How Do I find out which Linux version is installed

FAQ's
1

[This is a previous posting from someone else, that I’ll later respond to]

I’m unsure which distribution of Linux that’s installed on my computer, how do I find out which version of linux it is beyond the GNU Linux info given? Or is that all there is to it.

2

To find information such as the Distribution Name, Distribution Release Version, Release Notes, Distribution Codename and Distribution Description… Open a terminal and type:

cat /etc/*-release

and hit enter.

Linux Mint 8 (helena) returns:

DISTRIB_ID=LinuxMint DISTRIB_RELEASE=8 RELEASE_NOTES_URL=http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_helena.php DISTRIB_CODENAME=helena DISTRIB_DESCRIPTION="Linux Mint 8 Helena - Main Edition"

Other commands to try -

cat /etc/issue

and/or

cat /proc/version

and/or

lsb_release -a

To find out which kernel you are using -

Open a terminal and enter:

uname -a

and hit enter (returns all information)
or

uname -r

and hit enter (returns the kernel release)
or

uname -v

and hit enter (returns the kernel version)
or

uname -o

and hit enter (returns the operating system)