Globally, 71.72% of all Desktops use Windows, an operating system I am willing to bet you have seen before. 13% use MacOS, and 3.99% use Linux. Although, there exists another operating system, one so rare that only a few thousand use it; its name is Red Star OS. 

Red Star OS is the operating system used by the North Korean citizens with access to the internet (unsurprisingly, this number is only 1% of their population).  The picture below shows Red star OS version 3.0, released in 2013, next to MacOS. Red star OS 3.0 was leaked in 2014, and the newest version seems to be 4.0, but nobody can really say certainly that there isn’t a newer one out now, because of how secretive North Korea is. 

Red Star OS happens to be a Linux distribution, meaning it includes the Linux kernel. The kernel is like a popcorn kernel. Think about how popcorn can only be made by heating the kernel. It’s like the core, the base. The applications on this operating system are somewhat limited, but considering the totalitarian state that is North Korea, I’m impressed. Red Star OS has a version of Firefox, a text editor, music and media players, and a file sharing system. It kind of looks like Mac OS, which makes sense because Kim Jong- un owns a Mac, according to images from the web. 

Knowing North Korea, it makes sense that there would be some spyware programmed into the operating system. An in-depth look into Red Star’s programming reveals that any files uploaded can be tracked by the state. From the time it’s uploaded, Kim can track who opened it, where it’s moved, and if it’s shared. Red Star can also link files to the serial number of the system, and possibly to the user. Buying a computer in North Korea is kind of like wearing an ankle bracelet.

If (for whatever reason) you would like to download Red Star OS, you can go to this website. However, I would recommend downloading it to a virtual machine, and not letting it potentially take over your laptop. The operating system is ONLY 2.4 gigabytes! For comparison, Fortnite is 30 gigabytes, and so is Windows 11. To download virtual box go to this link, or just follow this youtube tutorial installing red star os. Red Star OS won’t take up much space, and it shouldn’t hurt your computer… Probably…