One of the defining characteristics of Linux is its open nature. When a group of developers produce a distribution with attractive characteristics, the release of the software under the GPL or similar licenses generally means that others are free to look at the source code, modify or tinker with it, and pass the results on to others. A great example of this trend in action is the proliferation of variants of popular distributions aimed at satisfying particular technical objectives or specialized for specific audiences' needs. This helps create and nurture a healthy Linux ecosystem by encouraging creativity and competition to deliver the best user experience, no matter the target audience.