What is Linux

Linux is already a dominant operating system on Servers, supercomputers, mobiles, tablets, television, automobiles, home appliances (which use a microprocessor). Now on desktop systems also it is becoming quite popular. This blog has been created with an aim to provide support to all types or users with a focus on newcomers to Linux. Here you will find all basic information about various distributions of Linux, different methods to install them on your system, methods to make your system dual boot (with windows) and configuring your operating system. The information on this blog will be provided in such a way that even a person who hasn't heard the name of Linux will be able to learn about linux & opensource & methods to install them on his/her computer.

This blog is also aimed to provided answers to many common queries regarding migration from windows/Mac to Linux. We will address different issues & fears of the users while migrating from a windows platform.

Linux is an Operating System which can be used on computers/laptop in place of Windows or Mac.

You can perform each & every task with Linux as you do with the Windows.

Some most important features and benefits of using Linux are:

• It is free & open-source which means it is available free of cost & its source code is freely available. You are also allowed to modify it, copy it & redistribute it.

• Open source softwares encourages you to share the software so you are welcome to redistribute it to other people.
• Linux operating system is secured against viruses & other attacks from internet so you don't need to install any antivirus software to protect your system.
• Linux is known for its stability, Linux has stayed on Servers for years because it is reliable & stable.
• You can do anything on Linux which you can do on Windows.
• Linux distributions are community developed so there is a dedicated following of Linux called community so they will always be able to help you with any type of problems/queries.
• Linux has a very good support for hardware. In most of the situations it doesn't need drivers because drivers are inbuilt in Linux so your devices work out of the box.
• All software updates are available free of cost & with one click you can update your system.
• Softwares are provided by Linux distribution channel itself so you don't need to find softwares here & there on internet.
• You can customize each & every inch of your Linux distribution so you can have your operating system as you like it. Although the distributions come with standard softwares and they are excellent you can use it as it is but if you are an advanced user then options are open for you to modify & customize the operating system according to your need & choice.
• Unlike Windows os Linux systems does not get slow day by day, even after using it for years they will work absolutely fine.
• Because Linux is not vulnerable to viruses, once installed you don't need to format your system again & again.
• When a new release is available, you can update your system right from the software center that is included in your distribution.
• Since Linux provide Stability, you don't need to restart your computer again & again.
• Microsoft is an USA company, and its success is great for the American economy.

But if you don't live in the USA, when you buy propietary software (eg Windows), about a half of the money goes directly to the software company's HQ (eg Microsoft's): that money leaves your country, while the other half stays in (sales commissions, etc.: no technical benefits). Your country is not producing anything, and you don't even need qualified people to sell boxes. That leads to IT professionals with no high level knowledge who only install and configure proprietary software without the option of modifying/learning/customizing it.

With Free Software (eg Linux), the economy (and IT professionals' knowledge) of your country could improve, since there could be a lot of small/medium companies customizing solutions, providing support, consulting, etc.

People who know how to do things and retain money in your country will benefit from it, rather than people who just sell boxes with a predefined sales pitch, sending your money offshore, leaving IT professionals without real knowledge about how things work.

There may be few reasons for not migrating to Linux & stick to expensive proprietory OS like Microsoft Windows :

• There is proprietory software you can't live without.
• You are a hardcore gamer.
• You work in book/printing industry.
• Your hardware is not yet supported. (which is the rarest case in modern time as Linux support most of the systems of modern time as well as older systems.)

Where is Linux right now :

Linux is a popular operating system on Mobiles :

Smartphones mainly implement Android OS which is Linux based.

Other OS include HP's WebOS & INTEL's MeeGo. Both are linux based.

Servers and the Web :

There are a lot of Windows Servers instances humming away in offices. It’s hard to say exactly how many Linux servers are out there since you don’t need to buy a Linux server, you can download one, or a hundred and one, for free.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux remains the leader in open source & is a dominant OS on servers. Red Hat is well on its way to become the first billion dollar open source company.

Other Server OS include CentOS, Suse, Debian.

But we can count the web servers : Microsoft has only 15.86% of the web server market. On the top of Server market is Apache with 65.18%, second is ngnix with 6.54% & at last is Google with 4.38%. But on what OS all these web servers (Apache, ngnix, google) work? Yes you're right. It's Linux.

Supercomputers :

Supercomputers, the fastest of the fast, run Linux almost exclusively

Cloud :

In all Linux is used by 86.1% of all cloud users.

Further I will describe what is a Linux distribution, what is open source software & how can you get your copy of Linux. Later on I'll provide detailed instructions to install Linux on your computer/laptop.