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Main Saturday, February 14, 2009 (15:40:00)

What exactly IS Linux?

by personman - 2660 reads

I was recently asked this question, so here is my attempt at providing a simple yet informative answer. -Andy

Linux, like Windows, is an operating system for computers.

Windows is made by Microsoft, and has to be bought for every computer it's installed on. Linux on the other hand, is made by hackers from around the world, and can be downloaded and installed for free.

With Windows, the code it is built from is locked up tight, and is unavailable to people who might want to fix bugs.

With Linux, the source code is publicly available, and can be modified or fixed by any programmers with the necessary skills.

Another interesting thing about Linux, is that there isn't just one Linux. There is a wide variety of different versions for different computers and different purposes.

Ubuntu is the most popular Linux right now. Ubuntu is an African word meaning "I am who I am because of who we all are"...in other words, solidarity. Ubuntu is actually based on another Linux distribution called Debian, and there are offshoot projects of Ubuntu as well.

Kubuntu for example, is a version of Ubuntu based on the KDE desktop.

Another neat feature of Linux, is they have what they call "Live CDs," where you can boot your computer from a CD of Linux, and run Linux as if you had installed it, but without messing with your current Windows setup. A live CD is a great way to preview Linux without breaking anything. Smile

I've posted a preview and installation guide for Kubuntu 9.04, if you would like to read more about Linux and see screenshots.

-Andy Rink

Note: I should mention this is a bit of a simplified introduction to Linux-based operating systems.

Linux-based operating systems are usually a combination of the Linux kernel, which is the core of the operating system, and software from the GNU project. There is some debate in the community over whether the operating system should be called Linux, or GNU/Linux.

For the sake of simplicity, I simply refer to it as Linux.

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