Introduction to Linux

What is Linux?

Linux is an operating system. The easiest way to understand an operating system is to look at other popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows and Windows NT, Apple Mac/S, and Sun Microsystems UNIX. An operating system is the 'guts' of any computer or microprocessor. It tells a computer how to do basic tasks such as 'save' or 'share files', 'print documents', 'add users to a network', 'receive input from a keyboard', 'display information on a monitor' and numerous other tasks. An operating system is the foundation on which useful applications are built to allow individuals and organizations to be more productive. Examples of applications include word processors, personal finance managers, enterprise resource planning packages and countless others.

Why is an operating system important? With the proliferation of computers and microprocessors, the operating system market has grown extremely large. All microprocessors require an operating system and there are a lot of microprocessors in the world. Remember, microprocessors include computers and also embedded systems contained in automobiles, cellular phones, elevators, personal digital assistants and millions of other appliances. These microprocessors need operating systems and Linux is turning into a popular choice because its source code can be modified and scaled, and there are no licensing fees for individual installations.

Open Source

Linux was developed in 1991 for an Intel driven platform by a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds. Linux's roots are firmly entrenched in UNIX which is a stable, robust operating system traditionally used by large organizations for enterprise applications and by government and academic institutions. Shortly after developing Linux, Torvalds made an important licensing decision that has rapidly accelerated Linux's acceptance within the developer community. He released Linux under the GNU GPL (Gnu Not Unix General Public License) which gives anyone the ability to access and modify the source code at no cost and requires that the modifications be released back into the public domain at no cost. This has become known as the open source software development model. Torvalds, along with other prominent members of the open source community, have taken responsibility for vetting thousands of code submissions and testing and accepting the best submissions for inclusion in updates to the Linux operating system.

Security of Linux

There is a misconception that because Linux's source code is open and readily available, Linux is not as secure as a closed-source operating system. Linux is actually no more prone to incursion than a proprietary operating system. If breaches do occur, the open source community develops patches to repair problems quickly. The open source community itself is an important provider of solutions for maintaining security. All major Linux distributors provide updates and patches for their versions of the Linux operating system. In addition, an open source project, Bastille Linux, provides a "hardening script" which attempts to close security holes and make security breaches more difficult. Dedicated security vendors are well suited to enhance security controls. Furthermore, as Linux shipments have increased, large security vendors have begun to develop commercial security products for Linux.

Growth and Acceptance

The rapid growth of Linux -- from a home grown system used by hackers, to a robust operating system being adopted by businesses everywhere -- is nothing short of astonishing. In 1998, worldwide spending on Linux products by the world's top 100 financial institutions was $50 million and is expected to increase to $200 million by 2003. Expanding this estimate to other industrial sectors, this figure ranges in the billions.

Modifiable source code and no licensing fees also make Linux extremely attractive to developing countries. One major distribution, TurboLinux, started in Asia and has since moved into North America. Although it can be somewhat difficult to find information on Linux use in these countries, we have found a few organizations and companies that are involved. In early 1999, an organization called Linux Without Borders was formed to further accessible personal computer use with Linux in developing countries. We were also able to find links to Linux User Groups in approximately 80 countries including many developing nations.

Linux is popular in developing countries for a number of reasons:
- The operating system can be run on low-cost personal computers. Governments are embracing Linux and encouraging educational institutions and businesses to use the software.
-The source code can be modified to suit local needs such as multiple languages.
-The Internet allows developing countries to access resources in developed countries that would otherwise not be available to them.
-The open source community is actively promoting Linux use in these countries. Linux has also rapidly gained acceptance in the server operating system market because:

- Linux source code is available for modification and can be tailored to specific needs. Interestingly, one example of where this makes Linux a popular choice is in areas where older technology dominates (e.g. developing countries) because Linux can be scaled down to run on slower computers.
-There are no licensing fees to use Linux on any number of individual computers or embedded systems.
-Linux is an extremely stable operating system that has been adapted to run on most hardware platforms including Intel, Apple Macintosh, SUN Solaris and numerous others.
-Linux traces its roots to UNIX and many popular UNIX server applications including Apache, the world's most popular web server application and Sendmail, the world's most popular email server application were ported to Linux in its early days.
-The Samba application was released which allows Linux to act as a Windows NT fi/print server.
Many developers are turned off by Microsoft's proprietary source code software model and the perceived inferiority and instability of Microsoft's operating system, applications and developer tools.

Some reasons corporate IT departments are choosing Linux include:
-Large Support Network - It is estimated that the Linux development community numbers in excess of 15,000 people.
-It Gives Developers More Control - The source code is available for developers to repair defective code or add functionality if needed.
-High Performance - The Linux kernel is relatively compact compared to other operating systems and it is powerful. Linux has found a place running on compact utility servers such as an Intranet server or a printer server.
-Reliability - Linux is a very stable operating system with reports of it running for weeks without any signs of instability.
-Low Cost - Linux is relatively inexpensive to install as there are no licensing fees and is therefore a logical choice for small- and medium-sized businesses over a proprietary system such as Windows or Unix.
It is estimated that Linux now runs on approximately 20% of all servers (60% of Web servers), and it is widely believed that the information technology departments of most large organizations are experimenting with Linux as a viable competitor to Windows NT and UNIX as a server operating system. As well, initial embedded systems development efforts were an extension of Linux's strength on the Web server and appliance servers, ecommerce payment systems and wireless internet devices are a few of the embedded systems that use Linux.

