Linux is a computer operating system created by the Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds and the Free Software Foundation(FSF) in the early 1990s. Torvalds started developing Linux to create a similar system as MINIX, a Unix OS when he was still a student at the University of Helsinki. Around the same time efforts were made by the American software developer Richard Stallman and the FSF to create an open source operating system, they call it General Public License (GNU). In GNU they have created their own compiler, libraries and other utilities but they don’t have their own working kernel. So this gap was filled by the Torvalds by adding Linux kernel to the GNU and then an open source operating system was created known by the name GNU/Linux or Linux.
The development of Linux has been largely influenced by how businesses use it. Business has pushed Linux to get better at handling growth, staying dependable, and being secure. This makes it a popular option for the servers, cloud services and devices.
- Its Flexible
- Cost savings
- Strong security
- Reliable
- Free and open source
Linux distribution, simply known as ‘distro’, is an operating system which is made from collecting software components and merging them together to make a better computing environment. There are so many distributions which can be used on mobile phones, servers and desktop. A typical linux distribution is an operating system which includes Linux Kernel, GNU tools and system libraries, and a package management system.
Linux is an open source and one of the most popular operating systems. Some of the most preferred Linux distributions are:
- Ubuntu
- Fedora
- Debian
- Linux Mint
- Kali Linux
Some of the reasons behind the importance of Linux Distributions Linux distros are free and open-source operating systems. Linux distros can be used in the minimal environments which are often found in the embedded systems. These are portable which means it can be installed and run on any hardware platform. It can be used without interruption with different operating systems on the same platform.
| Commands | Their functions |
|---|---|
| ls | used to list directories |
| ls -a | used to show hidden directories |
| mkdir | create a new directory in the current location |
| pwd | used to show the current directory |
| cd | used to change the current directory to one inside the directory the user is in. |
| rm -f foldername | used to delete a directory. |
| mv (-i/r) foldertomove newlocation | used to move directories from one to another -i is used to prompt the user before overwriting existing ones -v provides output as each file is written. |
| sudo | execute commands as the superuser/admin. |
Provide examples of popular Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch Linux, etc.
- Zorin OS
- POP!OS
- Elementary OS
- Kubuntu
- LXLE
- Ubuntu
- Linux Mint
- MX Linux
- Kali Linux
- Peppermint OS
- Fedora spins
- Nobara
- Ultramarine
- RisiOS
- Qubes OS
- EndeavourOS
- Manjaro
- Parabola GNU/Linux-libre
- ArcoLinux
- InstantOS
We have learnt that linux can be used in various different ways such as in servers and locally in users computers. Its widely used and is the most used open source operating system with many contributors actively contributing to its development and is used by large companies such as Apple and Google for their flagship OSes MacOS and ChromeOS. Its customizability is vast as seen by the various number of distros currently being used by many around the world.
I believe knowing how to use Linux distros is a valuable skill because it is widely used in servers and data centers. Other than that, it is reliable in terms of security and automation. Moreover, these are free and open-source, perfect for DevOps and Cloud Computing. Since it is an open source, it has a large and active community that contributes to the open source projects, supports and documentation.