Linux

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This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. For a list of such operating systems, see Linux distributions. For other uses, see Linux (disambiguation).
Linux
Tux the penguin, mascot of Linux
Ubuntu 10.10.png
Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, one of many available
OS family Unix-like
Working state Current
Source model Free and open source software
Supported platforms IA-32, MIPS, x86-64, SPARC, DEC Alpha, Itanium, PowerPC, ARM, m68k, PA-RISC, s390, SuperH, M32R and more
Kernel type Monolithic
Userland GNU and others.
License Various including GNU General Public License, BSD License, Apache License, MIT License, and others[1]

Linux or GNU/Linux is a free and open source software operating system for computers. The operating system is a collection of the basic instructions that tell the electronic parts of the computer what to do and how to work. Free and open source software (FOSS) means that everyone has the freedom to use it, see how it works, and change it.

There is a lot of software for Linux, and since Linux is free software it means that none of the software will put any license restrictions on users. This is one of the reasons why many people like to use Linux.

How Linux was made[change | edit source]

In the 1980s, many people liked to use an operating system called Unix. But because it restricted the user from sharing and improving the system, some people made a new operating system that would work like Unix but which anybody could share or improve. MINIX, similar to Unix, was used as a teaching tool for university students to learn how operating systems worked. MINIX also restricted its sharing and improvement by its users.

A group of people called the GNU project wrote different parts of a new operating system called GNU, but it did not have all the parts an operating system needs to work. In 1991 Linus Torvalds began to work on a replacement for MINIX that would be free to use, and which would not cost anything. Linus started the project when he was attending the University of Helsinki.[2][3] This eventually became the Linux kernel.

Linus Torvalds shared the Linux kernel on some internet groups for MINIX users. Linus first called the operating system "Freax". The name Freax came from joining up the English words "free" and "freak", and adding an X to the name because Unix has an X in its name. Ari Lemmke, who worked with Linus at the University, was responsible for the servers that Freax was stored on. Ari did not think Freax was a good name, so he called the project "Linux" without asking Linus. Later, Linus agreed that Linux was a better name for his project.

Linux relied on software code from MINIX at first. But, with code from the GNU system available for free, it would be good for Linux if it could use that code, instead of code from MINIX. The GNU General Public License is a software license that lets people change any part of the code they want to, as long as they share any changes they make with the people they give their software to. The software from GNU was all licensed under the GNU General Public License, so Linus and the other people who worked on Linux could use it too.

To make the Linux kernel suitable for use with the code from the GNU Project, Linus Torvalds started a switch from his original license (which did not allow people to sell it) to the GNU GPL.[4] Linux and GNU developers worked together to integrate GNU code with Linux to make a free operating system.

Since 1991, thousands of programmers and companies have worked to make Linux better.

Tux the penguin[change | edit source]

Tux the penguin

The mascot of Linux is a cartoon penguin named "Tux". When a person sees the penguin on software and hardware, it means that it will work with Linux, and sometimes all systems that are like Unix.

The idea of the penguin came from the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds. The image was made by a man named Larry Ewing in a competition to create a logo. The image, Tux, did not win, but it was picked as a mascot later.

Tux has now become a symbol for Linux, and sometimes even for open source. He can be seen in many different places and often, when people refer to Linux, they think about Tux. Tux has even been included in many video games, such as Super Tux (like Super Mario Bros.), Tux Racer (where players race Tux down an icy hill) and Pingus (like Lemmings).

Uses[change | edit source]

Desktop[change | edit source]

Although there are only a few Linux versions for some Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows programs in areas like desktop publishing[5] and professional audio and video[6][7][8] there are programs that are comparatively similar in quality compared to those available for Mac and Windows.[9]

Many free software titles that are popular on Windows, such as Pidgin, Mozilla Firefox, Openoffice.org, and GIMP, are available for Linux. A growing amount of proprietary desktop software can also be used under Linux, such as[10] Adobe Flash Player, Opera, Google Picasa, RealPlayer, and Skype. CrossOver is a proprietary solution based on the open source Wine project that supports running older Windows versions of Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop versions until CS2. Microsoft Office 2007 and Adobe Photoshop CS3 are known not to work.[11][12]

KDE and Gnome
KDE 4.png GNOME Shell.png
KDE Gnome

Servers and supercomputers[change | edit source]

Roadrunner, the world's fastest supercomputer (as of 2009), which runs Linux

Linux has mainly been used as a server operating system, and has risen to be known by a lot of people in that area; Netcraft reported in February 2008 that five of the ten best internet hosting companies run Linux on their web servers.[13] This is because of its stability and uptime, and the fact that desktop software with a graphical user interface for servers is often unneeded.

Linux is commonly used as an operating system for supercomputers. As of November 2007, out of the top 500 systems, 426 (85.2%) run Linux.[14]

Pronunciation[change | edit source]

In 1992, Torvalds explained how he pronounces the word Linux:

“ 'li' is pronounced with a short [ee] sound: compare prInt, mInImal etc. 'nux' is also short, non-diphthong, like in pUt. It's partly due to minix: linux was just my working name for the thing, and as I wrote it to replace minix on my system, the result is what it is... linus' minix became linux. ”

Torvalds has made available an audio sample which indicates his own pronunciation, in English and Swedish.[15][16]

Some English speakers pronounce the name as lee-narks or lee-nix or lie-nix. According to Torvalds, that is incorrect pronunciation.[source?]