As an Operating System

The increased acceptance of Linux as a powerful server operating system has resulted in a number of parallel movements that have enhanced Linux's usability and increased its commercialization. A number of open source projects have been successfully organized that are moving Linux from solely a server operating system to an equally robust desktop operating system. The KDE and GNOME projects have created Graphical User Interfaces for Linux that many believe are more powerful than Windows. The source code for these projects is freely available to anyone. The Netscape Mozilla project released the source code for Netscape's popular browser application, which has been fully ported to Linux. The WINE project has been organized to allow a user to run Windows applications on top of the Linux operating system without having to purchase Windows and has met with some success as most Linux distributions can be run peacefully with Windows on the same hard drive (although Windows is not always cooperative). As well, companies have been building technology to run Windows applications on the Linux operating system without having Windows installed.

WINE, an open source collaboration, is a freely distributed program that allows the operation of DOS and Windows programs on UNIX. Wine is not a true emulator, but provides low-level binary compatibility for an OS running on an Intel or compatible platform. Wine allows applications to run based upon the implementation of an application programming interface. The underlying operating system maintains hardware interfaces and Windows itself runs in a protected mode. Similar to Linux itself, Wine is an open source project supported by countless individuals as well as corporations such as Corel and VMware. Corel Corporation's WordPerfect Office Suite is the first commercial application to have been ported using Wine.

In Embedded Systems

Linux is also a logical choice for embedded systems due to its availability, stability and scalability because the source code for the Linux operating system is freely available to any developer and the open-source nature of the operating system allows developers to scale down Linux to meet the needs of a particular chip. For example, a thin client may not need any of the file sharing components of the operating system. Using Linux, a skilled developer can remove that portion of the operating system and reduce the memory and processing power requirements for the particular device. With its roots in UNIX, an extremely stable operating system, Linux offers the incredible stability that embedded systems require as they are used in industrial applications. Using embedded systems in conjunction with the Linux operating system, corporations are finding many uses for specialized computing appliances that do not need the broad-based functionality of a traditional server or personal computer.

In Ecommerce

Presently, the majority of ecommerce servers running larger Web sites use Sun's Solaris or Windows NT operating systems. (This does not include generic Web servers where Linux Apache dominates.) License fees for either of these systems can take a substantial chunk out of any startup's budget. According to Forrester Research, the cost of building a feature-rich, enterprise Internet storefront from scratch starts at around $2 million and can escalate to as much as $41 million with ongoing maintenance costs running between $2 million and $49 million. With the barrier to entry this high for businesses looking to challenge the established on-line retailers, Linux is a logical alternative due to its low cost and ease of maintenance. As these smaller businesses grow, their Linux-based operations can grow with them. As Linux gains acceptance as an enterprise operating system, we expect ecommerce applications to be ported to Linux and used by larger organizations.

On the Desktop

In an effort to establish Linux as a viable alternative to Windows for the mainstream computer user, some major and a number of minor graphical user interfaces (GUI) similar to Windows or Macintosh OS have been developed and are continually being refined. Linux is still used primarily as a server operating system by technically skilled operators that have not needed a GUI and has received many accolades for its strength as a server operating system, particularly when used on Web servers with Apache. Linux has also become noticed as a prospective desktop operating system.

The three problems most often cited as hindering Linux on the desktop are GUI appearan/usage, perceived difficulties of overall usage and installation, and lack of desktop applications. However, you can be confident that each are rapidly being addressed by numerous vendors.

There are two primary desktops for Linux - KDE and GNOME. Most Linux distributions include both desktops. The desktops are open source collaborations in different stages of development.

The Commercialization of Linux

In the mid-1990's, a number of companies (e.g. Red Hat, Caldera Systems, etc.) were organized to provide bundled versions of Linux (commonly known as distributions) that use the core Linux kernel and include hundreds or thousands of applications that make Linux more functional and easier to install. These companies also provide premium support to individuals and corporations for a fee. As well, an increasing number of large software companies began releasing commercial versions of their server or desktop software packages for the Linux operating system. Equally important, some of the largest computer hardware companies, including Dell, started to ship hardware with the Linux operating system pre-installed.

The Future of Linux

With the rapid acceptance of the open source development model and Linux as a legitimate competitor to Microsoft, a revolution is happening in operating systems and software development . As Linux distributions are continually improved and modified for diverse uses, companies and individuals are increasing usage with unusual fervor, commercial software companies are porting applications to Linux, and open source projects are starting to challenge commercial applications. The Linux sector is still in its early commercial stage and in our opinion consumers, developers and investors have an unprecedented opportunity to participate in the significant growth and redefinition of the software industry as we know it.