What Is Linux?
Linux® is an open-source operating system (OS). An operating system is software that directly manages a system’s hardware and resources, like CPU, memory, and storage. The OS sits between applications and hardware and makes the connections between all of your software and the physical resources that do the work.
As an operating system, Linux is software that sits underneath all of the other software on a computer, receiving requests from those programs and relaying these requests to the computer’s hardware.
Unix is one of the most popular operating systems worldwide because of its large support base and distribution. It was originally developed as a multitasking system for minicomputers and mainframes in the mid-1970s. It has since grown to become one of the most widely used operating systems anywhere, despite its sometimes confusing interface and lack of central standardization.
Linux is an operating system or a kernel which germinated as an idea in the mind of young and bright Linus Torvalds when he was a computer science student. He used to work on the UNIX OS (proprietary software) and thought that it needed improvements.
The benefits of using Linux
Linux now enjoys popularity at its prime, and it's famous among programmers as well as regular computer users around the world. Its main benefits are -
It offers a free operating system. You do not have to shell hundreds of dollars to get the OS like Windows!
Who uses Linux?
You probably already use Linux, whether you know it or not. Depending on which user survey you look at, between one- and two-thirds of the webpages on the Internet are generated by servers running Linux.
Companies and individuals choose Linux for their servers because it's secure, flexible, and you can receive excellent support from a large community of users, in addition to companies like Canonical, SUSE, and Red Hat, each of which offers commercial support.
Linux Today
Today, supercomputers, smartphones, desktop, web servers, tablets, laptops, and home appliances like washing machines, DVD players, routers, modems, cars, refrigerators, etc use Linux OS.
Linux has a number of different versions to suit any type of user. From new users to hard-core users, you’ll find a “flavor” of Linux to match your needs. These versions are called distributions (or, in the short form, “distros”).
Nearly every distribution of Linux can be downloaded for free, burned onto disk (or USB thumb drive), and installed (on as many machines as you like).
Popular Linux distributions include:
1. Ubuntu:
Created and maintained by Canonical, Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distros enjoyed across the globe by beginners, intermediate users, and professionals alike. Ubuntu was specifically designed for beginners in Linux or those transitioning from mac and Windows.
Yes, Ubuntu has become the poster child for Linux these days, and no wonder--it's the most popular distro by far, garnering more than 2,200 hits per day on the Distrowatch site alone, compared with some 1,400 for Fedora, the No. 2 contender.
Ubuntu forms the basis of several other Linux distributions. Some of the distributions based on Ubuntu 20.04 include Lubuntu 20.04 LTS, Kubuntu 20.04, and Linux Mint 20.04 LTS (Ulyana).
2. Fedora:
Fedora has enjoyed a reputation for being one of the most user-friendly distros for quite a while now owing to its simplicity and out-of-the-box applications which enable newcomers to easily get started.
Fedora also offers a six-month release schedule, and its security features are excellent. While some have viewed it as a cutting-edge distro for the Linux "hobbyist," I think improvements over the years and widespread popularity have combined to make it a good choice for newer Linux users as well.
3. Linux Mint
Linux Mint is a hugely popular community-driven Linux distro based on Ubuntu. Currently in Distrowatch's third spot in popularity, Linux Mint is an Ubuntu-based distro that was just launched in 2006.
Mint enjoys a well-deserved reputation for ease of use, so it's another good one for beginning users
It has transcended time to provide one of the most elegant, and user-friendly distributions loved by desktop users and professionals alike
4. OpenSUSE
The package's administration utility, YaST, is widely acknowledged as one of the best, and its boxed edition comes with some of the best printed documentation you'll find for any distro. I'd say openSUSE rates a "medium" on the difficulty level.
The OpenSUSE project is a modern and comprehensive community project that provides 2 main SUSE branches: SUSE Leap which is a point release that targets desktop users as well as enterprise development and for testing purposes. This makes it a perfect choice for open source developers and System administrators.
5. CentOS:
The CentOS Project is a community-driven free operating system that aims at delivering a robust and reliable open source ecosystem. Based on RHEL, CentOS is a perfect alternative to Red Hat Enterprise Linux since it is free to download and install. It gives users the stability and reliability of RHEL while allowing them to enjoy free security and feature updates.
CentOS 8 is a favorite among Linux enthusiasts who want to savor the benefits of RHEL.
6. Debian:
Debian is renowned for being a mother to popular Linux distributions such as Deepin, Ubuntu, and Mint which have provided solid performance, stability, and unparalleled user experience. The latest stable release is Debian 10.5, an update of Debian 10 colloquially known as Debian Buster.
The distro uses all open-source components, which is a good thing, but means it can be more difficult to achieve compatibility with proprietary code such as wireless network drivers. Debian also has a relatively slow release cycle, with stable ones coming out every one to three years.
7. Mandriva
Formerly known as Mandrake, Mandriva is notable for its cutting-edge software, excellent administration suite, and 64-bit edition.
Mandriva has been struggling lately as a result of some controversial decisions made by its French maker. It recently restructured, with the result that some view the future of its community version as uncertain.
8. Gentoo:
Gentoo is a distro built for professional use and experts who take into consideration what packages they are working with from the word go. This category includes developers, system & network administrators. As such, it’s not ideal for beginners in Linux. Gentoo comes recommended for those who want to have a deeper understanding of the ins and outs of the Linux operating system.
Italian Sabayon is essentially a LiveCD version of Gentoo, which is known for allowing users to individually optimize each component. Both are considered advanced Linux distributions aimed primarily at experienced users.
9. Arch Linux:
Arch is a rolling release implying that it is constantly updated to the latest version and all you need is to update the packages on the terminal. It uses Pacman as the default package manager and leverages the AUR (Arch User Repository) which is a community to install software packages and the latest version is 2020.09.01.
Arch is another package aimed primarily at experienced users interested in tweaking and optimizing their systems.
10. Puppy Linux:
Last on Distrowatch's top 10 currently is Puppy Linux, a compact distro that's ideal for older hardware and situations where computing resources are minimal. (Damn Small Linux, incidentally, is similar.) Though it has a small footprint, Puppy is still full-featured and includes a variety of configuration and application installation wizards.
The whole OS is small enough to run directly from system RAM, so applications start quickly and respond to user input instantly.
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