Ubuntu Desktop explained

Installing Ubuntu is easy: download an image and follow instructions. But after installing it, you face a completely different system: different hotkeys, applications and settings. For example, when you are tuning your system you run into necessity to use App Center — the equivalent of the Mac App Store as well as Extension Manager. Why and when do you need to use each of them?

There are important details you need to know to get things done. On Linux, the desktop solution is composed of separate layers, unlike macOS where everything is tightly integrated.

Here’s the stack from bottom to top:

User Apps (Firefox, VS Code, Terminal...)
        ↓
Wayland Compositor (Mutter/GNOME, Sway, Hyprland)
[Acts as both Window Manager & Display Server]
        ↓
Linux Kernel + GPU Drivers

Linux Kernel

The Linux kernel is written almost entirely in C, with heavy use of GCC/Clang-specific extensions. C gives you control over memory layout and no hidden behaviour. The kernel has its own memory allocator and its own data structures.

The kernel also officially accepts Rust as a language for writing drivers. It’s still a small fraction of the codebase and its adoption remains actively debated within the kernel community.