Original: Before the first Linux distributions , a would-be Linux user was required to be something of a Unix expert , needing to know not only what libraries and executables were required to successfully get the system to boot and run , but also important details concerning configuration and placement of files in the system .
Simplified: Before the first Linux distributions , a Linux user needed to be a Unix expert , knowing what libraries and executables that were needed to get the system to boot and run .