What is Linux Definition And Examples
What is Linux and its benefits
Friends, do you want to know what is Linux? All these things will be introduced
Hello friends I welcome you Rk to our HE Blog, I hope you are healthy and safe. Friends, today we are going to talk about an operating system Linux.
Today we will know what is Linux, where is it used, its parts and how to install Linux? So let’s start guys –
Topics
- What is Linux
- Parts of the Linux Operating System
- Linux development
- How to install Linux?
- Why is Linux used?
- Benefits of Linux
- Disadvantages of Linux
What is linux
Like Windows, iOS and Mac OS, Linux is also an operating system. In fact, Android, one of the most popular platforms in the world, is powered by the Linux operating system. An operating system is the software that manages all the hardware resources associated with your desktop or laptop.
Simply put, the operating system establishes communication between the software and hardware of your desktop or laptop. The software will not work without the operating system (OS). For your information, let me tell you that there are many different parts in Linux operating system –
Parts of the Linux Operating System
Bootloader → The software that manages the boot process of your computer. For most users it will just be a splash screen that pops up and goes on to boot into the OS.
Kernel → The kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU, memory, and peripheral devices. Kernel is the lowest level of the OS.
Init system → This is a sub-system that bootstrap user space and is charged for controlling the daemon. One of the most widely used init systems is Systemd. Once the initial booting has been handed over to the Bootloader, it manages the init system boot process.
Daemon → These are background services (printing, sound, scheduling, etc.). that starts either during boot or after logging into the desktop.
Graphical server → This is the sub-system that displays graphics on your monitor. It is commonly known as X-server or just X
Desktop environment → This is the part with which users actually interact. Users have several desktop environments to choose from such as GNOME, Cinnamon, Mate, Pantheon, Enlightenment, KDE, Xfce etc. Each desktop environment includes in-built applications such as file managers, configuration tools, web browsers and games.
Application → Desktop enviornment does not provide all types of apps. Like Windows and Mac OS, Linux offers thousands of high-quality software that can be easily found and installed.
Most modern Linux distributions include tools such as the App Store. Which make application installation centralized and simple. For example – Ubuntu Linux has Ubuntu Software Center. Which allows you to quickly search among thousands of apps and install them all from one place
Linux development
In 1991, Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland, wished he had a free academic version of Unix, but it was not possible for him to buy Unix. That’s why he started writing his own code.
Later this project became Linux kernel. He wrote this program specifically for his PC because he wanted to use a Unix 386 Intel computer but could not afford it.
He started it only for entertainment but later it ended with such a big project. Earlier they wanted to name it ‘Freaks’ but later it became ‘Linux’
They published the Linux kernel under their own license but it was restricted to commercial use. Linux uses most of its tools from GNU software and is under the GNU copyright. In 1992 they released the kernel under the GNU, General Public License.
Today supercomputers, smart phones, desktops, web servers, tablets, laptops and home appliances like washing machines, DVD players, routers, modems, cars, refrigerators etc. use Linux OS.
How to install Linux
To many people the idea of installing an operating system may seem like a very daunting task. Believe it or not, Linux provides the easiest installation of all operating systems.
In fact, most editions of Linux are called live distributions. This means that you run the operating system from a CD/DVD or USB flash drive without making any changes to your hard drive.
You get full functionality without having to commit to installation. Once you’ve tried it out and decided you want to use it, you just double-click on the “install” icon and walk through the simple installation wizard. This is how you can easily install Linux.
Why is Linux used
- Along with an operating system, there are some other uses of Linux which are as follows –
- You can use it to troubleshoot other computers. Say for example your computer won’t boot you can still pop a live disk with Linux in the drive and access the hard drive.
- Build or host a website. In fact many of the websites you access run on Linux.
- Linux can act as an operating system for your computer.
- With Linux you can build a server at an affordable cost.
- Linux is all around you – on your TV, smart phone and even in your fridge or washing machine.
