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What is Linux?
Author: Human X | Wednesday December 04, 2002
A Quick look at Linux for those who have lead a penguin free life.
This article is currently being edited. If you should read this article at anytime during this phase, please feel free to send questions or suggestions now and they will be added to the final product.
Linux like Microsoft Windows, *OS/X, IBM Warp and so on is an operating system. Linux lately has become a hot topic in the corporate eyes as it is a cheaper alternative to its rival the Windows Family Platform of operating systems and even to UNIX. The computer industry is beginning to embrace Linux quickly and for good reason.
Linux is similar to UNIX in almost every faucet of the O/S itself except for Linux is 100 percent free! Now, of course anyone unfamiliar with GPL software would say ¡§Are their strings attached.¡¨ No strings are attached to Linux and it can be freely downloaded from many sites on the internet.
Linux in its simplest form is a kernel which handles your computers hardware and the sharing of resources. This kernel combined with open source software that has been developed by many kind hearted, hard headed and dedicated individuals delivers a complete operating system with all of the wonderful applications that you would expect to find in any other O/S.
X Your friendly neighborhood GUI
The GUI graphical user interface that is most commonly used in Linux is generally called X Windows, though its is true name is X. X Windows utilizes display applications called Window Managers which are what you actually see when you boot up X. Window Managers come in many varieties with a seemingly endless amount of possibilities. Each Different Windows Manager may look like Windows 98, Apple O/S, NEXT operating system or it may be a scaled down Windows Manager whose focus is to conserve memory. This gives the end user the ability to pick the look and feel of the GUI as well as indulge in some of the unique capabilities of that particular windows manager.
Some of the features of X Windows is its portability. X can be used on a small screen the size of your watch, on a normal monitor, across 4 monitors or have the display piped to another computer across the country. X is really a server, this server allows users to log in from remote systems as if they were sitting in from of the server itself.
Command Line for the Courageous, for the Hardcore
The command line or Shell is where you will find the true power of Linux. As with X, numerous shells are available to you. The most commonly used is Bash. The shells job is to allow you to interact with the system, load programs and so on via the keyboard and sometimes the mouse. Each shell offers unique functionality and programming which alters how you display data, interact with data and so forth.
Once you learn how to interact with the shell and how to interact the shell with different programs, you will then realize the sheer elegance and power of Linux. The command line allows you to tie programs together which in essence allows you to create new applications based on multiple programs. Lets say you wanted to create an Audio file and convert it.
You could capture the file with one application, add filters with another application, convert it to an MP3 and then save it as a file or pipe it out to the network for lets say a web client to hear. This can all be accomplished with one line of commands. This may seem like the shell is responsible for much of this process but in reality the bulk of applications developed in Linux were created with the shell and multiple interactions in mind.
The beauty of Linux and the command line is that you will find that the possibilities are truly endless. Only Linux/Unix allows for this type of power and creativity.
Linux, The Endurance Champion
If your hardware is up to the task, then so is Linux. It is not uncommon to hear of Linux boxes that have been operational for many years without rebooting. Linux is as stable as you can get. Linux stability comes from the fact that the majority of the software is open source, and open source software is open to critique, bug hunters, and bug fixers of the internet. Each application developed has an endless line of people who will find problems with the software and who can fix it.
Much of the software developed in Linux is done so generally in C or C++ which means power, portability and generally good code as your best programmers come from the C programming culture. This is one of the primary reasons why Linux is such a stable operating system.
Linux, as a Server
The majority of websites on the internet are driven by Unix/Linux and the Apache web server. Because bugs and security problems are fixed quickly, Linux provides a secure and fast way to deliver internet content to the world.
As an inhouse server, Linux is sublime. Not only is it free, but Linux will connect to any network available within your corporation and provide you with the security and the software you will need to drive your companies needs.
Linux, is it for everyone?
Yes and No. Linux does offer anything you could possible need in an operating system, but for those of you who are tied to the mouse, Linux just may not be mature enough for you yet. But it is getting close.
For instance, I would not tell a hardcore graphic designer to use Linux because the software just is not available. For the experienced web designer, Linux is perfect. Everything you could possible need for development and at a pretty darn good price. ļ
The question should not be, ¡§who should use Linux?¡¨
The question should be, ¡§who probably should not use Linux?¡¨
1. Serious Graphic Designers and Multimedia Authors.
2. Hardcore Web Designers who are developing in multiple mediums.
3. Ma and Pa Aol Users (Though any other internet user can use Linux)
4. Those who truly need cutting and pasting.
5. Those who only play games.
What is the answer those people who want the best of both worlds?
Apple¡¦s new operating system OS/X is the best of both worlds. OS/X provides users with an incredible GUI as well as a Linux backend. I do have a firm belief that OS/X and Linux will be the next contenders for the desktop market, it will just take a little time to knock Microsoft off the top.
If you want to have some fun with Linux and have the extra money lying around, I would recommend OS/X. If you are an enthusiast, need a server, trying to save money, want to learn a new operating system and/or want to stay on an x86 platform, then Linux is the way to go.
Which version of Linux is the best?
Their are so many versions of Linux available that you may find it hard to choose, though, most distributions are nearly identical except for some modifications by the distributor. There is RedHat, Suse, Mandrake and so on Personally, I am somewhat a fan of RedHat, because it just happens to be where I began my Linux adventure.
You can always visit www.linuxcentral.com which usually sells a bundled set of the Linux operating system from all of the different major Linux players. Or you can visit RedHat and download it for free. It is best to download the ISO formatted version and burn your own CD
Summary
Hopefully by now your curiosity has been aroused and you are pondering the installation of Linux, so you to could be part of the Linux Culture. This article was written as a quick and general overview of what Linux is, and their is plenty of information available on the subject as well as many fine books located at your local book store. SAMS has released ¡§Red Hat Linux 7.2¡¨ which comes with a complete set of CD Roms and is easy enough for any computer user to follow.
One more quick point about this article, it was written for the Linux newbie. So if you should find contradictory statements in the article, just remember, it is meant to be easy to understand and not a technical article, so spare me the corrections. Below I have included some caveats to look out for and application you may want or desire.
Additional Information
Here I will supply some information to commonly used applications available, places to go for help and so forth. I am not advocating the use of RedHat in this section, but it is the distribution for which I am most familiar.
Comparison Software You may use on your O/S that is available in Linux.
Office Suites: Open Office is much like Microsoft Office except that it runs on practically every platform you will come in contact with. Open Office also includes some extra applications for drawing diagrams and multimedia presentations. Openoffice.org
PDF Reader: Adobe has released Acrobat for Linux and there is also available in most distributions Xpdf for viewing PDF files. Adobe.com
Web Browsers: Opera, Netscape, Mozilla and browsers available from the Gnome project and KDE just to name a few. Netscape.com , opera.com , mozilla.org , gnome.org
Email: Numerous application are available, though Netscape and Mozilla offer a fine email client. See web browsers.
Browser Plugins: Many of your favorite plugins are available for Linux such as Macromedia Flash, Real Player, support for Windows only plugins and so on. Macromedia.com , realplayer.com.
Distributions
Redhat: redhat.com
Suse: suse.com
Mandrake: mandrake.com
BSD: openbsd.org
Newsgroups : Open your favorite web newsgroup reader and search for Linux.
Websites: Just to name a few.
Linuxdig.com
Linuxnewbie.com
Linux.com
Linuxcentral.com (Online Store)
Author
HumanX
LinuxDig.Com
2002
Please feel free to distribute this article, as long as the author information stays intact. If you modify the article, please send me a copy. You can contact me at linuxdig.com from the 'Contact Linuxdig' navigation link.
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