ABOUT LINUX

            LINUX is multiuser, multitasking operating system.Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; All the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed, for both commercially and non-commercially purpose, by anyone under licenses such as the GNU General Public License. Linux is packaged in a format known as a Linux distribution for desktop and server use. Some popular mainstream Linux distributions include Debian (and its derivatives such as Ubuntu), Fedora and openSUSE. Linux distributions include the Linux kernel, supporting utilities and libraries and usually a large amount of application software to fulfill the distribution's intended use.

History of Linux

Linux is a sterling pedigree as a child of UNIX. In the 1960, AT&T, Bell labs partnered with the MIT (Massachusetts institute of Technology) and general electronic in developing a multiuser operating system known as MULTICS.

Two Bell labs researcher Dennis Ritchie and Kem Thompson worked on this project until Bell labs withdrew from this project. Bell labs withdrew from the project they determine to resolve this by rehosting space travel to run a little used PDP-7 computer. This new project requires them to implement a new operating system for the PDP-7 which they called UNICS. They somehow eventually changed the name of the operating system to UNIX. One of the unique features of UNIX was that Ritchie and Thompson had implemented its using new programming language "C". Implementing UNIX in C made it possible to port UNIX to other computer more easily than previous operating system. Which were usually written in assembly language. 

UNIX was widely distributed especially to universities, computer scientists and student the world even studied UNIX, found ways to improve it and sent their code back to Ritchie and Thompson. UNIX rapidly grew and improved.

The GNU Project and Free Software Foundation

In the 1980 AT&T began to recognize the commercial value of UNIX. They asserted proprietary rights to it and began charging a substantial license free. The MIT researcher Richard Stallman launched the GNU project which focused on creating a UNIX-like operating system that could be freely distributed in supports of GNU Stallman and other created the Free Software Foundation in 1984.

The FSF promotes free software but free software is not necessarily cost free software the FSF intends the word free in the séance of Freedom. Free software is the software with which you can do the following:

                1. Use of any purpose

                2. Study to learn how to works and adapts to meet your need.

                3. Copy and redistribute.

                4. Distribute as part of an improved software system.

GNU GPL (General Public License)
The GPL is a form of copyright known as copy left. Design to protect not preclude-right to use, study, and copy and redistribute software. The GPL provides that a user has the right to use a software program as long as the user does not attempt to impair other rights to use it.

The Linux Kernel

Universities used UNIX for teaching computer science student about the operating system. When AT&T asserted its proprietary claim to UNIX. University need to replacement. Andrew Tannenbaum created a UNIX-like operating system called MINIX.

In the 1990 finishing computer science student Linus Torvalds began work on a memory manager for Intel Architecture PC. At some point he realized that his work could be extended to operate as a UNIX kernel.

In August 1991 he posted his work-in progress to the internet newsgroup Comp.os.minix.

Torvalds called his operating system kernel Linux, for Linus's MINIX.

UNIX programmer offered help in developing Linux. Because Stallman's GNU project had completed almost all of the component need for its UNIX like operating system.

In 1994 about three years after Tarvalds posting 1.0 was released under the term of GPL.

Red Hat Linux

Red Hat Inc. was founded in 1994 by Bob young and mare Ewing. Red Hat Inc. created a Linux distribution called Red Hat Linux. It is a packages-based distribution meaning those component programs were contained in the package file that also contained information describing the program. a utility program called the Red Hat Package Manager was used to installed a package.

Major Linux Distributors

1. Caldera System, Inc
2. Corel
3. Debian Mandrake
4. RedHat, Inc
5. Starm Linux
6. SuSE
7. TurboLinux

Linux Principle

1. Everything is a file (Including hardware)
You can secure access to hardware in the same way as you secure access to a document.
2. Small-single-purpose program
Linux provides many small utilities that perform one task very well. When new functionality is required the general philosophy is to create a separate program.
3. Ability to chain program together to perform complex task
The core design to UNIX is that the output of one program can be input for another program.
4. Avoid captive user interface
Most-command expects their option and argument to be type on the command line when the command is lunched.
5. Configuration data store in text
Text is a universal interface. UNIX utilities exist to manipulate text; storing configuration in text allows a configuration from one system to another system.