@philip_cardella
So strictly speaking, ‘Linux’ just refers to the kernel (the program that actually runs the hardware, in simple terms)—everything you actually do on the computer is handled by other software that has to be packaged and integrated to make a usable OS.
One of the big things a distro does is manage installing packages—so I can run a simple command and install new free software that’s ready to go, rather than having to build from source code.