What’s This “Linux” Thing and Why Should I Try It?
Mar. 12th, 2008 | by Mackenzie Morgan |
Lately, Linux has been receiving quite a bit of notice. Between the ASUS EeePC, the One Laptop Per Child project, Dell’s new Ubuntu line, Intel’s Classmate PC, and Everex’s Green PC, Linux has been getting a lot of attention from computer manufacturers. It seems every new computer in the last year has had Linux, but to most people that doesn’t mean anything. It probably leaves you wondering, “what’s this Linux thing everyone’s talking about?”
So, what is this Linux thing?
Linux is an operating system, just like Windows and OSX are operating systems. It talks to the computer’s hardware, makes sure everything’s going OK, and then you run programs on top of it. Because it pretty much always comes with a standard set of tools (the GNU tools) which are very similar to the tools found on big UNIX systems, it is sometimes called GNU/Linux. If you’ve ever used a UNIX system, you’ll feel right at home.
When someone says they use Linux, what they mean is they use a distribution (aka distro) of Linux. Without the GNU tools or any applications, it can be a little useless. A distro is a software bundle. It includes the Linux kernel (the part that actually talks to the hardware), the GNU tools, and whatever applications the person or people who started that distro thought were useful, all configured in a way that they think works well.
Since not everyone has the same idea of a good system, there are a few hundred distros out there, each having its niche–though often many distros share a niche. There are distros for old, low-spec computers, like Damn Small Linux and distros like Sabayon for high-end computers to show off their bling. Some distros, like Gentoo are loved by those who like to tweak everything for the best possible performance, just like that guy down the street who’s always tweaking his hotrod. Some distros, like SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop (SLED) are aimed at corporate desktop use with support contracts. Red Hat, on the other hand, is for corporate server use. Then there are CentOS and OpenSUSE which are just like Red Hat and SLED, except without the support contracts which corporate environments often require. Fedora is the desktop version of Red Hat, aimed at home users, though my school uses it in the computer labs. Debian is known for its stability, which makes it great for servers, but since it usually includes older software, many desktop users prefer Ubuntu to have an up-to-date system. There are tons of others, but those are some of the most common.
Why should I use it?
There are a number of reasons you may want to try Linux on your computer. For me, the main reason to switch was to try something new. I wanted to know what else was out there besides Windows, which I was bored with, and OSX, which I don’t like. Trying something new and learning more about how computers work might not be your thing, though, so here are some other reasons.
It’s free - You don’t have to pay anything to try or use Linux. Most of the software for it is totally free-of-charge too. Some distros are for-pay, like Red Hat, but in that case you’re paying for a support contract. They’re generally available without the support contract as well, such as with CentOS.
You’re free - One of the things we say about Linux is that while it’s often free/gratis (free as in beer), it is always free/libre (free as in speech). What that means is that there are a few freedoms which come along with it. You are free to use it and any other FLOSS for whatever purpose you want. You are free to study the program and adapt it to your needs. Even if you can’t code, if there’s something you want changed, there’s probably a 12 year old down the street who could make the changes for you. You are free to share it with your friends without being branded a software pirate. Just about anything you want to do with FLOSS, you can do, unless you want to change the license to make it stop being FLOSS. That’s a pretty wide-open license.
It’s secure - Linux was built, like UNIX, to be a multi-user system. There are permissions in place to maintain the security of the system. Users do not run as administrators all the time, so actions which affect the system must be explicitly allowed. Software cannot be installed unless a user says, as administrator, to explicitly allow that to happen, so viruses cannot install themselves. DOS and its child, Windows, were not built with this security model in mind. They run under a set of assumptions which just aren’t true in today’s world. They assume that only one person will ever touch the computer, that that person has all the knowledge necessary to be a good system administrator, and that nobody else can reach that computer, such as through a network. Given the existence of the internet, we know that there are plenty of people who can reach our computers. What we need to do is keep them from getting into our computers and causing harm. Linux’s system of permissions prevents this. Windows’ assumption that any action being performed is being allowed by the administrator is what allows malware to self-install. Microsoft has taken steps in its newest version of Windows, Vista, to copy this system of checking with the administrator before allowing certain actions to be performed, but the way in which it was done seems to be more intrusive. It’s always obvious why the system is asking for permission if you are using a UNIX-like system, such as Linux, FreeBSD, or OSX.
