Linux - What It Is And Where It Came From
Linux is a clone of Unix, which is the main operating system (OS) found on computers that do not use Intel based hardware,
and it began life as a student hobby project with the aim of creating a free Unix like operating that could be run on
Intel x86 based computers. This meant that computer hackers and academia would at last have a free desktop operating system
which was not Windows and with which they could experiment individually and collaborate collectively with programmers from
all over the world on various projects
Until Linux was first relased in 1991, Unix was prohibitively expensive for many businesses and it was only found in university research departments and in large campanies. It had been in existence since 1969 and had proven to be an elegant and very reliable operating system but it was still not available to those who were purchasing desktop computers after the introduction of the first IBM personal computers in 1981. It was only natural that hackers would attempt to create a Unix like operating system for these cheap(ish) general purpose desktop computers, not only for very practical reasons, but just because they could :-)
To be technically precise Linux is an operating system kernel which is the central component which acts as the brain of the system. The kernel manages the internal workings of the computer and makes sure that system resources are made available to running processes and applications - allocating CPU time, deciding how much memory should be allocated to each application, making sure that input / output requests from keyboards, disks or applications are handled in a manner that is efficient and orderly. However a kernel is not enough and other software is required to build a complete and fully functioning computer system and this is where the GNU project comes in
Prior to the release of the first Linux kernel in 1991, another software project - The GNU Project - had been working on the
goal of providing a complete Unix like computer operating system that would be free software. The GNU project was launched in
1984 and had already created applications, libraries and programmers tools which would make up most of the system but the
only thing that was missing was a kernel and this was where Linux provided the final piece of the jigsaw. The new system was
called GNU/Linux and since then it has amazed and attracted the attention of dedicated programmers everywhere who contribute
their time for free in making what is now the best computer operating system on the planet
The GNU project was largely driven by the efforts of Professor Richard Stallman of MIT who felt that the idea of proprietary software was wrong, anti-social and clearly dangerous. His initial announcement of the project stated that the aim was to develop "a sufficent body of of free software ... to get along without software that is not free"
Stallman wanted an operating system that behaved like Unix and which could be used, shared and modified in any way by joe public without running any risk of being sued by individuals and corporations. Hackers love tinkering with computers to solve problems and the hacker community likes to share it's code and encourage others to do useful things with it. There is a point of principle involved in free software and that principle states that it is a basic human right for people to share code and collaborate on computing projects
The Unix operating system had been in existence since the 1960s and was a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system which was proprietary but Unix was used for the initial development of the new operating system. Cheeky, but it had to be done if free software was to have any future and this was accomplished by reverse engineering Unix with lots of clever minds working together to achieve a common goal
The GNU project is a community of hackers who rely on donations of cash and computer hardware from individuals and businesses who want the project to succeed. Sometimes businesses get involved for their own reasons - perhaps to develop free and better software for use in production - and they don't have any problems with relasing what software they have written back into the community. By taking existing free software applications and development tools, modifying them to achieve the functionality they require, they can seriously cut costs in their IT investments
Today there are two main types of Linux. One is based on Red Hat Linux and the other is based on Debian Linux. They are both still Linux but with the main difference being in how they are configured and in the way that they administered. Software applications which run on one will always run on the other.
Since 1993 the Debian project has acted as a decentralised focal point for Linux development and provides technical information to anyone who wishes to contribute to the maintenance and the future development of Linux. The Debian project runs under a manifesto which states that the software is and always will be free of charge. Debian is an ultra conservative Linux project and no software is released until it is bullet proof. It is estimated that if Debian Linux had been developed as proprietary software the costs would now have reached several billion dollars
Other flavours of Linux are Debian derivatives meaning that they begin life with a Debian code base and are customised to
meet the goals of the project. This is the real benefit of free software - someone can leverage an existing project and modify
it for a different class of end user - businesses, musicians, home users etc. This way there is no need to reinvent the wheel.
Ubuntu Linux, first released in 2004, is a Debian derivative with a 6 monthly release cycle and is geared towards providing a
real alternative to Microsoft Windows. If you like using the Windows operating system then a move over to Ubutnu might surprise
you owing to the level of functionality, user friendly interface and simplicity of use. A linux computer can do all the things
a Windows computer can do and then some more as it happens
Linux has a great future and is now becoming a household name thanks largely to the Ubuntu project as more and more ordinary non-technical users are becoming aware that there is a great alternative to using a proprietary operating system
Unfortunately some people associate the word 'free' with negative associations such as 'if something is free how can it be any good?' - the same thinking that feeds the commonly held belief that there is no such thing as a free lunch. I would respond to this by saying that not so long ago most people believed that banking was an honourable profession. They don't now
The good news is that many influential people feel that computing knowledge is like literature in that it should be freely available to everyone in a civilised society for personal enjoyment, education or earning a living. The software can be given away for free and Linux people can still make a living by applying their expertise to other people's computing problems
External Links
A Small Business Introduction to Linux
Linux TCO: Less Than Half The Cost of Windows
Compatibility - Will Linux run on My Computer?
A Comparison of Linux Distributions - Wikipedia
Anatomy of the Linux Kernel - An IBM Article
