.:LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM
Introduction
Linux, originally created by Linus Torvalds, is an operating system that is freely distributed under the terms of the GNU Public License.
It behaves like Unix, but does not come from the same source code base. Linux is available in both source code and binary form.
Linux offers standard Unix features, such as multiuser support, multitasking, networking, and POSIX compliance.
It supports all the standard Unix utilities and can compile most major Unix packages with little effort.
DOS emulation is also available, and an X Window System-based Microsoft Windows compatibility layer, called Wine, is in development.
The complete Linux operating system consists of the Linux core, or kernel, combined with the utilities and applications required for a fully functional operating system.
There are several such combinations, called distributions, put out by various companies, and there is no such thing as an official version.
A system is termed UNIX only if it complies fully with (and is certified by) the Single Unix Specification (SUS) standards. Similar systems that do not comply fully or are not certified are termed Unix-like operating systems. Examples of popular Unix-like systems include Linux and Xenix.
History of Linux
Who invented Linux?(Linux - Linus' Unix)
In the fast paced world of computer technology, anything that happened more than 10 years ago appears to be ancient history.
Even the origins of Linux, which was once a new kid on the Unix block, start to fade into the distant past.
Linux is the first truly free Unix-like operating system.
The underlying GNU Project was launched in 1983 by Richard Stallman originally to develop a Unix-compatible operating system called GNU, intended to be entirely free software.
Many programs and utilities were contributed by developers around the world, and by 1991 most of the components of the system were ready.
Still missing was the kernel.
Linus Torvalds invented Linux itself.
In 1991, Torvalds was a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland where he had been using Minix, a non-free Unix-like system, and began writing his own kernel.
He started by developing device drivers and hard-drive access, and by September had a basic design that he called Version 0.01.
This kernel, which is called Linux, was afterwards combined with the GNU system to produce a complete free operating system.
On October 5th, 1991, Torvalds sent a posting to the comp.os.minix newsgroup announcing the release of Version 0.02,
a basic version that still needed Minix to operate, but which attracted considerable interest nevertheless.
The kernel was then rapidly improved by Torvalds and a growing number of volunteers communicating over the Internet, and by December 19th a functional,
stand-alone Unix-like Linux system was released as Version 0.11.
On January 5, 1992, Linux Version 0.12 was released, an improved, stable kernel.
The next release was called Version 0.95, to reflect the fact that it was becoming a full-featured system.
After that Linux became an underground phenomenon, with a growing group of distributed programmers that continue to debug, develop, and enhance the source code baseline to this day.
Torvalds released Version 0.11 under a freeware license of his own devising, but then released Version 0.12 under the well established GNU General Public License.
More and more free software was created for Linux over the next several years.
Linux continued to be improved through the 1990's, and started to be used in large-scale applications like web hosting, networking, and database serving, proving ready for production use.
Version 2.2, a major update to the Linux kernel, was officially released in January 1999. By the year 2000, most computer companies supported Linux in one way or another,
recognizing a common standard that could finally reunify the fractured world of the Unix Wars.
The next major release was V2.4 in January 2001, providing (among other improvements) compatibility with the upcoming generations of Intel's 64-bit Itanium computer processors.
Although Torvalds continued to function as the Linux kernel release manager, he avoided work at any of the many companies involved with Linux in order to avoid showing favoritism to any particular organization,
and instead went to work for a company called Transmeta and helped develop mobile computing solutions, and made his home at the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), which merged into The Linux Foundation.
Distributions
The Linux operating system is available as many different distributions,
each of which contains the Linux kernel, a variety of installation and application programs, and other customized features.
Some distributions are very similar to each other with only minor differences, while other distributions have some significant differences.
Also, some distributions are designed for specific types of computers.
Some major distributions include Red Hat, Ubuntu, Debian, SuSE, Mandriva, Gentoo, and Slackware.
Each distribution has its own individual strengths and weaknesses.
Many Linux distributions offer a package management system to simplify the processes associated with installing, removing, upgrading, and configuring various software packages for your computer.
In a package management system, software is distributed in packages that include information dictating how the software should be installed.
