The term is so often conflated because it seems as though what is wanted be a technical definition of a concept that is not technical, but social. “Linux” the

The term is so often conflated because it seems as though what is wanted be a technical definition of a concept that is not technical, but social. “Linux” the kernel is technical, but that other thing for which “Linux” is often used has no technical barriers to it, and is entirely a social thing — something is “Linux” when it declares itself part of the tribe, and is so accepted. SteamOS as a marketing strategy always used the phrase “Linux and SteamOS” and was thus successful in moving itself outside of the tribe, for example. There is no technical definition of “an operating system” and there are no technical reasons for what “operating systems" are and aren't “Linux”; it is purely based on social cohesion.