Obviously, any document aimed at the newbie cannot start without saying a few words about what exactly all this is about! Any person who has decided to take a closer look at Linux is most likely to be familiar with Windows and DOS - the two terms that seem to be synonymous with computers for ordinary users. So as we try to find out more about this strange world of an alternative operating system, we will try to address questions that quickly arise in the minds of a newcomer.
What a lot of people do know about Linux is that it has something to do with Unix. When they hear about the command line interface or the shell, they tend to compare it with DOS. When they hear about the Unix GUI, they try to draw parallels between what Windows is to DOS, thinking that the same relationship exists as between Linux and Unix. To get out of this rut, its important to point out the vast difference between the two systems.
To begin with, the only thing common between all four - DOS, Windows, Linux and Unix - is that they are all operating systems. Unix itself is much older than DOS. DOS started out as the first operating system for the PC, using the Intel 8088 processor, but Unix was the operating system for the large time sharing systems used by big coporations and universities, sometimes known as the "big iron". Unix was far advanced in terms of architecture, features, memory management, etc. But that's obvious since they were originally created for two different purposes. Consider for example, the fact that one aim of creating the "Virtual-86" mode on the Intel 386 platform was to allow DOS to be run as a process on top of Unix, according to Intel's own documentation.
Then Windows came on the scene, first as an addition on top of DOS in the form of the Windows 3.1 system. It then evolved in a comlete operating system using completely different technology. Along parallel lines, the Unix system had acquired a new face - a GUI - in the form of the X Windowing System. It wasn't exactly an addition "on top of Unix", nor did it replace the command line or the shell; it was a new interface to the existing system. Thus, in a way, the shell looks like the DOS prompt and the X GUI looks like Windows, but that's as far as we get. The Unix shell is far more powerful than the command prompt of DOS, and the X-Windows is not built into the Unix operatings system as in Windows.
The first thing we need to realise before we answer that question is that "UNIX" is not the name of a particular operating system. Some people also get confused into thinking that Linux is something that was added to Unix the way Windows 3.1 was added on top of DOS! But the reality is rather different. Although Unix did start out as an attempt at creating a big powerful operating system, these efforts slowly branched out over the years. This has led to many versions of Unix, created and maintained by different bodies, but all stemming from a common origin. Examples are SCO Unix, HP Unix, Digital Unix, the BSD variants, and of course, Linux! The word Unix is now used to represent a specification that describes when a system can be considered to be "Unix"
Still confused? That's probably because you are still used to think of an operating system as a single product (eg Windows) created by a single company (eg Microsoft). Think of it in a different way instead - imagine cars; the one's used in Formula 1 races in particular. They are designed and created by different companies using their own engines, body designs, etc. But they all have some core technical details in common and are together thought of as "F1 cars" ... same is the case with the names we saw in the previous para!
But there is still more confusion - Linux itself does not come in a single version! Instead there are may different froms of Linux called "distributions", or "distro's" for short. This is where the strange names like Red Hat, Debian, Caldera, SuSE, etc come into the picture. They are just different organisations distributing the same system called Linux in their own way! But then what distro do you use? The best way is to talk to existing users about the strengths and weaknesses of the various distros, and also to determine which distro seems to have the most support in your area, and then choose one that you like. Finally, its all about choice, you see!
Linux has come a long way from its origins as a system "for the geeks, by the geeks". It sports a wonderful GUI, has a lot of productivity apps, and also provides a wide range of office suites. And the nice thing is, these can interact with each other through file formats based on open standards, so that the user has complete freedom in choosing the softare for his own use.
If you thought that the Linux GUI is only good enough for office use and productivity apps, think again - you can actually play Quake3 on Linux! Not only that, you can play MP3's, watch VideoCD's, DVD's on your syste. You even use graphics intensive software for creating images, animations, engineering drawings, data visualisation, etc. This is because a lot of support is constantly being included for new hardware such as accelerated graphics and all the powerful sound cards. The games are developed using graphics libraries specially designed for that purpose, taking full advantage of the available power.
So now we know that Linux is just another but very popular form of the Unix operating system. But there is more to the story; in fact, the very thing thing that we think of as Linux, isn't exactly Linux in the truest sense. To be very honest, it should be called "GNU/Linux" rather than just "Linux". This is because "Linux" is just one key part of system - it is the kernel, which is the very core of any operating system. It was created by a Finnish guy called Linus Torvalds as a University project. Everything else that is needed to be able to use the system is provided by the GNU system. Detailed explanation regarding this is available from this article.
