control.

What's inside an Oreo?

If you look at the ingredient list on your Oreo packaging, you may discover that you don't recognize—or can't even pronounce—some of the listed ingredients, let alone know what they're used for! For instance: Did you know that soy lecithin helps makes oil and water mix? Or that cocoa processed with alkali becomes darker and less acidic? A food scientist breaks down what's inside an Oreo in this seven-minute video.

Dogs smell a lot of stuff we can't, including bed bugs and chemicals in electronic devices

In addition to identifying medical smells and tiny insects like bed bugs, dogs can also detect electronic storage devices. These tools often contain triphenylphosphine oxide, a chemical used to prevent overheating.

COBOL was partly derived from Grace Hopper's FLOW-MATIC programming language

The Common Business-Oriented Language was developed for business data processing, supporting precise decimal calculations and an English-like syntax. Able to work across operating systems and hardware environments, COBOL and its newer versions support 80% of in-person credit card transactions and 95% of all ATM transactions.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Watch how algorithms can be designed to train themselves and self-improve without human input, to the point where the optimized code is too complex for programmers to understand.

In 2019, a laptop loaded with six of the worst malware in history and described as 'an exhibit of historical weaponry' sold for $1.3M.

The United States is one of only around two dozen countries with a fully federal system of government, in which power is divided between national and state governments.

Some researchers have labeled nomophobia, the fear of being without your phone, as 'the phobia of the 21st century.'

The name 'Silicon Valley' arose from the founding of Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in Fairchild Semiconductor in 1956-57, founded near Stanford University in Palo Alto

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

The Nasdaq's 'Magnificent 7' companies are responsible for roughly 40% of the Nasdaq 100 index's gains, while the remaining 93 companies account for the other 60%.

See how each of the more than two million known species relates to each other—and to common ancestors—in this zoomable tree of life.

While the sun's gravity keeps the planets in orbit, their gravity also pulls on the sun, causing it and everything else in the solar system to orbit around a mutual balance point called the barycenter—the true center of the solar system.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

The Great Salt Lake's distinct dual coloration results from high-salinity organisms that only live in the northern portion and produce a purple protein.

About 2,000 US babies are born annually without some portion of their limbs, potentially leading to a lifetime of pricey prosthetics.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

Play the role of a student in a game where you try to navigate college and remain debt-free, selecting different income levels, high school experience, race, ethnicity, and more.

See how Budweiser's famous Clydesdales spend their days at Warm Springs Ranch, where roughly 70 to 80 of the beer brand's giant horses can be found at any given time.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is independent of Iran's regular army and is one of the most powerful and influential military-political organizations in the Middle East.

Up to a million Girl Scouts sell about 200 million cookie boxes every spring, generating $800 million, largely because refusing a child is frowned upon

Before humans, the Soviet Union and the United States sent animals—including apes, dogs, and cats—to space during the Space Race.

While El Niño moves warm Pacific Ocean waters east along the equator, La Niña moves them west, shifting where rainfall will become more common for months.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict is the largest ground war in Europe since World War II in terms of casualties, forces mobilized, and displacement of civilians.

Corals are themselves not coral reefs—the term refers to the tiny marine invertebrates that build the rigid reef.