It’s easy - This is a new one. It used to be fairly difficult for a new user to try out Linux, mostly because installation was difficult. Once the system is setup, though, it only stops for hardware failure. My mom’s been using Linux (Ubuntu, specifically) since Thanksgiving 2006. I set it up for her, showed her where Firefox was, told her she could find whatever she needs in the Applications Menu, and got on a train to go back to school, 250 miles away. By New Year, she was bragging to her friends about how much faster and easier this Linux thing was than Windows. Wow. And they said only a geek could figure out Linux. My mom took a month to figure out email! My siblings were still asking me to install software for them after 5 years of Windows. On Linux, they mark a few check boxes to choose what they want to install then hit “Apply” and everything downloads and installs automatically–no hunting the internet for installers.
How do I get it?
You can download an ISO from any of the distros’ websites and burn your own install disk or get a friend to give you a disk. Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) mails out free CDs too. You can also get DVD versions (which have extra stuff included) of many of the distros online for a small fee. Finally, check your local computer store. Sometimes Xandros is available with the regular boxed software. If you really don’t want to try to install it yourself, check for a local LUG. They often have “installfests” where you can bring your computer to get help from someone with a bit more experience.
What’s with that penguin up there?
Linus Torvalds, the man who started the development of Linux back when he was a student at the University of Helsinki, was once bit by a penguin. When the idea of having a Linux logo came up, he suggested a cute, friendly little penguin as the mascot. He said it was more interesting and fun because you can do things with a mascot like that which you simply can’t do with a rectangle that says “LINUX.” The penguin’s name is Tux, and he was created by Larry Ewing using the GIMP.
(By) Mackenzie is a college student who likes to promote Linux and Free/Libre Software. Most of her free time is spent on the computer, helping new users, or hanging out with some of the friends she’s made in the Linux community. Check out her blog, Ubuntu Linux Tips & Tricks.
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Very nicely written and concise, and I appreciate that you explain the benefit of “You’re free” when using FLOSS. I will use this as a pointer for new users. Thank you!
Hey Mackenzie
This was the best Linux Intro ever. And thanks for the penguin story, I always wanted to know where that fat penguin came from
[...] Read the rest of this great post here [...]
Good article there!
You can find more about that Tux mascot here:
http://www.sjbaker.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_History_of_Tux_the_Linux_Penguin
Thanks for the intro Mackenzie. I look forward to seeing some articles about Linux, I just started using Ubuntu back in October and haven’t gotten a good feel for it yet, so I look forward to your help and incite.
Excellent piece. I definitely learned a few new things from reading this and will have a better time explaining Linux to people in the future. Cheers!
How on earth do you get “bit by a penguin”, by which I mean why was he so close to a penguin!?
actually; Tux was not coined by linus, he only propagated the idea through the mailing lists..
nice intro.. almost no way for m$ fanbois to argue with it..
Welcome to the team MacKenzie and wow what an awesome post! I’ve fancied Linux for a long time and reading this post has puched me a little further to finally giving it a try.
Thanks a lot for the great overview and explanations!
Hmm, does anyone know some good Gannt software for projectmanagement on linux. Then i;ll switch (from mac to linux anyhow).
You may want to try looking at these software:
1. GanttProject - http://ganttproject.biz/
2. OpenProj - http://openproj.org/
3. OnePoint - http://www.onepoint.at/
They’re based on Java so you can use them on any OS including Linux.
havent you heard of or tried http://www.pclinuxos.com/
http://www.pclinuxos.com/index.php?option=com_ionfiles&Itemid=28
new PCLinuxOS gnome!
its on top of the list at http://distrowatch.com/
you shoud check it out and mention it in your articles i like it more than all the rest ,been using it for a year or so , radically simple is the motto !!!
