What is Linux? Well, Linux is as much of a phenomenon as it is an operating system. This operating system is what the computer first boots into when you turn it on. It relays information from applications to processors, processors perform tasks, and the results are sent back to the applications via the operating system. So really, it is no different than an operating system such as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS X. Well, almost…

Linux is free. Yes, free as in you don’t purchase it to use it, but at the same time, it does not come preinstalled on a newly bought computer. It is available for download on the Linux website, where you can then burn it to a 700mb disk, install it or even run it from the disk just to test it before you install it. It comes with many of the same functionality and features in Windows or OS X, but we will get into that in a bit.

Developers will need tools like compilers and command lines found in GNU to be able to write applications that can talk to the kernel (the central component of the operating system). The tools that are used to make it easy for outside applications to access the kernel, plus the kernel itself, is known as the operating system. Linux provides very powerful tools to help developers write their applications. The kernel is modular, which means Linux too is modular. The developers can choose the operating tools they need to provide users and other developers with a new version of Linux that best suits their specific needs.

Linux is open source software, and is developed collaboratively in an open community. This means no single person is responsible for its development, creations or support. Any company that participates in the development of Linux shares research they may have or development costs with their respective partners and competitors. This has helped to create a vastly successful ecosystem and software innovation. Over 1,000 developers from over 100 companies help to contribute each and every kernel release.

Linux can be found in almost any environment, having the description that it can run in “wristwatches to supercomputers.” Other than the vastness of the operating system itself, the community that supports Linux is also vast in numbers. The community as a whole helps develop the operating system, as well as the software involved, helping to create a very stable and secure way of accessing files across the internet.