Datasheet

11
Chapter 1: Getting Acquainted with Linux
Two fundamental distinctions separate Linux from the rest of the operating-
system pack:
✓ Linux is licensed under the unique and ingenious GNU General Public
License, which you can read about in the next section.
✓ Linux is developed and maintained by a worldwide team of volunteer
and paid programmers working together over the Internet.
Linux is great for many reasons, including the fact that the folks who built it
from the ground up wanted it to be all the following:
✓ Multiuser: More than one user can be logged in to a single computer at
one time.
✓ Multiprocesser: True pre-emptive multitasking enables the operating sys-
tem’s core to efficiently juggle several programs running at once. This is
important for providing multiple services on one computer.
✓ Multiplatform: Linux currently runs on more than 24 platforms (hard-
ware types), including 32- and 64-bit Intel-based PCs, Digital/Compaq
Alpha, all variants of the Apple Macintosh, Sun SPARC, the Apple iPod,
and even the Microsoft Xbox.
✓ Interoperable: Linux plays nice with most network protocols (lan-
guages) and operating systems, allowing you to interact with users
and computers running Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Novell NetWare,
Macintosh computers, and other groups that occupy smaller market
niches.
✓ Scalable: As your computing needs grow, you can rely on Linux to grow
with you. The same Linux operating system can run on a tiny electronic
photo frame, a desktop computer, or a very large, industrial-strength
server system.
✓ Portable: Linux is mostly written in the C programming language. C is
a language created specifically for writing operating-system-level soft-
ware and can be readily ported (translated) to run on new computer
hardware.
✓ Flexible: You can configure the Linux operating system as a network
host, router, graphical workstation, office productivity PC, home enter-
tainment computer, file server, Web server, cluster, or just about any
other computing appliance you can think of.