Yes, of course I’ve heard of it. There are always PCLOS users coming into #ubuntu to ask for help because their IRC channel is apparently either dead or not as helpful. I was going with the ones that have been popular for a while or serve a niche as a quick overview.
[...] READ THE ARTICLE HERE [...]
Given that Mac OS X is UNIX based (and even UNIX Certified in Leopard), a lot of what you say here about linux also applies to Mac OS X.
I just wondered why you state you ‘dont like’ Mac OS X?
bit strange that she doesn’t like os x, but does like unix. sounds like contagious schizophrenia to me.
All Linux window managers (as far as I can tell) can do focus follows mouse and set above, just like the old UNIX window managers. OSX lacks these features, and I really like them. I also can’t stand the universal menubar. I like having the menus inside the window where I’m working. I don’t want to have to move my mouse all the way up to the top of the screen.
“I don’t want to have to move my mouse all the way up to the top of the screen”
I’m sorry that did actually make me laugh. But I personally find it useful and it’s not that hard to move the mouse that far. Then again I can also see how people are a tad put off by it. To write off a entire OS though is a little much, Mac OS isn’t the best by any means but I find it alot easier to work with than Linux. The “It just works” statements Ubuntu were passing out just, well, didn’t work (more than once). Fedora also gave me many troubles.
All in all I am more than happy with using a mix of mac os / windows (not vista thank you very much)
But anyways, nice little write up! I would say to people who haven’t tried a linux os, go out and try it, it’s free and most of the time works (sorry can’t say it works all the time). Cant hurt to try!
Just be cautious when installing on a HDD with another OS, I did have it go out the window on me during install and fudged the MBR
Look forward to more unix based write ups!
good work n keep em’ coming!
I’m a Ubuntu and Arch linux and whilst it’s true that Mac OS X is based on Unix, it’s nothing like Linux. For me, the thing that I can’t stand is the windows don’t close when you click the ‘X’, which for me always using Linux and Windows, confused me =]
I know it’s a bad reason not to like an OS, but I did use a Mac for about a month so I gave it a fair trial
I’m not anti-mac either, I think it looks amazing, works and does everything easily. Just, it’s not the OS for me.
My main problem with OS X is user interface. It definitely looks beatiful but some aspects make it very hard to get used it. Over the years I got used to certain set of features/menus/tasks (on Windows), and Linux distros like Ubuntu do a pretty good job to accomodate new users. With Mac OS X on the other hand, there is no way but to adjust to whatever is there. Oh and it’s EXPENSIVE.
I’ve being ask by my friends how to make their Ubuntu system faster..so I told them to test out the latest version of Slax (Based on Slackware with KDE). Easier to setup just install it onto any usb flashdrive or burn it onto cd disc. Now they think it’s the fastest OS they ever seen and the best part they don’t need to install it!
Very nicely written post. I have been wanting to write a similar post from few days. I can now point out my blog readers to this post.
Regards,
Sudheer
You can try it out on your PC first using free virtualization software. See the video
[...] useful article,,,certainlyread more | digg [...]
I am a linux user who was conned into buying a macbook under the assumption that Mac OS was just like unix. Most casual unix users will probably not have any problems with a mac, but anyone who uses a modern unix-like system regularly ( in my case, for work) will find that the BSD Subsystem of Mac OS is antiquated, non-standard, and buggy. Linux does have its flaws, but Linux is a much more malleable tool in the hands of a power-user. Linux is a leatherman multi-tool, Mac OS is an Italian switchblade, and Windows is a plastic butter-knife.
Hey, quit bashing OS X. It is a lot better than using Win-blows, Piss-dows.
I’m in favor of OS X and FreeBSD.
This is a great article! I am a recent Linux convert from Windows and my laptop has never been happier. It doesn’t run as hot, all my software is free and I feel way cooler than all my friends.