Thus in fact we should be using the name GNU/Linux all over the place, since that is what the system really is. But the problem is that the name "Linux" seems to have stuck over the years because of its constant use inspite of the misinformation. But we should at least bear in mind about what this really is, and give credit where it is due.
GNU is where the whole thing started, as the brainchild of Richard M. Stallman who wanted to create a complete free Unix-like system. It was a project that he had started as an expression of his frustration at the growing tendency to distribute software under extremely restrictive licenses. So he started creating a free version of the most successful operating system back then, which was Unix. It's important to bear in mind that the term "free" here refers to "free as in free speech" and not "free as in free beer". For supporting this ambitious idea, he started the Free Software Foundation.
A lot of literature is already available on this, including material written by RMS himself and other proponents of free software. There also exists some disagreement between the meaning of the terms free software and open source software. But that is all beyond the scope of this document; the interested reader can always look elsewhere for more information. The most important source is this article by RMS, which explains the basic vision behind the GNU system. We will only summarise the most important part, that is the definition of free software.
A program is free software, for you, a particular user, if:
You have the freedom to run the program, for any purpose.
You have the freedom to modify the program to suit your needs. (To make this freedom effective in practice, you must have access to the source code, since making changes in a program without having the source code is exceedingly difficult.)
You have the freedom to redistribute copies, either gratis or for a fee.
You have the freedom to distribute modified versions of the program, so that the community can benefit from your improvements.
All the free software is distributed in a very interesting way called the copyleft agreement. The aim of copyleft is to ensure that free software is not used for the benefit of proprietary software. In a very short way, we can say that copyleft allows people to do almost anything with it, as long as they do not put further restrictions on it. Anybody can change existing free software, distribute it in any way they choose, use it without any restrictions. The only constraint is that any software they create using the source code from existing free software must also be free - they cannot put their own restrictions on it.
GNU software uses a specific implementation of this copyleft idea in the form of the GNU GPL (General Public License). It is a big and complicated license specification that tries to meet the aim that all the efforts made by contributors to free software are not abused for proprietary purposes. There are other forms of this license too, like a lighter version for free literature such as manuals, which do not require the complexity of the software license. Another example is the GNU L-GPL, ie, the Library GPL. This allows the use of GNU libraries in the development of proprietary software, since this is not the same as directly using the source code itself.
All the freedom provided by the GPL and the principle of "copyleft" has helped to bring a lot of people together. A GNU/Linux user is never alone - there are lots of people all over the world eager to help each other at using the system better, by sharing their experience, providing tips and giving advice wherever required. It's easy to interact with other users through mediums like mailing lists, IRC channels and Usenet newsgroups.
People also band together in the form of Linux User Groups (LUG's). This helps people from a given locality to come together and interact with each other. It provides the perfect platform for people with different levels of experience to help each other. The groups normally also organise periodic meetings, seminars and events in their area to "spread the word". One common activity is in the form of install-fests, where newbies are provided guidance in installing Linux on their machines.
This is where the action is - tons of information about what is happening in the world of GNU/Linux is available from the single portal. The page sports links to various distributions, ongoing projects, online support, User Groups, etc.
GNU/Linux has managed to enter the desktop environment in a really big way. There is a wide range of possibilities when it comes to choosing the way your GUI will look and feel. Leading among them are the GNOME and KDE projects.
Visit these two sites for more information for games available on Linux: LinuxGames and TuxGames
The LDP is an attempt to gather all the information about the GNU/Linux system under one standard resource. It draws upon efforts of a lot of people all over the world who enjoy using the system and would like to share their experience and knowledge with others. The LDP includes documentation in the form of HowTo's, manuals, Guides which cover a wide range of topics such as everyday use, hardware setup, networking, applications development, internal working of various components, etc.
This is the place to look for everything you need to know about the GNU system. Here you will find articles about the GNU philosophy, white papers, GNU software, documentation, etc. Here you will also find information about the Free Software Foundation.
Eric Raymonds is one of the leading spokespersons of the free/open software community. He has published many articles and books about the movement. He is the one who managed to convince Netscape into freely publishing the source code to their browser suite, giving rise to the Mozilla Project.
This is an attempt to precisely define what is open source software and create awareness about it. A lot of people are involved in this, trying to develop the implications of legally defining open source software and also trying to understand its significance in the modern industry. An interesting resource here is in the form of the Halloween Documents. These are Microsoft's internal documents about the open source movement, and its own policies to counter its ever growing popularity. A must-read for anyone who really wants to understand the whole picture regarding the battle between free software and closed proprietary software. The documents especially highlight Microsoft's attitude towards standards and their ruthless tendency to restrict others by locking the user into its own proprietary technology.