sudo Sergeant 00: What Is Linux?

tariq.ahmad — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 15:21:46 GMT

Current Revision posted to Documents by tariq.ahmad on 12/13/2017 3:21:46 PM

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Usually when people refer to Linux, they are referring to Linux the kernel, and not the operating system. Linux enthusiast Felix Gardner walks you through how Linux functions as a kernel for an OS of a Linux distribution.

When people install Linux they are usually talking about an operating system that uses Linux as the kernel. The kernel was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and a bunch of people started contributing to it. The rest of the operating system is GNU which is a recursive acronym for GNU NOT UNIX. GNU is a whole host of the software that makes up the entire operating system except for the kernel.

The beginning of GNU dates back to 1983 when Richard Stallman decided to make a UNIX like operating system. UNIX was becoming closed source and Richard wanted to access the software, so he could make changes and manipulate a computer however he wanted. He believed that people should be able to access the software on their computers.

GNU has four essential freedoms:

Freedom 0 - The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose.
Freedom 1 - The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
Freedom 2 - The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
Freedom 3 - The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others. By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Felix walks you through the subtle difference between free software and open software. He sheds light on the fact that some freeware software is not actually free.

Tags: debian, sudo sergeant, Ubuntu, rpibeginner, gnu linux, what is linux, gnu, suse, archlinux, tutorials, unix, sudosergeant, linux