Actually having the menubar alows you to be much faster since you dont have to care about vertical positioning.
I don’t like using mice, and when I have to use them, I want it to be not very much. Maybe if you have a physical mouse you can throw across the desk, the top of the screen is faster, but on a touchpad, the top of the screen can take multiple “strokes.” Also, as screens get larger, the top of the screen gets farther and farther away.
Opinion.
If you want a universal menubar in Linux, you can get it if you’re using the KDE desktop.
There’s a way to do it in GNOME too, but it requires compiling a patched version of the panel.
PingBack from:
http://infoexplored.blogspot.com/2008/03/whats-this-linux-thing-and-why-should-i.html
Linux is currently what I perceive to be an uncomfortable middle-ground between easy of bewildering. I have a Linux machine at home running OpenSuSE 10.3, and I’ve spent time running Fedora and its variants (Core 5, Core 6, Core 7 and now 8, BLAG 7K) as well as Ubuntu and some of its variants (Kubuntu, Linux Mint), and various other distros.
It’s true that installation has come a very long way. It’s as simple as a few points and clicks. Hardware detection and configuration is also much improved. However, the moment something unorthodox happens, things get very hairy very quickly. Send your granddad to the command line or ask him to nano a config file and see how good Windows looks. Or what about the first time a dizzying array of updates breaks something?
Linux has a fantastic foundation, and the veneer of ease-of-use is getting more opaque, but it’s just not exception tolerant enough yet.
I also use and like Windows, although I’m far from a fanboi. Clearly though, it seems like Linux gets a pass on things that MS could never get away with, and does not get enough credit for providing a fairly seamless user experience.
I don’t understand why I should switch to Linux and maybe someone can help. My argument is that an OS is only a launching point for application to increase your productivity. For example I use windows only to launch Word, Excel, etc so that I can get my work done. So by switching to linux or any other operating system what are the advantages? The price of windows is negligible for what it does in terms of productivity. Maybe this is because I’m seeing from a business point of view but I think if linux wants to become mainstream it’s the businesses it will need to appeal to.
That depends on precisely what you do with your computer to be honest. But security is a good advantage if you ignore ethics, freedom and price.
Warning: tin-foil hat opinionated text ahead.
Linux is likely as good as Windows in terms of getting your daily work done. As desktop environments, they’re fairly equal in that regard. There are OpenOffice applications to replace Word, Excel - all of which are compatible with their Microsoft counterparts, in that they can open and save to their file formats.
There are advantages and there are caveats. The design of the operating system is superior (educated opinion); properly set up, crashes are *very* random - malicious software (virii, spyware, adware) are virtually nonexistent and for good reason, since any application you run *hasn’t got the necessary privileges to make any changes to your system outside of your personal folder* - reboots are practically never needed unless you upgrade the kernel (if you make changes to the graphical environment, it can be restarted without a system reboot), etc.
The caveats would, in a way, be drivers. Remember; linux has the best driver support - but the drivers are mostly written by developers not tasked by the manufacturing company to do so. They may be *experts* in the subject, but they’re labelled “amateur hobbyists” by antagonists to fling dirt and discredit them. So most drivers are backwards-engineered, but unless your system happens to have a piece of unsupported hardware, everything will work as soon as the system is installed. Meaning, no scouring the internet for video drivers, and their ilk.
Wireless and printer drivers can be iffy. Some models are plain not supported (much like in Vista, eh?), in which your only solution would be to replace the hardware (which you should NEVER “need” to do), wait for someone to develop one, or - better yet - help develop one yourself, if you have the expertise.
