Discussion 1: An Overview of Linux

                
- What is Linux?  A Brief Introduction
	Linux is an operating system like Windows and Mac OS.  Linux, however,
    is an 'open source'  system that allows people to modify and create 
    different versions or 'distributions' and share them with other people.
    This means that not one single company or person owns Linux as a whole.  
    Instead, many companies and people contribute to the modification, support,
    and design of many different Linux systems.  In 1991, Linus Torvalds 
    announced on a Internet forum that he was creating a operating system as a
    project and was wanting people to give feedback on his project.   This was
    the start of the free, open source system called Linux.  The Linux 
    operating system, like Mac OS, is similar to the UNIX operating system 
    that was created by AT&T's Bell Labs.  The UNIX similarity allows Linux to
    be a modular system that is multi platform capable and can have very 
    specific or diverse tasks. UNIX is a command line, plain text, platform
    that uses a basic hierarchal file system to preform basic  tasks similar
    to DOS.  Unix was eventually rewritten in the C language in the 1970s. 
    Even though today's Linux is very similar to UNIX, GNU was the real set
    of building blocks that got Linux started. GNU was created by Richard 
    Stallman in 1983 as a basic set of modular “tools” or instructions that
    could be expanded to create new systems just like UNIX. This, along 
    with the idea of the 'kernal', and UNIX are the basic fundamentals of 
    the formulated, open source operating system called Linux.  
	
- Linux: A More In-depth Look at the Basics
	Linux has now become a multi-million dollar industry; growing 
    exponentially since 1991. Many government agencies and private 
    companies have invested in and use Linux because of the many uses, 
    simplicity, portability, multi platform design, and ability the to 
    create their own specialized versions of Linux. This operating system
    can be found on many devices including cell phones, network devices, and
    even popular internet sites like YouTube, Twitter, and Linked In. Let's
    examine the internals of all Linux distributions a little closer.
	In order to understand why Linux is so versatile and customizable we
    need to understand the kernal. A kernal is a basic set of instructions
    that every operating system has in order to perform basic tasks and 
    tell the hardware components in a computer what to do.  Unlike Windows
    or Mac OS, the Linux kernal, think of it as a core of software, is then
    surrounded by many layers of modules of code that allow the computer to
    preform extra functions.  Modularity causes the Linux kernal to be special
    because certain pieces or modules can be added or taken off of a kernal to
    scale up or down a version of Linux.  This operating system as whole is 
    then composed of the kernal and all of the modules of applications that 
    allow users to preform all kinds of tasks specific to the distribution or
    version of Linux.  For example, a cell phone software developer can take a
    certain Linux kernal and shave off modules to create a new distribution 
    that is small and fast enough to operate a cell phone efficiently. This is
    the reason for the success of Linux.  
	
	The idea of a developer being able to create a new version of Linux is the
    idea of a distribution. There are many distributions out there for free 
    just waiting to be downloaded and used. This is why I have decided to use 
    Linux for the majority of my computer tasks because I can choose a version
    that fits my needs and preferences best.  I can also modify a version even
    further to fit my needs.  Distributions are also 'rolling releases' which
    means that most of them are not in their final stage and a constantly 
    being updated for free.   For example, almost every time I start up my
    computer with Ubuntu 14.04, I can type in the command line:
    “sudo apt-get install update” to check, download, and install updates all
    with one command.  The command line will be addressed in a later discussion.
	Linux environment is also modular.  Again, unlike Windows or Mac OS, almost
    every Linux distribution GUI or graphical user interface, can be modified 
    or changed.  There are many types out there, but the couple that I have 
    used are KDE and GNOME.  Again, this allows Linux to be a modular open 
    source system that allows almost anyone the ability to customize a 
    distribution to fit his or her needs.  Some interfaces are very heavy 
    with graphics which makes the distribution easy to navigate and pretty 
    to look at.  However, this can slow down older computers with much less
    processing power.  Other distributions may only include a command line 
    interface.  This can be a lot of fun trying to figure out how to 
    communicate with the computer and preform tasks, but it is not recommended
    for a beginning Linux user.  I will discuss choosing appropriate 
    distributions for certain needs in a later discussion.
    
	If you wish to continue reading and learning about the basics of Linux and
    UNIX, here are the sources that I used.
						
Sources
- Basics of Linux: (photo of a kernal)
https://www.linux.com/learn/new-user-guides/376

- UNIX:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix


Mark Hodge
Linux Project
10/6/14 Fall 2014
Mr. Brown