What is Linux? Is Linux for Me?

See also this excellent article: Linux.com: Introduction to Linux and Linux.com

What is Linux?

Technically, Linux is an operating system kernel, the core part of an operating system. (See What is an operating system? if you are not clear on this point.) The Linux kernel is commonly bundled with many other components to form a complete Linux System or Distribution. When most people refer to Linux they are talking about this complete set of programs needed to run a computer, not just the kernel, and so shall we.

Free

Linux is free, which is to say that it can be obtained at no cost. Several different distributions of Linux are available on the Internet for download. No password is required for access, and no registration is required after downloading. There are no "nag" screens begging you to pay for it. It is not crippled in any way, nor is it limited to any particular kind of use. You can use it at home, at school, in your business. You can install it as many times on as many computers as you like, and you can legally make copies of it and give them to friends and colleagues (or even sell copies if you wish).

Linux is also sold commercially on CD-ROM via Internet, mail-order, and retail stores. Commercial distributions usually include multiple CDROMs, a printed installation manual and/or user's guide, a bootable floppy disk to help with the installation, 30 days or more of technical support via email or other means, and sometimes extra commercial programs that are not available in the download edition. The cost is normally in the range of $30-$50 US. By comparison, a retail copy of Windows® 98 runs about $189 US.

Judging by the price difference, you might think that Windows 98 has something that Linux lacks. The truth is just the opposite¹. Windows 98 has built-in networking software, a web browser, a basic text editor, a couple of games. Did I leave anything out? Linux comes with built-in networking software, 2 or more web browsers, half a dozen text editors, over 20 games, a World Wide Web server, an FTP server, an email server, programming environments and compilers allowing you to write programs in C, Pascal, Perl, Python, BASIC, Fortran, and probably other programming languages that even I have never heard of. Of course, that's just the short list.

Highly Advanced

Linux is built to be compatible with UNIX® operating systems by complying with the POSIX standard.

The UNIX operating system was developed in the 1970's and has been updated constantly since then to keep pace with the fast changing computer world. It is the most common operating system on Internet servers, far outnumbering the Windows systems on the Internet. It is also used in high-powered graphics and engineering workstations, and is studied as the model of operating system design in university computer science departments around the world. It was designed from the very beginning to support multiple users with built-in security, to run multiple programs efficiently, and to utilize multiple processors and other hardware to the maximum.

Linux is capable of operating as a server for small or large networks, or as a workstation (desktop computer) participating in a network or standing alone. It integrates well into networks running Microsoft or Novell networking, as well as industry standard TCP/IP networks, which originated and were developed on Unix computers. It has an advanced and highly customizable Graphical User Interface, which is capable of running programs across a network while viewing them locally. (Windows does not have this capability.) It also has a scriptable command line interface that allows skilled users to automate virtually all tasks, and makes it possible to run Linux even on old systems that lack high-powered graphics hardware.(Windows is unable to do anything without supported graphics hardware). Linux systems can also be operated remotely across a network.

The Apache web server that comes with Linux is used and supported by such large corporations as IBM, and runs over half the web servers on the Internet. Sendmail, the Linux electronic mail transfer agent, is so widely used that it touches virtually every piece of email that traverses the Internet, and is also commonly used on corporate networks. Popular desktop applications like Netscape Communicator and Corel WordPerfect are available in Linux versions. Linux also has an emulation mode that allows it to run most MS-DOS software and some MS Windows software too.

Open Source

Linux is copyrighted software, and is distributed under a special license agreement known as the GNU General Public License, or GPL. It is certified as "Open Source", which means that both the software itself, and the source code used to design the software, are available to all users. This license allows all users to make and distribute copies of the software and source code. Furthermore, it allows users to modify the source code, and distribute modified copies. This is what is meant by "Open Source."

So what, you say? Why is Open Source important? Because it means that any programmer, anywhere in the world, can look at the source code, fix bugs and errors, add new features, and customize the system without limits. That is exactly how Linux has been developed from the beginning, and that is why Linux is a very stable system with few bugs, wide hardware support, and a feature set growing so fast that proprietary operating system vendors are jealous. The fact that the source code is open to review by experts all over the world insures that any problems are found and solved quickly, and the fixes can be distributed freely. This is much more effective and efficient than relying on a corporation to squeeze a "service pack" somewhere into its busy release schedule. After all, they don't get paid for service packs.

Many companies also contribute to the development of Linux, and they make their work available to the entire community just like the rest of the Linux system, because they know the benefits of Open Source. The bottom line is that Linux is written by people who use it every day, people who have a personal interest in making it work and work well. They aren't trying to add buzzword features, they are trying to add quality. They don't spend time and money trying to convince people that their operating system is great, they spend it trying to make their operating system great.

Is Linux for Me?

Increasingly, the answer to this question is becoming "yes" for a lot of people. The Linux market grew at an astounding rate in 1998, more than doubling the number of users worldwide. Linux was the only non-Microsoft operating system to gain market share in 1998. Estimates are difficult to make because of the free nature of the system, but the most commonly accepted estimates place the number of Linux users at 7 million or more worldwide.

But your own answer to this question really depends on who you are and what you want to do with your computer. Try taking this little true-false test:

1. I would like an alternative to Microsoft.
2. My computer crashes more often than I would like.
3. I like to "tinker" with things and/or customize my computer a lot.
4. Other people also use my computer, and I don't want them messing with my files and settings.
5. I am on a tight computer budget.
6. I believe that software prices are too high. I wish there were more free software.
7. I don't care how much my software costs, I just want it to be reliable, stable and secure.
8. I have an older PC (386 or better) that won't run new Windows software, but I still want to use it for something.
9. I need to set up an inexpensive but reliable server.
10. I am a student in a computer related field.
11. I would like to learn Unix or I am already familiar with Unix.
12. I want to run a web server or learn about web development (like CGI, Java, Javascript, etc.)
13. I want to learn about networking, system administration, or the Internet.
14. I want to learn about computer programming.

If you answered "true" to two or more of these questions, Linux may be somewhere in your future. You should look into it when you get the chance, spend some time getting to know the system, but don't erase your old software just yet.

If you answered "true" to five or more of these questions, you should adopt Linux yesterday, if not sooner. Linux is definitely for you, and you will be much happier once you have made the switch.

On the other hand, if any of these statements describe you...

• I just use my computer for one thing (email, web surfing, games) and I'm happy with it.
• I don't want to know any more about my computer than is absolutely necessary to run it.
• My name is Bill Gates.

...then you probably should not try to use Linux just now.

Of course, the great thing about Linux is that it is so easy to find out first hand whether it is for you or not. For little or no money, you can obtain a copy and start playing with it. If you like it, terrific! If not, just pass it on to a friend, or erase it and forget it, no big loss. So if you are still wondering if Linux is for you, I say give it a try! What have you got to lose?

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1.A friend pointed out to me that Windows does have something that Linux lacks: a lot of bugs!

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Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds. Windows and Microsoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corp. UNIX is a trademark of The Open Group. Novell is a trademark of Novell, Inc. Other trademarks herein mentioned belong to their respective owners.