Why does Linux run well on so many different types of machines - desktops, laptops, servers, embedded devices, mobile phones, etc? Is it mainly because the system is open, so any part of it can be modified to work in different environments? Or are there other properties of the Linux kernel and/or system that make it easier for this OS to work on such a wide range of platforms?
Why does Linux scale so well to different hardware platforms?
linux;hardware
While openness is certainly part of it, I think the key factor is Linus Torvald's continued insistence that all of the work, from big to small, has a place in the mainline Linux kernel, as long as it's well done. If he'd decided at some point to draw a line and say okay, for that fancy super-computer hardware, we need a fork, then completely separate high-end and small-system variants might have developed. As it is, instead people have done the harder work of making it all play together relatively well.And, kludges which enable one side of things at the detriment of the other aren't, generally, allowed in  again, forcing people to solve problems in a harder but more correct way, which turns out to usually be easier to go forward from once whatever required the kludge becomes a historical footnote.From an interview several years ago:Q: Linux is a versatile system. It  supplies PC, huge servers, mobiles and  ten or so of other devices. From your  privileged position, which sector will  be the one where Linux will express  the highest potential?A: I think the real power of Linux is  exactly that it is not about one  niche. Everybody gets to play along,  and different people and different  companies have totally different  motivations and beliefs in what is  important for them. So Im not even  interested in any one particular  sector.