Linux users often cite *the community* as a major feature of their operating system. I often wonder whether that confuses people who haven't experienced Linux yet, because at first glance it presumably seems like there's a community around pretty much any computational device. Computers and mobile devices are used by lots of people, and many of those people gather together in online forums and social networks. So what is about the Linux community that makes it a feature of the technology?
Groupings of humans {#_groupings_of_humans}
It's in our nature as humans to find common threads with one another. There are Android People and there are iPhone People, Windows People and Mac People, Software People and Illegally-downloaded-software People, and so on. You find support forums for devices and software and people who use creative apps and people who use financial apps. We tag people with attributes, and then we form groups accordingly.
A common thread with these examples is that they tend to require a purchase. You get in the door by spending your money on acquiring the thing that grants you the attribute of the group. You're in the same building now, so you're part of the group.
But who built the building?
Communities of humans {#_communities_of_humans}
The unique things about the Linux community are that there's no entry fee to get in, and it's more than just a group of people with a commonly purchased attribute. The community around Linux spent time and effort to learn a new system, and are actively supporting that system in some way. Not everyone in the community helps build Linux, but every member in the community helps build the Linux community. There's support, encouragement, sharing. No matter what you do in the community, there's participation happening, even if the only way you participate is by downloading and using the software. The fact that people are getting use out of what their community builds is exactly what drives the community to build more. It's a human *perpetual motion* machine, and the energy it generates powers some of the best technology available.
Community is the missing feature of most computing platforms, and it's a key feature of Linux. Of course there isn't just one Linux community. At some point, communities within communities form based on specific interests, and it's
Not everyone wants a community around their computer. In fact, they may find it confusing that there's a community at all. It's OK to use Linux and not care about the community. In fact, it's a feature of Linux that individuals can ignore how it's built and maintained. But for the ratio to remain healthy, for there to be room for people who don't care about the process, there needs to be a healthy community full of a diverse and dynamic group of humans sharing experiences. Experiences vary for those with technical knowledge, those with artistic skill, documentation writers, casual application users, and so on, but it's the sharing of those experiences that makes a community more than just a group of delighted customers. If you're interested in joining the Linux community to share your human experience on computers with other Linux users, give Linux a try, find a community within the community,