In the modern world of computing, it is generally thought that there are only 3 operating systems: Windows 95/98/NT, MacOS, and UNIX. While the "big three" of the operating system world hold a large part of the market, there are some great alternative OSes that many people have never heard of. One such example of this is Linux.
When the word Linux comes up in conversation, the most commonly asked question is usually "What is it?"
According to www.linux.org, it is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Linux is an independent POSIX implementation and includes true multitasking, virtual memory, shared libraries, demand loading, proper memory management, TCP/IP networking, and other features consistent with Unix-type systems.
The beauty of Linux is that it's free! No $99 Windows upgrades, or pesky
serial numbers to make it all work. Even better than that, the source for the entire OS is open and free to the entire world. It is what the industry calls "Open Source."
The structure of the Linux environment is very closely related to the UNIX environment. At the core of this system is a simple command-line prompt, not unlike DOS. Most people look at an operating system that is command line driven and laugh. I say, don't be so quick to judge. Anyone who knows anything about the UNIX environment will tell you that it is one of the most powerful OSes on the market.
If you're not comfortable with a command-line driven OS, you can always use a GUI (Graphical User Interface) like X-Windows. One neat feature of X-Windows is that you can make X-Windows look different through the use of different (and totally FREE) interfaces.
The overall purpose of Linux is to provide a powerful multi-user operating system. A good example of a multi-user interface is Radford's email server, Ruacad, or any of the Windows NT machines on campus. To be able to use these computers, users must first authenticate themselves by entering a login and password. Through this, individual users can completely customize the way they use that computer system.
Another powerful feature of Linux is that almost all Linux distributions come with a built-in web server. The most common of these is Apache, proven to be one of the best and most stable web servers on the market.
With all of these powerful features and the fact that it's FREE,
Linux is becoming a very attractive choice for many advanced computer
users. It's
no wonder that an estimated 8 million users are using Linux worldwide.
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Name:Sam Greene Major: Information Systems Comments:
Dan, I understand your point that the Linux OS isn't for the novice user, in fact I pointed that out in my first comments below and so did the author of this article. I criticized you for the misleading information that you wrote to start with. You were wrong about every point and you know it, because you didn't bring any of them back up in your last comments.
Just as anyone would criticize someone for claiming that the earth is flat, I criticized you for claiming to be informed on the Linux OS. Have you ever installed and used Linux??? Speaking strictly in terms of software engineering Linux is a superior operating system and if you still don't understand pick up any good software engineering book and read for yourself. If you do, you'll understand why the operating system is so powerful, you should at least be open minded. Is it for the first time user? No, and everyone including the media, Linux's creator and myself have pointed that out. Don't be threatened by Linux users Dan. I hope I've cleared things up a bit for you.
Name: Dan Comments:
Um, Sam...
Before you accuse me of being from another planet, I would ask you to check out which one YOU are on first!
First of all, most of the folks on my planet aren't system administrators or computer geniuses. We just want an OS to work. Period. We put in the disk, plug in the goodies, and fire the machine off. An hour or so later, voila, instant working OS. Linux is not this easy. And don't tell people that it is. I continue to hold that this is NOT a viable system for most people, except for you super-human brains out there, who are smarter than the rest of us.
Second, I've known several (6, to be exact) people who ACTIVELY USE Linux. They are arrogant, proud, somewhat obnoxious, and look upon the rest of us peons as trash. Meanwhile, they crow the virtues of Linux over all other systems because they've been able to get the system to do what all other systems do as well. But let's be realistic, shall we? They spend just as much time trying to troubleshoot, solve linux problems as everyone else, and have great difficulty finding software that will run on the machine. I dare you to go to Wal-Mart or OfficeMax and try finding the same software for the OS that the rest of us people actually USE in real life. But you say you are smarter than me, so I guess I'm just wrong here too.
Bottom line: Linux is a fine OS if you are a computer nerd who enjoys the feeling of manliness by making Linux do what other systems do just as well. But it's NOT a viable option for the normal people who live on my planet, and need equipment that will run, and software that is for the most part compatible with everybody else. According to you, this just shows our ignorance, right?
But of course, what do I know, right? I'm just one of those ignorent people, who grew up programming in BASIC, then machine language; DOS; and have done a good amount of work on UNIX. I've also reasonably fluent in Mac. I've been working with this stuff and programming for at least 14 years (coming up on 15 shortly). But hey, You are smarter than me, right?
I don't think so. Get off of your high horse, and get a life.
Comments:
"You should have a pretty decent working knowledge of UNIX before you even try living in the Linux environment."
Well duh.
As far as the software, your right to a certain extent but there is so much software out there that will do anything you want in windows for free that you don't even know about. Nice little GUI stuff so you feel nice and secure.
Name: Jeff Comments:
I agree with Dan that finding software for Linux isn't quite as easy as finding software for mainstream OSes like 98/NT or MacOS. Linux is definitely not for the faint at heart. You should have a pretty decent working knowledge of UNIX before you even try living in the Linux environment.
Name:Sam Greene Major: Information Systems Comments:
Good article, you've done a good job of putting the Linux flavor of the UNIX operating system in perspective. Linux is not new though, the Kernel has been in use for I think nine years now and of course UNIX has been around for over twenty years. As for Dan (who commented below me) he obviously doesn't know what he's talking about. A lot of software either was developed on or has been ported to Linux.
Peripherals are not hard to set up, the kernel probes all the devices every time the machine is booted. The operating system is not larger that NT. You can choose to install as many components that you want. And I think that Dan fails to realize all the free stuff that installs with his scenario, like almost every compiler known to man.
Lastly Dan is wrong about the price. You can get a distribution of Linux on a CD mailed to your door for as little as $7.00 at cheapbytes.com.
And when Dan says that Linux is just not there yet, I have to wonder what planet he's living on. The UNIX operating system has been around for over 20 years. Almost every thing you see on any Windows platform was copied from the open source of UNIX.
The majority of servers run UNIX type operating systems and it is without any doubt the most stable OS ever developed. What does Dan think the whole open source movement is all about? The author said the operating system was for advanced users and I think Dan over looked that. I hate to write so much but Dan is a prime example of what's wrong with so many people who think they know computers. They aren't smart enough to now when they don't know the first thing about something.
Name: Dan Comments:
Good article, Jeff...
But while you talk about Linux's virtues, you also must mention that there is very little software that'll run on it, plust it's difficult to set up and get peripherals to support in. It's a rather large system, much larger than even NT (One Linux version's 500 megs on your HD...NT, which is big for most people, is a mere 140 megs, in comparison!)Lastly, yes, it's free, but my research into it has proven that only advanced advanced users know how to get the operating system parts together. The rest should (heck, MUST) get a pre-compiled CD with Linux on it..and guess what, this generally runs at ~$90-100.
The bottom line is that Linux, while maybe a good OS for some, isn't a viable option for most. It's just not there yet. They are still working on it, though.
BTW, another OS that is good, that I've done some research in, is IBM's OS/2 Warp. Check it out!
