Vagaries on the Linux Side

The Linux Side

Linux? What is it?

Hello World and welcome to The Linux Side. In these 3 columns I will present Linux, and try to convince you that Linux means business. In doing so I will take a hands-on approach and explain what can be done effectively using Linux. By all means I will try to avoid complex technical matters to focus on What can be done and How can it be done. So let me invite you to, as the song goes, take a walk on the wild side, the Linux side.

What exactly is Linux? Linux is an advanced 32 bits operating system (OS), the software that makes everything else possible on your computer. Other well-know OS's are DOS, Windows NT, Mach-OS, OS/2 and Unix. Linux is a POSIX version of Unix that comes with full networking capabilities and a wealth of interconnectivity options. Linux is multi-users, meaning more than one person can use the computer at the same time. Linux is also very efficient and in many case you can turn and old 386 or 486 into a good server.

Linux is capable of coexisting harmoniously with other OS's. It comes with boot loaders to allow you to choose, when booting, which OS to use. Linux can also started from DOS (not Windows 96 or NT) and runs from a CD-ROM.

Linux was started by Linus Torvald, a Finnish student. It has been developed and enhanced by hundreds of computer enthusiasts from all over the world.

The biggest difference between Linux and all the others OS's is that Linux is free. Let me write it again so it will be burnt into your synapses:

FREE

This means that you can get a copy of Linux and copy it on all the computers in your company. It is legal! You can even sell it.... if you can find a buyer. Free does not mean you will not have to pay money to get it. You will have to buy a CD containing Linux or spend some of your time downloading it from the Internet. But if it is your friend who bought the CD... Well, that wouldn't cost you much.

Another notable difference is that Linux comes with source code. The whole OS is there for you to peek at. For those of the readers not technically inclined this may appear as of little interest, but let me give you an example. Your company has decided to connect itself to the Internet. The Internet being such an unsafe place your company decided to use firewalling to protect itself. Now, you can believe a salesman telling you that his expensive, proprietary firewall product is the best in the world and buy it. You can also believe in Santa Claus! With Linux you or the engineers in your company can check things out. You can also rest assured that many members of the Linux community on the Internet will analyse the source, making sure there is no security threat. Without source code you would have to believe a rather small number of engineers. It is also worth noticing that Linux security problems are reported by the CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) and that there are several Linux security related mailing lists on the Internet. Respected companies like IBM and Mc Afee contribute Linux Advisories. The choice is yours, you believe a salesman or you believe a large community of computer professionals.

Linux is quite versatile in that it runs on many platforms. Of course it runs on Intel Processors from the i386 up to the Pentium Pro. It also runs on Sun Sparc and on DEC Alpha ( still the fastest processor in the world). Actually the first Linux for DEC Alpha was developed by DEC itself. It runs on PowerPC and Apple Computers is actively involved in the development of Linux on all PowerMac platforms through the mkLinux project. Linux is also being ported to other platforms most notably MIPS (DEC) and Motorola 68k (Apple macintosh, Atari, ...). Better, Linux supports multi-processors systems (Intel and Sparc) and is known to run on a Fujitsu Sparc-based cluster, i.e. a supercomputer. Imagine, all your computers running the same OS. That would make maintenance quite a bit easier. And cheaper too!

A free OS is quite a nice thing, but it won't get you very far. One needs tools in order to actually use a computer. So when you get Linux, you usually get a Linux distribution, the OS and the tools. There are 2 kinds of Linux distributions:

Free distributions come with software that can turn your Linux box into an Internet router, a Web server, a graphic workstation, a sound studio, an Email hub, a file server, a printer server, ... Only it is all made up of free software, exclusively. So you can install and re-distribute it to your heart content. Commercial distributions, on the other hand, are split in two: a free part, just like a free distribution, and a commercial part containing licensed software. The use of the commercial software is restricted.

A you may now realize, Linux is not just a toy. Proof is that there are commercial softwares for Linux. Here is a short, non exhaustive list of companies that provide software for Linux:

No, Linux is not just a toy. More and more companies are turning to Linux. The Linux Mission Critical Survey reports that there are Linux Email server handling 300,000 email's every day. Even in Thailand, I know of an Internet Provider using Linux for its Web Proxy Server. Also, Linux got an award for "Best OS of 1996" from Infoworld.

Recent distributions make installing Linux a relatively simple task. Most distributions come with menu based installation that will guide you step by step. But for those of you who would need more help, Linux has it. There are thousands of pages of Manual, How-to's and FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions). In if that is not enough, there are newsgroups, mailing list and IRC channels devoted to Linux. Also, independent consultants can help you.

I hope this first column has arisen your curiosity. In following columns I will present you with more specific information on, among others, how to use Linux effectively, how to use Linux as a server in multi-OS environment and, how to use Linux as your gateway to the Internet. I hope to convince you to consider Linux next time you have to choose a computer solution.

For those of you who can not wait, here are a few URL's you can check for more informations.

The "Debian Linux" distribution can be found at http://www.debian.org. RedHat software has many pointers to other Linux sites at http://www.redhat.com. The "Linux Journal" can be found at http://www.linuxjournal.com.

Till next time.