Benefits of Linux
Following are the advantages of Linux Operating System –
- Open Source
- Security
- Free
- Lightweight
- stability
- Performence
- Flexibility
- software update
- distributions
- Live CD/USB
- Graphical user interface
- Suitable for programmers
- Community support
- Privacy
- Networking
- Compatibility
- Installation
- Multiple Desktop Support
- Multitasking
Open Source
Since it is open-source, its source code is easily available. Anyone with programming knowledge can customize the operating system. Anyone may contribute, modify, distribute and enhance the Code for any purpose
Security
The Linux security feature is the main reason why it is the most friendly option for developers. It is not completely secure but it is less insecure than others. Linux system does not require any antivirus program.
Free
Certainly the biggest advantage of the Linux system is that it is free to use. We can download it easily and there is no need to buy license for this
Lightweight
Linux is Lightweight. The requirements to run Linux are very less as compared to other operating systems. In Linux, the memory footprint and disk space are also less. Generally most Linux distributions require 128MB of RAM for the same amount of disk space.
Stability
Linux is more stable than other operating systems. Linux does not require rebooting the system to maintain the performance level. It rarely hangs or slows down It has a large up-time
Performance
Linux systems perform high on all different types of networks. It is capable of handling multiple users simultaneously.
Flexibility
This OS is very felxible. It can also be used for desktop applications, embedded systems and server applications.
Software update
In Linux, software updates are under the control of the user. We can select the required updates. There are a large number of system updates available. These updates are much faster than other operating systems. Hence, system updates can be easily installed without facing any issues.
Distributions
There are many Linux distributions available in the market. It provides various Linux options to the users. We can choose any distro as per our requirement. Some of the popular distros are Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Linux Mint, Arch Linux and many more
Ubuntu and Linux Mint will be useful for beginners and Debian and Fedora will be good choices for skilled programmers
Live CD/USB
Almost all Linux distributions have a Live CD/USB option. It allows us to run or run the Linux operating system without having to install it.
Graphical user interface
Linux is a command-line based OS but it provides an interactive user interface like Windows
Suitable for programmers
It supports almost all the most used programming languages like C, C++, Java, Python, Ruby and more. In addition it provides a wide range of useful applications for development. That’s why it is suitable for programmers.
Community support
Linux provides community support. We can get support from various sources. There are many forums available on the web to help users. Also developers from various opensource communities are ready to help us
Privacy
Linux always takes care of the privacy of the user as it never takes more personal data from the user. Comparatively other operating systems ask for user’s private data.
Networking
Provides convenience with powerful support for Linux networking. Client-server systems can be easily set up on Linux systems. It provides various command-line tools such as ssh, ip, mail, telnet, and more for connectivity with other systems and servers. Tasks like network backup are much faster than others
Compatibility
Linux is compatible with a large number of file formats as it supports almost all file formats.
Installation
Linux installation process takes less time as compared to other operating systems like Windows. Apart from this, its installation process is very easy as it requires less user input. It does not require much system configuration. Even it can be easily installed on older machines with low configuration.
Multiple Desktop Support
Linux systems provide many desktop environment support for their advanced usage. The desktop environment option can be selected during installation. We can choose any desktop environment like Gnome (GNU Network Object Model Environment) or KDE (K-Desktop Environment) as both have their own specific environment
Multitasking
It is a multitasking operating system. Because it can run multiple tasks simultaneously without affecting the speed of the system.
Disadvantages of linux
Following are the disadvantages of Linux Operating System –
Learning curve
Learning to use Linux can take some time. Especially if you’re used to using other operating systems and not open-source operating systems like Linux.
The user experience in Linux is very different. So you have to set aside time to learn the system first. This can be frustrating for some people.
Installing Software
Many types of applications that work on Windows or Apple OS do not work in Linux. that can hurt you
Lack of games
Most computer users use Windows or Apple OS so game developers make games compatible with these operating systems. Many popular games are not supported by Linux. This is one reason why Linux is not yet popular among young users.
Hardware driver
As mentioned by users, one of the biggest problems in Linux is that hardware drivers are not present in this operating system. Like most software there are various ways to work around this. But there have been problems when people tried to use older hardware or some other hardware (greengarageblog.org, 2017).
In short
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