What is Linux?
Linux is an advanced, powerful UNIX-like operating system which is capable
of running on a large variety of computer systems including
Intel based PCs,
Digital/Compaq Alphas,
PowerPC based PCs
(Macintosh,
BeBox, etc.),
Sun Sparc & Sun Ultra,
Amiga,
Corel NetWinder,
and even the
3Com Palm Pilot.
Who is responsible?
The Linux Kernel is
developed and maintained by a team of Internet hackers
including the famous Linus Torvalds
(originator),
Alan Cox, and
David S. Miller just to name
a few.
The remaining parts of the Linux operating system are based on the works of
thousands of other authors under the supervision of the
Free Software Foundation and the
GNU Project.
What makes Linux so successful?
"It's very simple," says Linus Torvalds.
"Because the software is free, there is no
pressure to release it before it is really ready just to achieve some sales
target. Every version of Linux is declared to be finished only when it is
actually finished, which explains why it is so solid. The other reason why
free software is better is because the personal reputation of the developer
is attached to every release. If you are making something to give away to
the world, something that represents to millions of users your philosophy of
computing, you will always make it the very best product you can make.
That's the reason why Linux is a success."
What about software support?
Linux comes with an amazing amount of free software. There are tons and
tons of applications that have been developed over the years for various
UNIX operating systems that can be easily ported to and run under Linux.
There is also a growing
list of applications and
environments which have been evolving straight from the Linux platform.
What features does Linux offer?
Linux contains all of the features that you should expect in an operating
system. Some of these features include security, stability, scalability,
true multitasking, virtual memory, the world's fastest TCP/IP drivers, shared
libraries, and of course multi-user capabilities (this means hundreds of people
can share one computer's resources) all at once, either over a network, the
Internet, or on laptops/computers or terminals connected to the serial
ports of those computers). Linux runs fully in protected mode (unlike
Microsoft Windows) and supports
fully fledged 32-bit and 64-bit multitasking.
Linux supports all of the most common Internet protocols including Electronic
Mail, UseNet News, Gopher, Telnet, Web, FTP, Talk, POP, NTP, IRC, NFS, DNS, NIS, SNMP, Kerberos, WAIS, SSH and much more. Linux can
operate as a client or as a server for all of the above and has already been
widely used and tested in the above roles.
Linux also fits easily and tightly into your Local Area Network, no matter
what combination of systems you might be running. Full and seamless support
for Macintosh, DOS, Windows 95, Windows NT, Novell, OS/2, all using
their own native protocols. Linux can do all of this in just 16MB of memory
or even less (with swapspace). Typically, you could have all the above
running in 8MB with 16MB swap (a total of 24MB RAM).
Linux® is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Windows® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.
NT® is a registered trademark of Northern Telecom Ltd.
Macintosh® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
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