In addition to ensuring your software will be installed appropriately, the package manager will also determine whether you have any other software your program depends upon to run correctly.
This automatic satisfying of dependencies can save you a lot of time when installing new programs.
Following are some of the most common package management programs:
Obtaining Linux on the Internet
Many distributors offer free Linux downloads from their web pages.
In addition, many Linux distributions are available for download from the ibiblio Linux archive.
Each separate subdirectory at this location contains the files of a different Linux distribution.
In some cases, older releases of the distribution are available, as well as extra software such as "power tools".
Note: Some of the older,
less prominent distributions available from the ibiblio Linux archive
are no longer up to date with regard to the latest kernel releases or known security problems.
At Indiana University, University Information Technology Services (UITS) offers Red Hat, SuSE, and Ubuntu for download via IUware for Linux.
UITS also mirrors several distributions, the entire Linux Documentation Project, and scripts and configuration advice relevant to the IU community at:
ftp://ftp.ussg.iu.edu/pub/linux/
If you want only the Linux kernel itself, not an entire distribution, see the
Linux Kernel Archives home page.
For Graphical Installation of UBUNTU Tutorial Goto :
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall
For more information view:
Official Ubuntu Documentation:
https://help.ubuntu.com
www.howtoforge.com
http://mirrors.fedoraproject.org/publiclist
www.backtrack-linux.org
www.ubuntu.com/desktop/get-ubuntu/alternative-download
Linux Variants
Caldera Linux
Corel Linux
Debian Linux
Kondara Linux
Red Hat Linux
Mandrake Linux
Slackware Linux
SuSE Linux
Turbolinux
Vector Linux
Linux vs. Windows
Users who are considering making a change from Windows to Linux or Linux to Windows commonly want to know the advantages and disadvantages of each of the operating systems.
Below is a chart to help illustrate the major advantages and disadvantages of each of these operating systems.
| Topic | Linux | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The majority of Linux variants are available for free or at a much lower price than Microsoft Windows. | Microsoft Windows can run between $50.00 - $150.00 US dollars per each license copy. |
| Ease | Although the majority Linux variants have improved dramatically in ease of use, Windows is still much easier to use for new computer users. | Microsoft has made several advancements and changes that have made it a much easier to use operating system, and although arguably it may not be the easiest operating system, it is still Easier than Linux. |
| Reliability | The majority of Linux variants and versions are notoriously reliable and can often run for months and years without needing to be rebooted. | Although Microsoft Windows has made great improvements in reliability over the last few versions of Windows, it still cannot match the reliability of Linux. |
| Software | Linux has a large variety of available software programs, utilities, and games. However, Windows has a much larger selection of available software. | Because of the large amount of Microsoft Windows users, there is a much larger selection of available software programs, utilities, and games for Windows. |
| Software Cost | Many of the available software programs, utilities, and games available on Linux are freeware or open source. Even such complex programs such as Gimp, OpenOffice, StarOffice, and wine are available for free or at a low cost. | Although Windows does have software programs, utilities, and games for free, the majority of the programs will cost anywhere between $20.00 - $200.00+ US dollars per copy. |
| Hardware | Linux companies and hardware manufacturers have made great advancements in hardware support for Linux and today Linux will support most hardware devices. However, many companies still do not offer drivers or support for their hardware in Linux. | Because of the amount of Microsoft Windows users and the broader driver support, Windows has a much larger support for hardware devices and a good majority of hardware manufacturers will support their products in Microsoft Windows. |
| Security | Linux is and has always been a very secure operating system. Although it still can be attacked when compared to Windows, it much more secure. | Although Microsoft has made great improvements over the years with security on their operating system, their operating system continues to be the most vulnerable to viruses and other attacks. |
| Open Source | Many of the Linux variants and many Linux programs are open source and enable users to customize or modify the code however they wish to. | Microsoft Windows is not open source and the majority of Windows programs are not open source. |
| Support | Although it may be more difficult to find users familiar with all Linux variants, there are vast amounts of available online documentation and help, available books, and support available for Linux. | Microsoft Windows includes its own help section, has vast amount of available online documentation and help, as well as books on each of the versions of Windows. |