What Is Linux?

i know linux is an OS, but is it superior or inferior to mac and/or windows

 

That's all a matter of oppinion. As of yet there aren't as many Linux users as Windows or Mac but there is a pretty good amount of them out there who think it is the best. Personally I don't have much experience with Linux but I didn't like it as much as Windows. Just my $0.02

 

Certainly though Linux has one thing that it has going for it: it is free to use.

 

Agreed, and Linux isn't for everybody, that's certain. Just yesterday I Dbanned my last Windows machine (an ancient eMachines desktop) and then installed PCLinuxOS. Windows, AV, antispyware, etc, etc, are now all gone. Hopefully, no malware will be developed that will affect Linux systems for a while.

 

Yea, this is a question that will very from user to user. I just started using it the other day actually in a dual boot on my laptop with XP. So far I am very pleased with Ubuntu and plan on using it on a regular basis. It is definitely worth a try IMO.

 

did you read the sticky?

 

This is a good idea, and also using Google+Wikipedia is a great way to acertain tech-type information.

 

Well, technically speaking, that's wrong. Technically, Linux is just the kernel, the operating system itself should really be called the "GNU/Linux Operating System". See this page for more info on the name: http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html

For intents and purposes though (and for convenience), I usually just call it Linux myself, even if it's not politically correct (just don't tell Richard Stallman).

Personally, I switched to using Ubuntu as my primary OS last October, though it took me a little adjusting to (I am a VERY experienced Windows power user, and work at a IT HelpDesk troubleshooting Windows problems), once I made the adjustments, I found it to be a much superior OS for MY needs. I've since switched to Gentoo, and most recently to Arch Linux, so far I've found I like that one the best.

A couple reasons I personally stick with using GNU/Linux are the following:
1) Security, it's built from the ground up with multiuser and networking in mind, so it has a much better handle on user permissions (you don't always run as the "Administrator," or "root" in Linux terms). I also don't have to worry about anti-virus software or spyware.
2) The GUI (graphical user interface) runs on top of the terminal (command prompt). In other words, if something goes wrong with the video drivers, or the graphical system, you can drop back to a command line to fix things. In Windows, if your GUI is hosed, might as well just reformat. Also, it actually has a useful CLI (command line interface), whereas the Windows command prompt is just laughable (I personally tend to use the terminal a lot).
3) Programs and updates are centralized. No need to be Googling all the time to find different software, just look in the repositories for your particular distribution for the majority of software you need. Likewise the package manager will keep track of all the software updates for you, without having to either visit half a dozen websites, or have each piece of software have it's own update checker.
4) It's free, with no guilt of pirating, since developers generally WANT you to share.
5) CHOICE, Linux is all about choice, if you don't like the way something works, you can just use something else, without needing to pay for trying. If you really want to change the way a program works, and you're industrious enough, the source code is available and you can edit it yourself (obviously in the vast majority of cases that's more trouble than it's worth though, but it IS possible)

Those are only some of the reasons, I COULD go on, if you want to know more, let me know (after reading some stickies).

But really, as long as you have the time, I see no reason NOT to try it. Since it's free, the only investment you'll have to make to try it out is time (and some hard drive space, and usually a blank CD).

 

yes, ArchLinux ftw that choice thing mentioned there is not just about Linux, but rather about the entire opensource community, but definetly applies here too.

I've been using Linux and FreeBSD/NetBSD for about 4 years now. Started off with Slackware (well more seriously than fiddling, cuz then I could say I guess I've started with debian/redhat, but that was in about 1996/1998 or so and it didn't last long ) on a home router/server, moved then onto Slackware on desktop. Fiddled with gentoo, moved to FreeBSD on server, tried different dists, currently am using ArchLinux on my laptop and FreeBSD on most if not all my servers (except for some embedded distros like OpenWRT, check it out: www.openwrt.org, it's real nice and real nifty for all you can do with your wireless router ).

It really is all about choice and often the choice is very intuitive, I have a feel that window$ (have not used it a while tho, last time it was XP I guess) has things setup andd standards created because someone gets paid to do them, which not always is a great solution for creating great things.

The opensource community is driven by will of creating something and energy itself running it is at that, the money in there comes as a rewarding result to whatever is being done being worth it, whilst the commercial OS's tend to often just follow some market rules as well, resulting in not always the best solution for the end-user by ability, but rather the best available at a certain price and in a certain time solution

Mac OSX is a good example of a reasonably good and free (not as in free of charge, free as in free-form) commercial OS for end-desktop-users, although it's worth saying its older versions (the 10 line's early ones) have borrowed a lot of data from *BSD for example. Window$ also has a certain amount of bsd-licensed code, at that. Just throwing that as additional information

Anyway, with the massive choice for the Linux-based OS's about now, and easiness of obtaining them like UBUNTU'S shipit ( https://shipit.ubuntu.com) and quick broadband links allowing for downloading install ISO images in almost no-time, it's worth a shot checking out what we might just be missing in our computer-using lives.

So far I can't complain about my choices And just seeing how it grows, and more and more meets my needs, well, it's just a nice package overall. And it give me a possibility to change it and improve it at that

So do give it a go. In my opinion and experience it's definetly worth it. It's lean and mean, perhaphs not as many drivers about for new hardware (like my laptop's video camera is not supported YET as of today for example) as in other OS's but it's definetly getting there and you can always help out too satisfying your need for being creative

CHeers!

 

I have personally found Linux to be much more suited to my common needs than Windows, though I still have to rely on Windows for some school and work stuff. Overall, I find that it has three things which I rely like though: speed, choice, and security. Sure, I like that it's free, but I'm willing to pay for good software. Is it for everyone? Of course not; Mac OS X isn't for everyone, nor is Windows. But it's certainly worth a try, especially when it's free and will probably run on just about any PC out there (including Mac).

 

Linux is the greatest thing since sliced bread

j/k... it's just another way of using your computer. Some people like it, some people don't. I'm like notebook_ftw, and find it does the stuff I want to do with it better than Windows. Which is why I use it for all my personal systems. Still stuck with XP at work

 

where can i get a copy of linux if id like to try it?

 

The answer is "Yes".

 

www.distrowatch.com

Linux actually refers to the kernel, the very core of the OS that manages an interface between the computer hardware such as the RAM, CPU and hard disk and the software applications and programs. Every "version" of Linux has this kernel; it's what comes with the kernel that makes each version different.

What I think you are referring to is a Linux distribution; that is, Linux plus a preinstalled graphical user interface (or graphical desktop) such as KDE, GNOME, or XFCE (which varies with personal taste), and an assortment of preinstalled packages and programs. You can think of a Linux distribution as a prepackaged kit that will allow you to start using programs right away; having just the kernel doesn't let you do anything.

Distrowatch is a good, central starting location if you want to see all the distributions available to you; on the right you'll notice a list of almost all the Linux distributions around; it displays the distributions receiving the most hits per day. Check out the top 10 or so distros and pick whatever you like.

 

:laugh: I don't think that's what the questioner was expecting!

 

I know, but the question was so wide open, I couldn't resist .

I think the facts are in the above answers. Linux is the kernel, and a distribution is that plus everything else. Almost always open source, but sometimes not. Lots of choices. Try any one of the live CDs.

There was no such thing as a live CD when I first took the plunge, so as soon as I could get away from dual booting on the one and only family computer, I did. Other than what I have to do at work, and a little bit of administrator and trouble shooting at home, my own computer has been nothing but OSS.