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The Linux operating system, also called GNU/Linux, is the world's leading open-source operating system. The term "Linux", pronounced "LIH-nucks" or "LEE-nucks", more properly refers to the "kernel", which is the central core of the operating system. It is named for its original creator, Linus Torvalds, who was a student at the University of Helsinki when he first began work on the kernel in 1991.
 What is Linux?
Linux is essentially an open-source clone of the powerful UNIX operating system family. Other members of this extended family are *BSD (with its variants FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD, along with more distant relatives like Mac OS X Server and NeXTSTEP), VMS, Solaris, IRIX and others. Linux is made available under the GNU Public License (GPL), which essentially means that, while copyright to the kernel's source code still belongs to Linus Torvalds and its other creators and modifiers, it is freely and openly available to anyone who wants to use or modify it, on the condition that modifications are in turn made freely available.
Linux and UNIX
UNIX systems, including Linux, have many advantages over other operating systems. All UNIX systems support symmetric multiprocessing, for example, making for a more stable and faster system overall. They also have a much better security model than other operating systems, and are designed to be used in networks and by multiple users. UNIX is the de facto standard for large-scale, secure, stable servers on the Internet, with UNIX-based Apache web server software running on more Internet servers than all other server software types combined.
Of the various types and relatives of UNIX, Linux is known for its ability to run well most anywhere, even in low-memory and low-power environments. In fact, Linux can run on most any hardware platform, and ports of the Linux kernel exist for almost every processor type, from the Intel x86 and Pentium family to the Motorola PowerPC, DEC Alpha, StrongARM and many others.
About the Linux kernel
The Linux kernel serves effectively as the "traffic cop" of the operating system. It contains hardware drivers so that software can communicate with the computer's various parts. It also contains drivers for other necessary functions of an operating system, like file systems and networking. Software running on Linux sends a request for a type of hardware or other support to the kernel, and it in turns routes that data to and from the appropriate hardware or software interface.
One of Linux's main features is its component architecture. Nearly all parts of the operating system are freely interchangeable, from the file system to the graphic interface and media layers. Even the kernel itself is built using "modules", which can be activated to add more features or deactivated to streamline the kernel and improve overall performance.
Another feature of the Linux kernel is its portability and scalability. Ports of the Linux kernel--that is, versions able to run on differing processors and hardware--exist for many, many different platforms, like Intel Pentium, PowerPC, MIPS, Alpha, HP-RISC and many more, including embedded systems.
About Linux software and distributions
Typically, Linux software comes in packages of varying formats. A self-contained collection of software designed for installation on a personal computer or server is called a "distribution", like Red Hat Linux, SuSE Linux, Mandrake Linux and Debian GNU/Linux.
All Linux distributions contain the Linux kernel, but also have other software running in layers and components on top of the Linux kernel. One example is the X Window System (XFree86), which is a windowing system for supporting graphic interfaces. Another example is KDE, also called the K Desktop Environment, which is a graphic user interface environment and provides a consistent set of interface tools which a user can recognize and use; still another is the leading Web server software, Apache. Each of these can be replaced by alternative systems if so desired.
Distributions also usually contain extra tools for development, but to date there are few standardized tools for common development use that are present on all distributions. This is the goal of PowerPlant and TheKompany.com in general: to fill that hole in the Linux software base.
Why open source?
One should rather ask, Why closed source? In the open-source model, a project has a practically unlimited number of developers available to examine, refine and improve software, resulting in more performance, more stability, and generally better software. Furthermore, because of open source licensing, everyone can benefit from improvements--not just by using the software, but by learning from improvements others make. None of this is possible in a closed-source development model, and everyone wins.
Open source development simply makes sense.
More information about Linux
If you would like more information about GNU/Linux, take a look at the following links:
- Linux.org
The central information source for Linux
- Free Software Foundation (GNU)
The main organization spearheading open source development; progenitors of the GNU Public License (GPL)
- Linux.com (VA Linux)
An all-in-one news and information site about Linux, with many links
- KDE
Open source development group which makes one of the leading user environments for Linux
- GNOME
Another open source development group, also makes a leading user environment for Linux
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About Linux
TheKompany.com is a growing and rapidly developing company with a focus on multi-platform software for enterprise, developers and embedded devices. Find out how you can help on the jobs page or the projects page.
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