Standing side by side with the developer of Linux, are the different user communities who have recognized the relevance of the system. While some vendors develop and fund their distributions on a voluntary basis, others choose to maintain a community version of their commercial distributions.
Local associations in many cities and regions seek to promote Linux and free software in general. Meetings are held to provide free demonstrations, training, technical support and installation of operating system to first-time users. Various Internet communities have taken the cue and provide support to Linux users and developers. Efforts to propagate the use of the Linux system include online forums, hosting of mailing lists and technology websites that focuses on Linux.