Linux is a widely ported operating system. The Linux kernel runs on the most diverse amplitude of computer architectures: in the hand-held ARM-based iPAQ and the mainframe IBM System z9, in devices ranging from mobile phones to supercomputers. Specialized distributions exist for less mainstream architectures. The ELKS kernel fork can spring on Intel 8086 or Intel 80286 16-bit microprocessors, while the µClinux kernel fork may escape on systems without a memory management unit. The kernel also runs on architectures that were only ever intended to advantage a manufacturer-created operating system, such as Macintosh computers, PDAs, video courageous consoles, portable bebop players, and mobile phones.

Most Linux distributions provide a program for browsing a list of thousands of free software applications that have already been tested and configured for a specific distribution. These free programs Linux Support can be downloaded and installed with specific mouse click and a digital signature guarantees that no sole has added a virus or a spyware to these programs.