Everything You May Need or Want to Know About Linux

Technology is continually changing. For example, over the years we have gone from radio getting reception from the local towers, then black and white televisions through cable wires, to color sets that use satellites in outer space to get the picture on our screen. We started with airplanes then eventually advanced enough to land on the moon. Every year new discoveries are made and we learn more about how to make things run more efficiently. Innovation is constantly sought for, taking things to new heights. One of these changing technologies is operating systems. While the main brands, such as Apple and Windows, are often widely advertised when they come with a new system, some of their competitors do not receive the same about of attention; even though they are equally stable and usable. Linux is often not widely used by less advanced computer users, but can be easy to use and cost efficient as well.

Linus Torvalds was a student at University of Helsinki in 1991. He had been studying computer science, working on improving the Unix operating system with a group of his classmates. After much work, he started to develop his own software and operating systems. Only twenty-two years old, Torvalds decided he wanted to "...share with friends and colleagues the code of Linux" (Moon 20). At first, it was just a simple system that you could only use with text with no graphics, similar to Microsoft DOS. However, over the year, it transformed to a have graphics and much more simple to use. He had just written the code his own operating system and had named it after himself. Even though it is free for the users, it still has its problems. For example, Microsoft has claimed that Linux "... violate[s] 235 of its patents" (Moon 22). In other words, Microsoft claims that the creators of Linux are building off of the work of Microsoft in order to make their software; possibly causing Microsoft to lose their profits. Since Linux does not claim that they are using the software, they do not have to pay royalty fees as well. Microsoft is not pressing charges for now, but if competition were to increase, the future of Linux may be questioned. But for now, it is being noticed by larger companies, such as Dell and Wal-Mart, at starting to sell computers with Linux in small quantities. Many European countries have embraced the technology and use it in many ways. In Europe, many smart phones, laptops, and desktop computers all use Linux instead of other operating systems.

Linux is an open source operating system. When a program is open source, it must include "free redistribution of the source code" (De Groff 3). Open source programs must give out the source code, which has all the codes that make up the program available to the user for no cost. If a person can edit the source code, they can alter the way the program runs or looks just by adding a few lines of code. Many programs that people use are open source, such as OpenOffice, which imitates Microsoft Word, are free. Plus, only "software that lasts evolves" (Bison 18). If it does not change over time, it eventually becomes obsolete and no longer used. It needs to change to still be valuable to the people who need to use it. If software did not change, we still would be using computers that only used text. However, not all of the programs are free. Some, you must pay to use the program but you still get the source code for free as part of the package. An operating system is simply the main program used to make a computer run. Some of the most common operating systems are Windows Vista and XP. However, Linux is the only open source operating system available. If a person knows the programming languages, they can change the system to do as they need. If a person thinks that they had improved the operating system for the better, they can redistribute it as they please. They can also create programs to run the on the computer. Many of the programs that are used on Linux are free as well, not having to spend any money for the system.

There are many types of Linux distributions, or versions, that people can put on their computers. Some of the common ones are Fedora, Red Hat, and Ubuntu. Fedora, which is part of the Red Hat line of products, is free to the public. Recently, the latest version, Fedora 9, was released. It is meant more for the home user that just needs to type documents; however, it can do much more. It is very versatile. For example, it can be used as a web server to have web pages on the Internet to be seen by the world. Red Hat is mostly for corporations. It also can be used for large web servers and as a corporation server for large businesses. Although you can get it for free, it is recommended to pay for it for the technical support. Then, Ubuntu is simple to use and is made for the home user. It is free, but can also do many things. For example, some people have used Ubuntu to turn a "PS3 into a Linux computer" (Verducci). Unlike the Windows and Apple operating systems which are not compatible to the other systems, it is flexible enough to work on hardware that is not typically meant to be used with.

Windows, the leading operating systems by Bill Gates, and Linux, by Linus Torvalds, operating systems have many differences. First, Windows get at least a year of support once you buy a computer with their software of by the software and download it. You can call, get help when you have computer issues, or even send in your computer in to get fixed. Free versions of Linux do not get technical support from the company that makes the system. However, there are many online forums where people often help with troubleshooting on computers. Second, with Windows, you have to pay money for both the operating system and the programs put on the computer. Even though you can find some programs that are free, the majority must be paid for. Linux is free; unless you order it already on a CD or DVD or pay for technical support from the company. Many people work on the coding for the operating system without pay, "making it a cheap alternative to proprietary operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows or Unix" (Kessler b5). It is much less money than a system with Microsoft, Unix, or Apple where the user is unable to edit the programming. With technical support, it can cost as low as sixty dollars. Then, the two operating systems differ in how they are used. While Windows operating systems are mostly for typing and games, Linux is mostly a typing workstation for the average user. In addition, the user interface, how the person using the computer interacts with the operating system, varies as well. Microsoft Windows interaction with the user depends strictly on the GUI, or graphic user interface. It uses icons and pictures instead of just a screen with strictly words. In contrast, Linux can use the GUI, but it mostly depends on the CLI, command line interface, to accomplish most tasks. In command line interface, you have to type different words to get your results. For example, in some systems, you must type in "startx" in order to even get into the GUI to see your desktop.

Becoming more popular than ever, Linux is used by more people all over the world. It may be different from the main stream operating systems, but with learning the basics of Linux makes it just as usable as any other computer. As more people work on it, it will become easier to use, possibly replacing many Microsoft and Apple computers because of the low cost. Now that major companies are starting to sell computers with Linux on them, they could also make the price of other operating systems drop because of competition. It will also keep the products to a higher quality, customizable to the user's liking. Even though we can not see the future, we can be certain that our technologies will change in the future. It is always shifting, making life easier and every day items better. As time goes on, it most likely will become more used because of people wanting to save money and the higher quality of the Linux operating system.

Works Cited
Moon, Peter. "Linus Torvalds." Computerworld 22 Oct 2007: 20,22.

Kessler, Michelle. "Suit threat slows Linux sales." USA Today 03 Oct 2003: 5b.

De Groff, AB. "Using open source to give patrons what they want.." Computers in Libraries 28(2008): 3.

Verducci, Anthony. "Turn Your PS3 Into a PC.." Popular Mechanics June 2008: 159-161.

Bisson, Casey. "What Makes Open Source Work?." Library Technology Reports June 2007: 16-20.