Tag: How do I get started with Linux?
New To Linux
by sahab on Jul.30, 2010, under kubuntu, RHEL5, Ubuntu
Linux itself is actually just the kernel; it implements multitasking and multiuser functionality, manages hardware, allocates memory, and enables applications to run. The average user will never be interested enough in any operating system to want to know about things like kernel internals.
Why is Linux important?
Because it is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License, Linux obviates the need for programmers to keep reinventing the operations layer with each new project. To wax metaphorical, the GNU family of tools provide royalty-free bricks and mortar with which to begin building independent projects. Critics of free software often voice fears that the freedoms and low cost of free software will lead to economic disaster for the computing sector. However, it is just as likely — if not more likely — that free software will do for the world of computing what Gutenberg’s printing press did for the world of Letters.
- TheGNU General Public License explains what freedoms and responsibilities are mandated to users of free software.
- You can read more about the “philosophy” of free software — and find a great deal of documentation and software packages available for download — at theFree Software Foundation (FSF) Web site.
- TheIBM Public License (IPL) is also a free software license. It was created with the help of FSF founder Richard Stallman.
What can I do with Linux?
What you want out of your Linux system will determine which Linux system you want and how many layers of complexity you need to understand before you begin to work with it.
Linux is an excellent platform on which to learn Linux programming, kernel hacking, or even UNIX programming; many tools and applications are available to play games, to do desktop publishing, or just to hang out doing e-mail and Web browsing.
It is also an excellent platform for working systems, both open and closed, because it is so heavily customizable for free. Linux is a popular platform for everything from middleware to embedded computing and clusters, to parallel supercomputers and gadgets. IBM has been involved in projects to manufacture cash registers that run on Linux, as well as the Linux wristwatch. Other developers have used Linux on such devices as cell phones, Sony PlayStation, TiVo, and the Sharp Zaurus.
How do I get started with Linux?
you are completely new to Linux, or if you are using Linux as a desktop operating system, you need to learn at least some basics about system administration and security. Unlike commercial personal operating systems that attempt to automate such operations, Linux does not promise to hold your hand or to clean up after you: you have to take care of the system yourself. Luckily, basic maintenance and basic security are pretty easy. In many ways, Linux and UNIX administration is today much easier than administration for popular commercial personal operating systems because it is much more transparent.While Linux does have several windowing environments that allow you to perform administration, the most straightforward way to control the system is at the command line. Built in to the structure of the command-line environment are dozens of commands and several text-based help systems.
There are a great many resources on the Web and in the real world to help you get started with Linux. There are Web sites, articles, and books devoted to the subject, and Linux User Groups (also known as LUGs) meet in cities and countries around the world — and are well-known for being very friendly even to very new users.