Linux

Even though Windows and MacOS are best known on the PC, much of everything else is ran by Linux. Linux is used by:

  • My personal computers. 😛

  • Many world government agencies for various reasons, cheaper, security, technological. Some agencies using Linux are

    • US Department of Defense

    • US Federal Aviation Administration

    • US Federal Courts

    • US Navy

    • US Postal Service

    • Garden Grove, California

    • Largo Florida

    • Munich Germany

    • Spain

    • French Parliament

    • Bank of China (own/operated by the government)

    • Cuba

    • Mexico City

    • Pakistani Schools (including colleges)

    • Czech Postal System

    • Russian Schools

    • German Universities

  • Most of the Internet, including:

    • Google

    • Facebook

    • Amazon

    • Pinterest

    • Most webpages.

    • Internet Archive

  • Over 99% of the world's fastest supercomputers

  • WATSON, IBM's supercomputer that won the Jeopardy challenge.

  • CERN ( French acronym for "Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire", or in English European Council for Nuclear Research)

  • Android Phones

  • Automobiles

  • Roku devices

  • TIVO

  • Stock exchanges

  • Smart appliances like refrigerators, smart TVs,

  • Walmart's POS runs on Linux.

Tux, the official mascot of the Linux kernel.

What Linux Is

Linux is an open-source very robust OS (operating system). An OS is the system (Think of Windows or MacOS) that is booted up and all other software is ran within it. Linux is one of the most secure, reliable OS available. The Linux kernel was created by Linux Torvalds as a UNIX like OS. Linux's name is based on Linus & UNIX

Some links to learn more about Linux

  • Linux Foundation A non-profit technology consortium founded as a merger between Open Source Development Labs and the Free Standards Group to standardize Linux, support its growth, and promote its commercial adoption. It also hosts and promotes the collaborative development of open source software projects.

  • LINUX.ORG

  • Opensource.Com a premier, daily publication focused on open source and Linux tutorials, stories, and resources.

  • DistroWatch.com A website dedicated to talking about, reviewing and keeping up to date with open source operating systems, particularly Linux distributions and some flavours of BSD. There is lot of information on Linux distributions presented on this site in a consistent manner,

  • Linux Today A trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users.

  • Gaming on Linux a site striving to bring the best in Linux gaming news.

  • nixCraft An online community of new and seasoned Linux / Unix sysadmins who want to make the most of sysadmin-hood.

  • TecMint a website that publishes practical and useful out-of-the-box articles.

  • Wikipedia article on Linux

  • It's FOSS (short for "Free and Open Source Software")

  • LINUX TOOK OVER THE WEB. NOW, IT'S TAKING OVER THE WORLD A WIRED magazine article:

  • What makes IBM's Watson run? A ZDnet magazine article

  • r/Linux Reddit forum on Linux, GNU/Linux, free software...


Some Linux Distributions Download Links

    • Debian One of the oldest Linux distributions, it is composed of free and open-source software, developed by the community-supported Debian Project, which was established by Ian Murdock on August 16, 1993. The name "Debian" is a portmanteau of the first name of his then-girlfriend (later ex-wife) Debra Lynn and his own first name. It is the source for many other distributions including Ubuntu.

    • Ubuntu a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: Desktop, Server, and Core for Internet of things devices and robots. All the editions can run on the computer alone, or in a virtual machine. This was the leader in distributions for many years before the introduction of the Unity desktop as their default desktop. It slid to second place behind Linux Mint after to one for all devices desktop was introduced.

    • Ubuntu Studio An Ubuntu distro customized for working with Audio, Graphics, Video, Photography and Publishing.

    • Linux Mint a community-driven Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, bundled with a variety of free and open-source applications. It can provide full out-of-the-box multimedia support for those who choose to include proprietary software such as multimedia codecs. This is one of the top if not the top leading distributions in the world.

    • Fedora a Linux distribution developed by the community-supported Fedora Project which is sponsored primarily by Red Hat, a subsidiary of IBM, with additional support from other companies.

    • Gentoo a Linux distribution built using the Portage package management system. Unlike a binary software distribution, the source code is compiled locally according to the user's preferences and is often optimized for the specific type of computer.

    • Kali - a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration testing. It is maintained and funded by Offensive Security.

    • CentOS a Linux distribution that is functionally compatible with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

    • PCLinuxOS A user-friendly Linux distribution with out-of-the-box support for many popular graphics and sound cards, as well as other peripheral devices.

    • Pop!_OS An Ubuntu-based Linux distribution featuring a custom GNOME desktop. Pop!_OS is designed to have a minimal amount of clutter on the desktop without distractions in order to allow the user to focus on work. The distribution is developed by Linux computer retailer System76.

    • openSUSE Suse is one of the oldest distributions of German origin. Its name is an acronym of "Software und System-Entwicklung" (software and systems development) openSUSE is the upstream community distribution that SUSE Linux Enterprise is derived from.

    • Puppy Linux (lightweight distribution for very old machines)

    • LFS (Linux From Scratch) A project that provides you with step-by-step instructions for building your own customized Linux system entirely from source. This is for those who are not faint of heart and willing to roll up their sleeves to compile their own code. The advantages is people learning the inter-workings of their custom Linux OS and it is more compact, often faster as it is optimized for the specific machine. The downside is the hours spent building and often learning the hard way from mistakes made in building the system. But if you got the patience and are willing, the results can be very rewarding. Download the Linux From Scratch Book

  • Other Software for Linux (after Linux been installed)