Linux

Linux is a version of Unix that has been written from the ground up. What makes Linux unique is that it offers comparable performance to other network operating systems, with one interesting twist: It's free!

When Linux was first released in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki, it wasn't much of an operating system. In an effort to spawn rapid development of Linux, Torvalds made the source code free so that other programmers from around the world could assist him. The only condition was that anyone who developed Linux had to agree that the source code remain free as required by the open source license. Since those early years of the 1990s, Linux has grown into a popular operating system that has generated a lot of excitement in the computer industry.

When to Choose Linux

With all of the excitement behind Linux, you may already be planning your download or purchase of one of the available distributions. Before you jump on board, make one final review of the following benefits and shortcomings.

Some of the benefits of Linux:

• It provides Unix performance without the cost.

• It's free.

• It runs on almost every known platform, including PCs and Macintosh.

It might fall short of your expectations in these areas:

• Like Unix, Linux can be complex to learn, with hundreds of archaic commands.

• It has limited technical support from just a few companies.