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1.2.What is Linux

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23 views2 pages

1.2.What is Linux

Define

Uploaded by

ombenioceans
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What is Linux?

Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac OS, Linux is an operating system. In fact, one of
the most popular platforms on the planet, Android, is powered by the Linux
operating system. An operating system is software that manages all of the
hardware resources associated with your desktop or laptop. To put it simply, the
operating system manages the communication between your software and your
hardware. Without the operating system (OS), the software wouldn’t function.

The Linux operating system comprises several different pieces:

1. Bootloader – The software that manages the boot process of your


computer.
2. Kernel – This is the one piece of the whole that is actually called
‘Linux’. The kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU,
memory, and peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest level of the
OS.
3. Init system – One of the most widely used init systems is systemd,
which also happens to be one of the most controversial. It is the init
system that manages the boot process, once the initial booting is
handed over from the bootloader (i.e., GRUB or GRand Unified
Bootloader).
4. Daemons – These are background services (printing, sound,
scheduling, etc.) that either start up during boot or after you log into
the desktop.
5. Graphical server – This is the sub-system that displays the graphics
on your monitor. It is commonly referred to as the X server or just X.
6. Desktop environment – This is the piece that the users actually
interact with. There are many desktop environments to choose from
(GNOME, Cinnamon, Mate, Pantheon, Enlightenment, KDE, Xfce, etc.).
7. Applications – Desktop environments do not offer the full array of
apps. Just like Windows and macOS, Linux offers thousands upon
thousands of high-quality software titles that can be easily found and
installed.
Open source
Linux is also distributed under an open source license. Open source follows
these key tenets:

 The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.


 The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it
do what you wish.
 The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
 The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others.
These points are crucial to understanding the community that works together to
create the Linux platform. Without a doubt, Linux is an operating system that is
“by the people, for the people”. It’s about freedom and freedom of use and
freedom of choice.

What is a “distribution?”
Linux has a number of different versions to suit any type of user. From new
users to hard-core users, you’ll find a “flavor” of Linux to match your needs.
These versions are called distributions (or, in the short form, “distros”). Nearly
every distribution of Linux can be downloaded for free, burned onto disk (or USB
thumb drive), and installed (on as many machines as you like).

Popular Linux distributions include:

 LINUX MINT
 MANJARO
 DEBIAN
 UBUNTU
 ANTERGOS
 SOLUS
 FEDORA
 ELEMENTARY OS
 OPENSUSE

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