Chapter Summary
The topics mentioned
In this chapter the history of Linux was mentioned with its main aspects, the properties of Linux were mentioned, the frequently asked questions were answered and information was given about (GNU/)Linux distributions.
A brief history of Linux
- UNIX was an impactful operating system which impacted a lot of other operating systems.
- UNIX was different from its contemporaries with a simpler structure and the later portability.
- Linux was made to be an academic UNIX-like operating system.
- After a long time without a productive kernel, the GNU project decided to use Linux as a kernel which caused the GNU/Linux operating system to be born
- Nowadays GNU/Linux runs on a lot of devices, from embedded devices to supercomputers.
Properties of (GNU/)Linux
- GNU/Linux is free, which means that it can be changed and redistributed without any limitations.
- GNU/Linux has a decent terminal, which means a lot of tasks can be done without using extra mouse movements and can be easily automated.
- GNU/Linux has a low memory consumption, which means more tasks can be done as there are more resources left to other tasks.
- GNU/Linux is designed to have a long uptime, which means the system can be up for a long time without restarting.
- GNU/Linux is less prone to kernel panics.
- GNU/Linux is modular, which means that it can be fully configured for many situations.
- Some programs or drivers might not have versions for GNU/Linux.
- GNU/Linux might have a steeper learning curve.
GNU/Linux Distributions
- There are a lot of GNU/Linux distributions for different aims and requirements.
- Although there are a lot of distributions, many programs can be used in a lot of them as all distributions share the same basis.
- Distributions can also have different desktop environments, meaning that the looks might be very different from each other.