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Essay on Linux-3
Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone.
Apart from the fact that it is freely distributed, Linux's functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. More than a decade after its initial release, Linux is being adopted worldwide as a server platform primarily. Its use as a home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating system can also be incorporated directly into microchips in a process called "embedding" and is increasingly being used this way in appliances and devices.
The general tasks that Linux perform are:
General User Tasks
- Productivity: which includes browsing, burning, emailing, scanning and viewing,
- Fun: which includes multimedia, talking and gaming,
- Technical: including commands, connecting, Grand Unified Boot Loader (GRUB), LILO menu.
Power User Tasks
- Compiling kernel,
- Configuration of storage devices
- Creating startup scripts,
The major features of Linux are:
- ASCII based, allowing easy portability of useful applications without the difficulties of porting to a non-ASCII environment.
- Widely accepted outside the mainframe universe. This benefits both consumer and ISV in that code does not need to be dual-path for mainframe and non-mainframe environments.
- The software development and deployment tools are the same ones used in every other Unix environment immediately making your programmers productive. These are also the tools that your new hires are likely to know without additional training.
The combination of Linux on the mainframe and the traditional IBM operating systems allows Linux to quickly provide accepted industry standard access tools and methods but allow data to reside in an environment that is optimized for data management....
