The Linux operating system is basically a variant of the UNIX operating system, and Linux has probably all that UNIX offers and more. It is a multi-user, multitasking, network operating system which also has a user friendly GUI (Graphical User Interface). Linux is similar to Windows in many features but it has many unique aspects too, which I will cover shortly.
Linux is licensed under the GPL (General Public license) from the GNU organisation, under which the kernel is provided with the source code, and is available for free. This is called Open Source software. As a result, Linux is considered to be more secure and stable than closed source or proprietary systems like Windows because anyone can analyse the source code written in the C language and find bugs or add new features. One important point that should be noted is that even though the source is free, anyone is allowed to sell it for profit. This is what helps Linux in business areas.
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Unlike many proprietary operating systems, like Windows, which are developed by a single company, Linux is developed by programmers all over the world through the Internet. Technically Linux means the core of the operating system that is called the kernel. This is available for free along with the source code written in C under the GPL (General Public License).
The kernel is capable of managing all the internal tasks such as allocating memory and taking care of devices attached to your computer like your keyboard, mouse and printer. It would not be possible to use the kernel independently without the co-ordination of various other tools like the shell, which provides the interface for the user and other utilities that you may use frequently. These software tools are also usually provided for free like the kernel with Linux.
It depends on who you are and what you would like to do. I have to admit that Linux is not an all-purpose operating system and it would probably be more suited for some people and not-so-pleasing for others. If you are a person using your computer for some entertainment at home and are satisfied with your Windows system there are no compelling reasons for switching over to Linux, but you do have a choice now. There are several reasons to consider Linux. If you are student, like me, then you can use Linux at home and even in college to understand the commands and even the internal workings of UNIX systems. In case you want to see how Linux differs from your present DOS/Windows system I have provided a comparison below.
If you have decided to install Linux you have a lot of choices on how to do it. Please decide on how to proceed before actually trying it out. For new users, buying a packaged CD is highly recommended
This one is a tough thing to do but if you are the adventurous type you may wish to try building your own Linux system. If you have no prior experience with UNIX systems, then this option is certainly not recommended. Your best bet would be Linux From Scratch (LFS), available from Linux From Scratch.
I don't consider this to be a feasible option unless you have a very fast connection. You may need to download the ISO images, which amount to a gigabyte of files or even more. If you would like to try out Linux then you may wish to download and try distributions that fit into a floppy or are really small.
This one would be your choice if you are new to Linux and don't know someone who can install Linux for you. You get a lot of tools, manuals, service and support.
Many new users do this. You can just try using the stuff without getting bogged down with the dirty information about installation and all its hassles. Modern installations like Mandrake and SuSe are as simple as Windows, but it is always useful to have a Linux Guru by your side. You may need them at some point.
When people use the name Linux they are probably referring to a particular distribution of Linux. There are several software packages provided for Linux over the Internet but selecting and downloading one is a complicated task not necessarily manageable for new users who want to try out Linux. This is exactly where a distribution kicks in.
A distribution is a set of software packages that are tested and provided on CD by a company for a small fee just like Windows. The advantages of using distributions are the support and manuals, as well as the fact that Linux can be specialised for use in a particular area. For example, if you would like using Linux for embedded systems a distribution may offer just the right amount of required software, leaving out optional things like the graphical user interface. So you get what you want instead of a general package for all users.
So again we are left with a huge choice of distributions (there were some 200 distributions listed recently but many of them are for very specialised purposes). The mainstream distributions, which are seemingly popular, are RedHat, SuSE, Caldera and Debian. This may be dependent on your locality. Check out your favourite computer stores nearby for more information. Among these distributions RedHat seems to be most widespread.
Caldera is probably more suited for those who are already using Windows. SuSE is a German based distribution known for its large number of bundled packages and support. Debian is unique because its not owned by a company and it's a non-profit volunteer-based distribution developed solely by users.
There are many others like the Mandrake distribution that thrive to provide more user friendliness. Mandrake was originally based on RedHat. Mklinux provides a very small distribution, which can be used to try out Linux initially. There are also several websites like LinuxLinks.com, which provide more current information.
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File Browser - Windows Explorer
KDE has an integrated file manager called Konqueror, which also doubles as an Internet browser. Most of the popular formats such as text files and and images have in-built support and open within Konqueror itself. Several of the features are similar to Windows Explorer so you wouldn't be left out.
Gnome has a simple yet powerful file manager called GNU Midnight Commander (GMC). Newer distributions of Linux offer an alternative called Nautilus which has a very impressive interface. It seems to have even replaced the traditional Control Center bundled with Gnome.
Control Panel
Windows has a central resource for configuring the Windows settings called the Control Panel, with several applets. Windows XP has organised this into related tasks similar to the Nautilus file manager in Linux. Both KDE and Gnome havesimilar Control Centers. Linuxconf is another administrative tool, which helps to do some tasks in an easy manner without relying on the command line for each and every thing.
Utilities
KDE and Gnome offer utilities similar to Notepad, Wordpad, Calculator, Clock, Character Map, Resource Monitor, and so on. I prefer using KWrite in comparison with Gedit. There are a number of other miscellaneous tools and choices available.
System Tools - Scandisk and Disk defragmenter
The Linux file system is designed so as to reduce fragmentation. You need not worry about your files getting fragmented due to this feature. There are some defragmenters but they are definitely not meant for casual use. When you do not shutdown the Linux system, Linux runs a program called fsck (file system check) which is similar to Scandisk. You may also need to run this manually if files get severely damaged. Look into the tool's man (manual) page for more information.
Developers
Software developers and programmers will be comfortable with Linux. KDeveloper and Glade are useful as graphical development environments with built-in help and other tools. Linux comes with compilers for every language you could ever imagine from ADA to C, C++ and Java. KDE has an IDE called KDEvelop, which offers an alternative to Windows IDEs. Gnome has a visual interface for jumpstarting graphical applications. Klyx from Borland is a multi-platform tool similar to Visual Basic which runs on both Linux and Windows.
www.linux.org - A place to get yourself familiar with the operating system.
www.linux.com - The Linux equivalent to Microsoft.com.
www.linuxlinks.com - Could be referred to as the only Linux portal.
www.tldp.org - The Linux Documentation Project is the ultimate resource for all kinds of documentation, including this one.
www.desktoplinux.com - Linux on the Desktop.
www.linuxppc.com - Linux for the Apple Macintosh systems.
www.slashdot.org - The ultimate geek news site for Linux and open source software lovers.
www.sourceforge.net - This site hosts a lot of open source projects,most of them related to Linux.
www.freshmeat.org - This is the one you want if you love to get your hands on the latest and the greatest in Linux.
www.transgaming.com - Windows games that run on Linux.
www.linuxgames.com - Linux games.
www.happypenguin.org - More Linux games.
www.gnu.org - The GNU is Not UNIX (GNU) organisation that continues to develop many of the important tools for Linux. Linux is distributed under the GPL (GNU Public License), so it can be called the external affairs team for Linux.
www.google.com/linux - Google search engine for Linux.
www.tldp.org/LDP/gs/gs.html - Linux Installation and Getting Started is a bit outdated but provides an excellent introduction and history.
sunsite.dk/linux-newbie/lnag_benefits.html - Linux Newbie Administrators Guide is an up-to-date reference for New Linux Users.