What is Linux?
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What is Linux?
Linux is an Operating System built on (or more properly - fashioned after) the UNIX OS. It is not for everyone (YET), and if you want to work with it you should read up on it through books, newsgroups, FAQ's, RFC's, and anywhere else you can find information. Right now it is more for the technicially oriented, and if you come from a DOS background - but have never edited autoexec and config, hacked a registry, and don't understand some of how's and why's computers work - don't try it alone - get one of your geekey/techie friends to help. The links below are a good place to start - and will give you a much better understanding of Linux than I can.
Linux Pros:
It's
a free operating system. You get the code for it - so if there is something
you don't like, want to change, or want to add - write the code and you have
YOUR OS. The people who work with this LOVE computers and are working
to improve the computer industry - they aint in if for the money, they're in
it to make things better. The people who work on-line with Linux are very
friendly (Just don't say Microsoft to some of the younger ones) and extremely
intelligent - and will spend hours helping users answer questions. (I wouldn't
dream of saying how I found him - but, thanks Bob!) IT IS STABLE
- You just don't crash, lock up or get errors for no reason. Linux does
the Internet better than anything. Super with databases. Since there
are so many people working with it as far as development - you are getting a
system that benefits from an entire world of the best minds / programmers /
and hackers that's available.
Linux Cons:
Since it is public domain
(not entirely accurate since there are rules called copyleft) it is not sold
by 1 individual company, (there ARE companies who "package" it and sell "distributions"
though) you can't go sue someone if you screw something up. Getting it
up and running is not always as easy as typing install and pressing the enter
key (YET, but there have been some major improvements with Plug and Play and
Automount issues). There are a lot fewer people using Linux than the other
one (the big MS) so you can't just ask someone at the water-cooler or in the
lunch-room "How do ya ...".
Linux Future:
Couldn't
tell ya but, Linux (OS) is getting to be known. Some very big guns have
been working with the code, and have thrown some major money at Linux lately.
Intel, Oracle, Sun, Corel, and Netscape, are becoming major supporters of this
new operating system. Netscape (Internet Browser) is now also putting
their code out to be hacked, and Corel (Graphic and Office suite) is writing
a package to run under Linux. Could we get these guys together and make
a run at those guys in Redmond? The next few years WILL be interesting
...
This page was first posted in 1999. At that time I used the Linux OS quite a bit; however, it has been quite some time since I ran any version of Linux. My last experience with the Linux OS was in 2000, so I can not tell you it is either better or worse than it was then.