But consider this hypothetical case: let’s say RAID was a new technology. And Steve Ballmer doesn’t like it, doesn’t see a future in it, so he doesn’t develop support for it. Meaning, you can’t install Windows on a software RAID stripe. Linus Torvalds doesn’t like it either, so he doesn’t put much effort in it. But developer John Doe does! He’s working at some company who are very eager to start using it in their linux installations, so he starts working on RAID support. A bunch of other developers join him, and lo and behold, eventually there’s support for it in the kernel. Steve Ballmer “decides” for Windows. Noone does this for Linux. Linus is sort of the benevolent dictator and decides somewhat what should be standards (when there are disputes) in kernels, but you’re still free to compile your own, perhaps by following howto’s written by others in the same position. So Linux is there to serve the user, whereas Windows is there to be served *by* the user, if I’m allowed to be so blunt.
Furthermore, Microsoft bullies Linux. They discredit it, call it immature, use bribes and enforce non-support from companies through contracts, etc. Read this story about the Mandriva-Nigeria deal. It’s very true, and an example of Microsoft’s tactics brought to light. They’re brilliant in an economic way, but as underhanded as dirt incarnate. They’re sued for billions every year by the EU for anti-trust behaviour, but they just pay it off and keep doing what they’re doing. They earn much, much more by doing so.
They represent everything that’s bad about big corporations.
Post seem to have been rejected, perhaps due to length, so I’ll split it up.
Warning: tin-foil hat opinionated text ahead.
Linux is likely as good as Windows in terms of getting your daily work done. As desktop environments, they’re fairly equal in that regard. There are OpenOffice applications to replace Word, Excel - all of which are compatible with their Microsoft counterparts, in that they can open and save to their file formats.
There are advantages and there are caveats. The design of the operating system is superior (educated opinion); properly set up, crashes are *very* random - malicious software (virii, spyware, adware) are virtually nonexistent and for good reason, since any application you run *hasn’t got the necessary privileges to make any changes to your system outside of your personal folder* - reboots are practically never needed unless you upgrade the kernel (if you make changes to the graphical environment, it can be restarted without a system reboot), etc.
First time anyone comments, their comment is held in moderation. Your original comment is in the queue, and I don’t have access to OK the comments. Only the editors can do that. At least, I assume so.
Well, since you mentioned it, I think the next article will be on productivity apps on Linux, so watch for that. MS Office really is MS’s cashcow, though. It costs more than Windows, and lots of Mac users buy it too. Thing is, OpenOffice.org can open and create their files too.
For Mikey… go take a look at http://www.openoffice.org - direct replacement for MS Office (I use it sharing documents with clients that are using MS Office). Productivity wise, you can take a computer choking on running Windows Vista and install Linux (kubuntu.org or PCLinuxOS) and Open Office and have all the modern OS features, virus protection, etc and be running at blazing speeds.
I would say that one of the best arguments for Linux is increased productivity, especially in Debian-based distributions, such as Ubuntu, which use aptitude and dpkg to manage packages. There are repositories full of software for aptitude to draw out of, so for the new Ubuntu user, installing most of the software you could think a user would want is quite easy and fast.
Anyway, it’s a lot easier to recreate the setup you want on a new system when you can issue a command like “sudo apt-get install ant subversion sun-java5-sdk zsh apache2 gvim” to install all the software that I want, instead of searching the internet for all-kinds of executable files that you have to install one-by-one in windows. Oh yeah, and you don’t have to download and install Firefox before you can comfortably track down the rest of the programs you like; Firefox is installed on most distributions by default.
I’m also a big fan of OS X, though I agree with previous posters that Darwin does not follow standards exactly, making it a pain to install and configure some linux/unix programs. One thing that irritates me is the completely proprietary init scripts in OS X, which are nothing like any of the linux init.d or rc.d init scripts.
“You’re free”…you mean to use NDISwrapper right?
ohh wait proprietary modules are banned/restricted. wonderful…good thing im “free”. If you are talking about the benefits of FLOSS perhaps you should mention freeBSD. since it actually is free, and not just kinda free.
Intel, Atheros, and Broadcom (probably the 3 most common wireless chipsets) all have open source drivers. Broadcom cards need the firmware to be loaded because it can’t be distributed. Ubuntu, PCLOS, Mint, and Sabayon all include the restricted drivers anyway.
And I mentioned FreeBSD in the security part.
