Linux, a UNIX clone, is a popular operating system with its kernel originally developed mainly by Linus Torvalds and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. Due to Linux's adaptability on many platforms, including servers, PCs and Macintoshes, plus its rich functionality and robustness, so Linux has become an extremely popular alternative to many proprietary operating systems. There are now hundreds of companies and organizations plus numerous individuals that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Linux can run on all Intel and AMD based hardware from the 386 up.

The two most popular Linux graphical interfaces are KDE and GNOME, with which Linux offers a user interface like that of the Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows in addition its traditional Unix-like command line interface. The following is a list of the key Linux features:

• multitasking: support several programs running at the same time.
• multiuser: support several users on the same machine at the same time.
• multiplatform: runs on many different CPUs, Intel, AMD and others.
• multiprocessor: SMP support is available on the Intel and SPARC platforms, and Linux is used in several loosely-coupled MP applications.
• multithreading: has native kernel support for multiple independent threads of control within a single process memory space.
• demand loads executables: Linux only reads from disk those parts of a program that are actually used.
• virtual memory using paging to disk: to a separate partition or a file in the filesystem, or both, with the possibility of adding more swapping areas during runtime.
• dynamically linked shared libraries (DLL's) (and static libraries too).
• provides core dumps for post-mortem analysis, allowing the use of a debugger on a program not only while it is running but also after it has crashed.
• support for many national or customized keyboards, and it is fairly easy to add new ones dynamically.
• multiple virtual consoles: several independent login sessions through the console.
• supports several common filesystems, including minix, Xenix, and all the common system V filesystems. File system support for OS/2, MS-DOS, Mac, etc.
• support many vendor systems such as Appletalk, Netware, Lan Manager/Windows Native (SMB) client and server
• support many networking protocols: the base protocols available in the latest development kernels include TCP, IPv4, IPv6, AX.25, X.25, IPX, DDP (Appletalk), Netrom, and others.

Related Terms: UNIX, Operating System

Reference Links: http://www.ibiblio.org/mdw/HOWTO/INFO-SHEET.html: Linux Information