What Is Linux?

Stated basically, Linux is an operating system. Much like (well, not that much like) the Windows Operating System that you may have on your computer now, Linux will essentially run every process on your system. The easiest way to think of Linux is: as an alternative to the Microsoft Windows © software used to run your computer.

More technically speaking, Linux is the "brains" of the operating system (with a few extra utilities). The brains, or more correctly the "Linux kernel", was developed in 1991 by a Finnish computer science student named Linus Torvalds. Torvalds made the Linux kernel souce code freely available on the Internet (through a license known as the GPL, a free open-source license) for all to use however they wish.

We now have an OS that's easy to use, and easy to look at... and works!

More utilities and applications were added to the base kernel. First utilities like a "shell" (which takes and processes commands from a user) were added. Then came text-based applications, such as web browsers and email readers (which weren't pretty to look at or easy to run, but worked). Then came the Graphical User Interface (the GUI) to make the system easier and more pleasant to use. Finally, Graphical Applications were added (such as the web browsers and email readers mentioned above) to enhance the overall user experience.

Distributions

A number of companies, individuals, and educational establishments took the Linux project to heart and added more applications, utilities, enhancements, etc. and the "Linux Distribution" was born. A distribution (or distro) simply refers to a Linux system, with a great many enhancements added by the company (or individual, or educational institution), then packaged all together and made available for use.

UNIX-Based

An important point to note is that the Linux kernel (developed by Torvalds) is a UNIX-based kernel. UNIX was developed in the 1960s by AT&T Bell Laboratories as a C-Programming-Language-Based computer operating system (which was a scaled down version of the then-popular MULTIX). Nearly everything in the computing world has roots in UNIX, from protocols (such as SMTP, HTTP, DNS, and NNTP) to the Internet (the ARPANet [the father of the Internet], was originally nothing more than a group of UNIX computers connected via TCP/IP).

What was, and what is now...

In the history of computing software, we've been using UNIX for a very long time. Within the last 10 years, Microsoft has become the predominant software vendor. However, with the advent and evolution of a free UNIX based operating system (Linux), Microsoft's reign may soon experience serious difficulties.

Where to start?

So join in The Linux Revolution (or at least give Linux a try). Chances are that, once you let go of the Microsoft © developed "training wheels", you will find that Linux is a more stable, scalable, and enjoyable way to perform computing tasks.