@diabolix:
“…conned into buying a macbook under the assumption that Mac OS was just like unix.”
LOL:
Leopard is an Open Brand UNIX 03 Registered Product, conforming to the SUSv3 and POSIX 1003.1 specifications.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_UNIX_Specification
Mac OS X Leopard (at least on Intel, which all currently-shipping Macs are) *is* UNIX. Linux is not, its merely a UNIX-like OS. So the ‘assumption’ is actually correct.
The filesystem hierarchy on OSX doesn’t match up with the usual UNIX way though. It’s more like the one GoboLinux uses.
You might also mention the Yellow dog distro for PowerPC Macs. I have an old iMac I’ll probably convert.
Debian supports around 20 architectures, including PowerPC. Ubuntu hasn’t had official support for PPC since 6.10, but they’ve continued to release ISOs for PPC Ubuntu on the main server (they just aren’t on the other mirrors).
Nice.
You should probably have mentioned liveCDs and how easy it is to test linux on your hardware without even installing.
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Wow….now THAT’S what I call ART!
These Linux people….all on drugs! LOL!
One thing you should add is the stability of linux.
When I had XP in my machine, I could never last more than a week without a restart. The system would slow down after a couple of days, and after that it starts getting worse. With ubuntu in the same machine, I can go for months without restart. Nothing ever slows the machine down. I should get counter in my desktop which counts the time since last boot.
I can’t count the number of times I hit ctrl+alt+del in XP because of some application hanging and not responding to anything. In ubuntu nothing (almost) ever hangs. Even if it does, the applications responds to the close command, which then almost immediately brings up the wait or force quit option. In XP, you have to ctrl+alt+del and select task and end process to get there, and that needs at least a couple of minutes.
[...] distribución de Linux elijo? ¿Cual sugiero a mis amigos?, ahora leo otro interesante artículo públicado en MakeUseOf cuya autora es Mackenzie, titulado What’s This “Linux” Thing and Why Should I Try It? Puesto [...]
For a complete listing of current choices, plus a rank ordering of the most popular
go to http://www.distrowatch.com (see list half-way down the page on the right side).
Lots of choices.
If you want to try it all out - this is the low stress low risk way to ease into it:
1- Install on your favorite Windows box: open office, firefox, and gimp (google for download urls and details) - this will give you an idea of the level of quality in open source programs.
2- Take an old pc in the house you don’t really use “because it was too slow” and install a copy of Kubuntu or PCLinuxOS or try others (install often take less than 30 minutes, vs hours I’ve spent installing Windows + drivers…). You’ll often find it’s now as fast as your favorite Windows box.
3- Install Linux to your favorite Windows box as a second partition. Then if you need Windows you can reboot and select it from the menu. Alternatively, get a second hard drive and install Linux on it and unhook your Windows drive or change the boot order. Or try out some Virtual Machine setups - but they will take more than the average user to get going.
4- Wipe Windows off and go Native Linux and don’t look back.
A common misconception about DistroWatch is that it tells you how popular a distro is at that time; however, it does not monitor hits to the distros’ websites or downloads of their installers. All it counts is how often people look at that distro’s page on DistroWatch. So, if the users of one distro are unconcerned with looking at their distro’s page on there every day, it goes down. Meanwhile, someone may use one distro, but, since they already know how that one works, only look at DistroWatch’s pages for other distros, just to see what else is out there. That doesn’t mean the distros they looked at are more popular–after all, they have a different one installed–but that’s how DistroWatch counts it.
Interesting, I didn’t know that’s how DistroWatch did their counts.
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Great job! My parents use Ubuntu as well, no virus and spyware worries. It runs very fast, it’s simple, and best of all stable.
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[...] you have ever wondered what Linux is all about, then this article is a must-readread more | digg story Bookmark This Post Hide [...]
i tell you what. i would like to say nice things about linux… but i just think its good for the ones that like to monkey… i don’t like to monkey, i like to use my computer… that is why i don’t use windows ether.
OS2 rules!