Linux was created with the goal of providing an operating system that wasn’t proprietary, and that could be modified by anyone. Introduction to Linux OS: Frequently Asked Questions 1.
It is easy to install and run alongside your existing operating system, so give it a try, because it is also easy to remove if you don’t like it – which is unlikely.
It is considered that Linux will eventually overtake Microsoft Windows as the most popular operating system, which could also open the door further for more free software such as Open Office, The Gimp, Paint, Thunderbird, Firefox and Scribus. The Linux operating system is widely used by both home and business users, and its usage is increasing daily. Linux offers a high degree of flexibility of configuration, and significant customization is possible without modifying the source code.
This is the most popular distribution of Linux for laptops. System76 machines come pre-installed with Linux in the form of Ubuntu, a Debian distribution of Linux. Some prefer to dual-boot Linux and Windows while others prefer Linux and Mac OS. Linux also runs on a wide range of hardware types, including PCs, Macs, mainframes, supercomputers, some cell phones and industrial robots. It is an excellent networking platform and performs at optimum efficiency even with little available hard disk space.
It can also be used simultaneously by large numbers of users without slowing down or freezing and it is very fast. The major advantage of Linux is its cost: the core OS is free, while many software applications also come with a GNU General public License. Businesses, therefore, have the flexibility to do as they wish with the OS without having to worry about conforming to complex license agreements. One of the significant benefits of open source software such as Linux is that because it has no owner, it can be debugged without resource to a license owner or software proprietor. Linux is free to use and install, and is more reliable than almost all other systems, running for many months and even years without a reboot being necessary.
It is now one of the most used systems for the PC and is particularly suitable for businesses with small IT budgets. Linus Torvalds was a Helsinki university student who liked playing around with software and computers, and in 1991 he announced the creation of a new core operating system that he had named Linux. UNIX was growing, but at that time in its history, the source code was jealously guarded and expensive to use. Software development was slower, and Macs, while better, were also much pricier than PCs. In 1991, hardware was expanding rapidly, and DOS was the king of operating systems. Any changes to it are open for all to adopt, and as a result, it has developed into a very powerful OS that is rapidly gaining in popularity worldwide, particularly among those seeking an alternative to Windows. It belongs to nobody and is free to download and use. Its original creator was a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds, although being ‘open source’ it has changed a great deal since its original conception.