Introduction to the Linux Operating System
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What is Linux?
Linux is a freely available, open source, Unix-like operating system. Written originally for the PC by Linus Torvalds, with the help of many other developers across the Internet, Linux now runs on multiple hardware platforms, from the smallest to the largest, and serves a wide variety of needs from servers to movie-making to running businesses to user desktops. Because of its speed, stability and low cost, Linux became the fastest growing operating system for servers (the computers than run big companies, the Internet, large networks, etc.).Today, over 25% of all servers run on Linux! For all the same reasons Linux has become so popular on servers, it's now finding its way to desktop computers. There are versions of Linux (called distributions) created specifically for desktop use, such as Linspire and Freespire, which give you the stability of Linux, but with the ease of a Windows environment.
I've heard Linux is only for very technical people. Isn't it hard to install and use?
This was very much the case in the past, but Linux has been around for over 10 years now and there are now specialized versions of Linux designed specifically to be very easy to both install and use on the desktop. The Linspire/Freespire version of Linux, for example, takes under 10 minutes to install without a single difficult step or question.
Linux vs Microsoft Windows
What is the kernel?
The kernel is a program that constitutes the central core of a computer operating system. It has complete control over everything that occurs in the system. A kernel can be contrasted with a shell (such as bash, csh or ksh in Unix-like operating systems), which is the outermost part of an operating system and a program that interacts with user commands. The kernel itself does not interact directly with the user, but rather interacts with the shell and other programs as well as with the hardware devices on the system, including the processor (also called the central processing unit or CPU), memory and disk drives
What is a file system?
A file system (sometimes written filesystem) is the way in which files are named and where they are placed logically for storage and retrieval. The DOS, Windows, OS/2, Macintosh, and UNIX-based operating systems all have file systems in which files are placed somewhere in a hierarchical (tree) structure. A file is placed in a directory or sub-directory at the desired place in the tree structure. File systems specify conventions for naming files. These conventions include the maximum number of characters in a name, which characters can be used, and, in some systems, how long the file name suffix can be. A file system also includes a format for specifying the path to a file through the structure of directories.
File Systems Supported Under Linux
Minix, ext, ext2, ext3, xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, proc, nfs, iso9660, hpfs, sysv, smb, ncpfs and ReiserFS.
For more details about File systems click here
What is a GUI?
A graphical user interface (GUI) is a human-computer interface (i.e., a way for humans to interact with computers) that uses windows, icons and menus and which can be manipulated by a mouse (and often to a limited extent by a keyboard as well). GUIs stand in sharp contrast to command line interfaces (CLIs), which use only text and are accessed solely by a keyboard. The most familiar example of a CLI to many people is MS-DOS. Another example is Linux when it is used in console mode (i.e., the entire screen shows text only).
What are KDE and GNOME?
KDE and GNOME are desktop environments that look very similar to Windows, but are not integrated with the operating system the way Windows is. They interact with Linux through the X server, which is a very robust and configurable windowing system. The X server runs on top of Linux, which means that it is optional to the running of the operating system. Without it, Linux looks like the command prompt in DOS. Since X is very stable, you can run a lot of programs at the same time. You can also run Linux on one computer and its X server on another, however, this is beyond the scope of this article. With Linux you can choose from a wide variety of 'GUI' interfaces that have their own look and feel. Some look and behave like Windows, some look more like a Mac, and others are more spartan in nature, allowing them to be used with older hardware without slowing down. The two most popular desktop environments are KDE and GNOME, which both come with a lot of features and games. They both can be customized to a great extent. Linspire and Freespire OS use KDE.
What is a shell in linux?
A shell is a program that provides the traditional, text-only user interface for Unix-like operating systems. Its primary function is to read commands that are typed into a console (i.e., an all-text display mode) or terminal window (an all-text window) in a GUI (graphical user interface) and then execute (i.e., run) them. The term shell derives its name from the fact that it is an outer layer of an operating system. A shell is an interface between the user and the internal parts of the operating system (at the very core of which is the kernel).
What is a boot loader?
Most simply, a boot loader loads the operating system. When your machine loads its operating system, the BIOS reads the first 512 bytes of your bootable media (which is known as the master boot record, or MBR). You can store the boot record of only one operating system in a single MBR, so a problem becomes apparent when you require multiple operating systems. Hence the need for more flexible boot loaders.The master boot record itself holds two things -- either some of or all of the boot loader program and the partition table (which holds information regarding how the rest of the media is split up into partitions). When the BIOS loads, it looks for data stored in the first sector of the hard drive, the MBR; using the data stored in the MBR, the BIOS activates the boot loader.
What is Lilo?
LILO is a versatile boot loader for Linux. It does not depend on a specific file system, can boot Linux kernel images from floppy disks and hard disks, and can even boot other operating systems. One of up to sixteen different images can be selected at boot time. Various parameters, such as the root device, can be set independently for each kernel. LILO can even be used as the master boot record.
What is Grub?
GRand Unified Bootloader (GRUB)” . A small software utility that loads and manages multiple operating systems (and their variants). Linspire and Freespire OS use GRUB.
What is a partition?
A partition is a section of a hard disk. When you format a hard disk, you can usually choose the number of partitions you want. The computer will recognize each partition as a separate disk, and each will show up under "My Computer".
Who is Tux?
Tux, the penguin, is the generally accepted official logo for the Linux operating system. Linus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, chose Larry Ewing's design simply because he likes penguins. It is said that the name Tux was the winning entry in the "Let's Name The Penguin While Linus Is Away Contest" with the "T" standing for Torvalds and the "U" and "X" for Linux.
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