What Is Linux?

What is Linux?

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system and is one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development: typically all underlying source code can be freely used, modified, and redistributed by anyone. The name "Linux" comes from the Linux kernel, started in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The system's utilities and libraries usually come from the GNU operating system.

Linux is used as an operating system for a wide variety of computer hardware, including desktop computers, supercomputers, video game systems, and embedded devices such as mobile phones, and routers.

What can Linux do?

Linux is capable of doing anything any other operating system can do. I have been using Linux since 2001 and haven't really seen the need to use any other OS since that time.

Currently I use Linux for everything; file management, listening to music, viewing movies, creating and editing office documents, processing email, surfing the web, creating and editing graphics, chatting and instant messaging, computer programming, and much more.

What does Linux look like?

On desktop machines, GNOME and Xfce are popular desktop environments, though a variety of other user interfaces exist. Most popular user interfaces run on top of the X Window System. Linux can look like almost anything the user can imagine. It's easy to see that most linux distros can be modified to have almost any appearance the user desires.

What are the advantages of using Linux?

* Most Linux distributions are free of charge
* Most Linux distributions can be downloaded via the internet
* Most software programs are free of charge
* Linux can be legally installed on millions of computers simultaneously
* Linux does not need any "activation"
* There are no active viruses for Linux
* Linux is open-source; anyone can obtain the source code
* Bugs and vulnerabilities are fixed faster
* Changing and redistributing Linux is encouraged
* Linux runs well on old as well as new equipment
* Most anything in Linux can be changed or removed without rebooting
* Linux was designed to run for long periods of time without rebooting
* Linux "live cd's" can run from RAM without needing a hard drive

Can a Microsoft Windows system do all of that?

How much does Linux cost?

Most Linux distributions and software are free to download, install, use, and redistribute. In fact, modifying and/or redistributing most Linux software is encouraged. I've been using Linux since 2001 and haven't had to pay for anything.

Where can I get Linux?

If you're interested in using a Linux operating system, visit Distrowatch and learn about the many Linux distributions which are available. Most Linux distributions are free to download and install, without any type of "activation", on any number of computers.