Linux

By: Aaron Denton

Origin and History of Linux:     

At the University of Helsinki in 1991 there was a 21 year old named Linus Torvalds who began to work on an MINIX which became Linux OS overtime. After a certain amount of progression Linux no longer was part of MINIX and was capable of further development on its own. GNU applications were freely provided and able to be used for growth with Linux. Linus Torvalds switched and attained a commercial license which allowed him to utilize GNU to make Linux into a completely operational OS. Linus Torvalds had said that if there was a GNU kernel before he began his production of the Linux OS he wouldn’t have had a need to go through with it.

Linux Distributions:

            Linux distributions are basically built on top of the core which is the Linux kernel and depending on what type of distribution or who, contains various amounts and arrangements of application software programs which run through the Linux OS to the user. For the most part there are Linux programs which are driven by corporations, communities and a certain few which are driven by neither. As far as I know the only one that most people use which is not from commercial or community is Slackware. Fedora from red hat is a commercial distribution and Debian is a community distribution. Fedora is basically an OS which main focus is to provide updates available to all Linux distributins. Debian is an OS which primary focus is to maintain the codes and standards of free software and is also geared toward the further development of Linux OS.

Attaining Linux Distribution and Installation:

            There are a few different ways that you can have one of the many Linux operating systems on your computer. One of the ways you can have a Linux operating system on your computer is by downloading it for free off of the internet. This is very cost effective and there are not many problems that you would think you would encounter with something of that nature. However, there are Linux operating systems which can be bought at a price but are provided with some degree of tech support. Linux distribution installation is done by downloading the operating system directly on to your computer whether free or paid.

Popular user application/suites:

            There are several various user applications that you can use on the many Linux operating system. One of them is Mozilla Firefox.  This is a web browser most frequently used on apple computers. Another would be Openoffice.org , this is an application which is used mainly for things such as reports, PowerPoint presentations, word documents and other forms of publications which are formed to help the everyday tasks of life as well as the businesses we work with everyday run a lot smoother as well as the student and many other things as well.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Linux:

            Windows in comparison to Linux operating system is much like comparing a dog to a wolf. A dog can attack viciously, though a wolf uses the vicious attack to eat everyday. Microsoft has much more technical support for people much like myself who might want to do something such as consolidate the files on the computer or defragment the hard drive but do not exactly know how to do so without having someone or a book say what is what. Likewise Linux has a higher level of stability when it comes down to servers being able to do what they are supposed to for long periods of time.