Operating Systems - Linux
Running Head: Operating Systems - Linux
Operating Systems - Linux
Prepared by
Jackie Riddick
University of Phoenix
November 18, 2007 Operating Systems - Linux
Brief History.
Linus Torvalds created the Linux operating system in 1991 while he was still a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He developed and released the Linux kernel under the GNU General Public License so that its source code would be free to all and others could modify it to meet their specific needs. The Linux kernel is “at the heart of all Linux systems” (linux.org, 2007) and many companies and individuals have developed and released operating systems around this kernel. Unlike Microsoft operating systems, Linux is non-proprietary and the “GNU General Public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users” (linux.org, 2007). The most recent release of the Linux kernel is version 2.6.23.
Many people have developed Linux operating systems and have made it a “real alternative to Windows and UNIX systems” (cite). Windows continues to dominate the desktop market and UNIX – based systems dominate the server arena.
Hardware Platforms. According to Linux.org, Linux is compatible with “most PC-based CPUs such as Intel, AMD, and Cyrix and non-PC based platforms such as Macintosh, Digital Alpha, and Sun SPARC” (linux.org, 2007). Some major corporations have embraced Linux because it is easy to use on larger systems that run mission-critical applications. This acceptance has led to Linux making major progress in enterprise. However, this acceptance has been mainly as a server platform because Linux was originally designed to improve upon the standards of a Unix-based server system called Minix. The acceptance of Linux is growing in the server market but struggling in the desktop market and many businesses still resist adopting Linux based operating systems because:
• Learning/training
Operating Systems - Linux
Prepared by
Jackie Riddick
University of Phoenix
November 18, 2007 Operating Systems - Linux
Brief History.
Linus Torvalds created the Linux operating system in 1991 while he was still a student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. He developed and released the Linux kernel under the GNU General Public License so that its source code would be free to all and others could modify it to meet their specific needs. The Linux kernel is “at the heart of all Linux systems” (linux.org, 2007) and many companies and individuals have developed and released operating systems around this kernel. Unlike Microsoft operating systems, Linux is non-proprietary and the “GNU General Public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users” (linux.org, 2007). The most recent release of the Linux kernel is version 2.6.23.
Many people have developed Linux operating systems and have made it a “real alternative to Windows and UNIX systems” (cite). Windows continues to dominate the desktop market and UNIX – based systems dominate the server arena.
Hardware Platforms. According to Linux.org, Linux is compatible with “most PC-based CPUs such as Intel, AMD, and Cyrix and non-PC based platforms such as Macintosh, Digital Alpha, and Sun SPARC” (linux.org, 2007). Some major corporations have embraced Linux because it is easy to use on larger systems that run mission-critical applications. This acceptance has led to Linux making major progress in enterprise. However, this acceptance has been mainly as a server platform because Linux was originally designed to improve upon the standards of a Unix-based server system called Minix. The acceptance of Linux is growing in the server market but struggling in the desktop market and many businesses still resist adopting Linux based operating systems because:
• Learning/training
References: Greiner, L. (2007, July). Linux operating systems. Faulkner Information Services. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from FACCTs database. Linux.com. (2007). What is linux. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from http://www.linux.com Linux Online. (2007).General info. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from http://www.linux.org Linux Timeline.(2006, May 31). Linux Journal. Retrieved November 16, 2007, from http://www.linuxjournal.com