Code size[change | edit source]

A 2001 study of Red Hat Linux 7.1 found this distribution had 30 million lines of code. The study showed that Red Hat 7.1 required about 8,000 years of time to develop. The study also said that if all this software had been made by proprietary means, it would have cost about $1.08 billion to make in the United States.[17]

Most of the code (around 71%) was written in the C programming language, and many other languages were used, including C++, assembly language, Perl, Python, Fortran, and various shell scripting languages. A little more than half of all lines of code were licensed under the GPL. The Linux kernel was made up of 2.4 million lines of code, or 8% of all the code.[17]

Different Linux versions[change | edit source]

Main page: Linux distribution
Fedora, another Linux operating system

People who want to get Linux can download it from the Internet or buy it from a store or a website. Sometimes books and magazines about Linux have a CD or DVD with Linux on it. Any certain version of Linux is called a "distribution", or "distro". A Linux version has the Linux kernel and the GNU operating system, and some extra programs that might not be part of GNU. Different versions include different extra programs. The versions used by the most people include:

People might pay some money for a version, so they can have a CD-ROM or DVD and to help the company to make their versions better. Usually when someone pays, it is so the company will help the user after they install it, which is called "support".

Software for Linux includes:

Licensing, trademark, and naming[change | edit source]

The Linux kernel and most GNU software are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL requires that anyone who distributes the Linux kernel must make the source code (and any modifications) available to the recipient under the same terms. In 1997, Linus Torvalds said, “Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did.”[18] Other key components of a Linux system may use other licenses; many libraries use the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), a type of the GPL that is less restricted, and the X Window System uses the MIT License.

Related pages[change | edit source]

References[change | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Debian GNU/Linux Licenses – Ohloh". ohloh.net. https://www.ohloh.net/p/debian/analyses/latest. Retrieved 2009-03-27.
  2. ↑ "What would you like to see most in minix?". comp.os.minix. (Web link). Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
  3. ↑ http://www.linuxinthechannel.com/minix.php
  4. ↑ Torvalds, Linus (1992-01-05). "RELEASE NOTES FOR LINUX v0.12". Linux Kernel Archives. http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/Historic/old-versions/RELNOTES-0.12. Retrieved 2007-07-23. "The Linux copyright will change: I've had a couple of requests to make it compatible with the GNU copyleft, removing the “you may not distribute it for money” condition. I agree. I propose that the copyright be changed so that it confirms to GNU ─ pending approval of the persons who have helped write code. I assume this is going to be no problem for anybody: If you have grievances (“I wrote that code assuming the copyright would stay the same”) mail me. Otherwise The GNU copyleft takes effect as of the first of February. If you do not know the gist of the GNU copyright ─ read it."
  5. ↑ Advani, Prakash (2000-10-27). "Microsoft Office for Linux?". FreeOS. FreeOS Technologies (I) Pvt. Ltd.. http://www.freeos.com/articles/2540/. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  6. ↑ Smith-Heisters, Ian (2005-10-11). "Editing audio in Linux". Ars Technica. Ars Technica, LLC. http://arstechnica.com/guides/tweaks/linux-audio.ars. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  7. ↑ Lumma, Carl (April 2007). "Linux: It's Not Just For Computer Geeks Anymore". Keyboard Magazine. New Bay Media, LLC.. http://www.keyboardmag.com/article/linux-its-not/apr-07/27458. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  8. ↑ James, Daniel (February 2004). "Using Linux For Recording & Mastering". Sound On Sound. SOS Publications Group. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb04/articles/mirrorimage.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  9. ↑ "The table of equivalents/replacements/analogs of Windows software in Linux". http://www.linuxrsp.ru/win-lin-soft/table-eng.html.
  10. ↑ "The Global Desktop Project, Building Technology and Communities". http://www.iist.unu.edu/globaldesktop/. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  11. ↑ "Microsoft Office 2007". CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers Inc.. 2007-11-25. http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/group/?app_parent=1911. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  12. ↑ "Photoshop CS 3". CodeWeavers. CodeWeavers Inc.. 2007-07-11. http://www.codeweavers.com/compatibility/browse/name/?app_id=3175. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  13. ↑ "Tiscali Italia is the Most Reliable Hosting Company in February 2008". Netcraft. March 4 2008. http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2008/03/04/tiscali_italia_is_the_most_reliable_hosting_company_in_february_2008.html. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  14. ↑ Operating system Family share for 11/2007 | TOP500 Supercomputing Sites
  15. ↑ "Howto pronounce Linux?". http://www.paul.sladen.org/pronunciation/. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  16. ↑ "Linus pronouncing Linux in English and Swedish". http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/SillySounds/. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Wheeler, David A (2002-07-29). "More Than a Gigabuck: Estimating GNU/Linux's Size". http://www.dwheeler.com/sloc/redhat71-v1/redhat71sloc.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  18. ↑ "Linus Torvalds interview". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20070311190841/http://kde.sw.com.sg/food/linus.html. Retrieved 2008-08-18.

Other websites[change | edit source]

Common Operating systems
Linux • Mac OS • Microsoft Windows • Solaris • UNIX • BSD

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