Ok, well Linux is a kernel. The core of an operating system. Windows uses "the Windows NT Kernel". Mac OS X uses the Mach Kernel, a kernel designed to replace the BSD kernel. Linux, BSD and Mac are all UNIX-like systems, whereas Windows is based on DOS.
But there's more to an Operating System than the kernel. System utilities, basic every-day programs and applications and functions.
Most of that, in the Linux world, is provided by Gnu. A project both about computer software and computer politics, but that's for another ling email. Basically most of turf essentials come from Gnu, on most systems based on Linux (not including Android, as an example).
A distro, is shrot for a distribution; a variant of a basic Linux/Gnu system. Maybe it includes extra programs, at system level or user level, or different configurations. Different file structure, different look and feel. Different Desktop Environment, like KDE or GNOME or XFCE.
Basically a distro is a distributed variant of Linux/Gnu.
Examples of distros are Ubuntu, Debian Gnu/Linux, OpenSUSE, RedHat Linux, GnuSense (or however it's spelt), Puppy Linux, etc,etc,etc. All are different Operating Systems based on Linux/Gnu. Other systems based on Linux, but not Gnu, like Android, aren't generally called distros, but some might be.
The reason there are so many variants, is because the licensing and philosophy of Free Software (as in freedom)/Open Source allows people to remodel the system and redistribute it to fit different needs and visions.
So regarding installing banshee, it sounds as if you are trying to compile it from source, but it is likely that you have no need to. Do you know the name of the Linux distro you are running on your computer?
On 27 Jan 2011 19:27, "Ricardo Monge" <remonge cox net> wrote:
What is distro? New user for Linux not very familiar...
On Sat, 2011-01-22 at 04:18 +0000, Matt Sturgeon wrote:
> What distro are you running?
>
> On 22 J...