| Linux ... The collective dream
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What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system, just like Microsoft Windows or DOS. There are many operating systems but we can file them into two main groups: Windows and UNIX. Linux is part of the UNIX group.
But Linux is unique because Linux is free. Here the word "free" means "freedom". Of course you can not sell Linux, you can not make money by selling Linux. But the most important is the notion of freedom. This is a true revolution. It means that everybody can modify Linux and redistributes it for free. As we will see later the notion of freedom is the biggest Linux's advantage.
What are Windows and Linux for?
Like all UNIX systems, Linux is mainly used by IT professionals. Windows, on
the other hand, is adapted to everyday users. But this is changing and soon
Linux may become a Windows' competitor.
Microsoft Windows is used for personal tasks. Windows is easy to install and
easy to use. But it is not a high-performance operating system. If you have
critical needs you don't use Windows because Windows is not reliable enough.
For example you won't see Windows in the following systems: planes, nuclear
centrals, satellites, trains, cars, submarines, boats, insurance companies main
servers, banks main servers, ... Whenever you need reliability you choose UNIX.
UNIX is used for all big systems that need reliability. It is unimaginable to
stop the phone service because the operating system that controls the telecommunications
crashes. That's why telecom operators like France Telecom use UNIX on their
main systems. UNIX is not perfect but it is the best we have actually.
Linux is part of the UNIX group. It has all the advantages of UNIX but it has
other advantages: it is free, it is deeply documented (Linux's documentation
is very easy to find and very good), it can be used for personal tasks and it
also has a very nice graphical interface (better than Windows).
Where does Linux come from?
Linux is the outcome of a university project started by Mr. Linuz Torvalds. Torvalds decided to create his own operating system. This is a very difficult task and he needed help. Over the years more and more people from all over the world started to work on Linux. The Linux community used the Internet to communicate. It is incredible to think that many members of this community did not know each others. Today thousands of people all over the world work on the Linux kernel. There are more people working for Linux than for Microsoft. And the most incredible is that they are all voluntaries! Why do they do it? The answer is simple: because they are passionate persons.
Unlike Windows, which is nothing more that a vulgar commercial product, Linux is a peace of art. People do it for free. There is no commercial pressure. The authors are proud of their work and, for them, Linux must be free-of bug. Linux means quality.
In the near future, Linux will become easier to use for everybody. This is one of the new goals for the Linux community. This means easier for users of course but also for developers. And soon Linux should become an alternative to Windows.
Linux is the fastest evolving operating system.
Linux evolves very quickly. This is the fastest evolving operating system. This is due to the fact that Linux is free (in the sense of freedom). Everybody can modify it so it makes evolution very easy.
Windows, on the other hand, is Microsoft's prisoner. This makes changes very difficult: rivalries between engineers, administrative's slowness, vulgar commercial strategies, ... Microsotf imposes its technical choices which are mainly dictated by the commercial strategies.
Today computer sciences evolve very quickly. The operating system, which is the heart of your system, must be able to adapt quickly. Only free software has this faculty.
Linux and the Free Software Fundation (FSF)
The FSF is very important, not only for Linux, but for the whole computer world. Talking about the FSF is beyond the scope of this article but it had to be mentioned because it plays a fundamental role in Linux history. Most of the Linux success is due to the free software. An operating system is useless without applications. Under Linux almost all applications are free (in the sense of freedom, but also in the sense of economy). For more information the reader can consult the following URL: http://www.gnu.org/.
Why is Linux so unique?
Linux, and all the free software, may be the biggest creation done by volunteers in the whole human history. An operating system is something very complex. When you think about it, it seems amazing volunteers all over the world could have done such a work.
Linux comes from the Internet. Linux could not have taken such importance without it. Therefore Linux is fully adapted to the Web, and by extension, to the network. Some people say that Linux is the soul of the Internet. This is true. Could you imagine the Web by Big Brother?
Conclusion
Linux is much more than an operating system you can get for nothing. Linux is a collective dream. It is the dream of thousands of passionate persons. With the Free Software Fundation, this collective peace of art represents the freedom of the computer sciences.
Linux is the only operating system with a personality. Do you prefer the friendly Linux penguin or the banal Microsoft's windows?
For more information, please visit the following URL: http://aqualinux.homepage.com/commun/linux.htm