Whats is linux, exactly? Is it good/bad? Why cant it run most programs(?) Compared to windows, which is better? What are it's features? And finally, what type should I get?
Linux
Luis Robinson
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Hunter Richardson
Lurk moar
Isaiah Cooper
I will. Tell me your experience with it first.
Daniel Anderson
>Whats is linux, exactly?
It's a libre kernel, that's about it
>Is it good/bad?
Depends on your use cases
>Why cant it run most programs(?)
>Why can't a mere kernel run all the programs of a full fledged OS?
>Compared to windows, which is better?
Depends on your use cases
>What are it's features?
Uhh... Lurk moar & install Gentoo
>And finally, what type should I get?
Build it yourself from scratch faggot
Luis Bell
Linux is technically an operating system kernel, but colloquially it is a name for a full OS containing that kernel and the GNU userland. It is very good, and probably the most sane OS that managed to get popular. It can actually run lots of programs, but the reason why certain ones are not available is due to the fact that people wrote them for Windows and are too lazy to go through the porting effort. From a design perspective though, it is much better than Windows. Its features are many-fold, although here's some. High reliabiility: There's a reason why so many servers and literally every supercomputer and a majority of smartphones use this. Performance: Linux can be pretty fast in certain configurations. It's not the most intuitive OS, but power-users will certainly find a lot of potential here. Lightweight/scalable: It's a feather-light OS at its core, so some more lightweight distributions are great choices for getting more use out of that old laptop you might have lying around. It can also be set up in a more intensive way, which does provide all the fancy desktop effects and compositing found on other desktop OSes.
If you're new to it and want to try it, I would recommend Linux Mint or Ubuntu. They're solid desktop/laptop systems that are well liked by newbies. If you're planning on using for servers, you can't go wrong with CentOS or Debian netinstall.
William Torres
OP here, I appreciate your response! Really informative. One more question: I've heard that Linux OS' can be "editable", like from its source, is this true? If it is, isn't it an Open Source OS?
Justin Long
I'd just like to interject for a moment. What you're referring to as Linux,
is in fact, GNU/Linux, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Linux.
Linux is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component
of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell
utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day,
without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU
which is widely used today is often called "Linux", and many of its users are
not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
There really is a Linux, and these people are using it, but it is just a
part of the system they use. Linux is the kernel: the program in the system
that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run.
The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself;
it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Linux is
normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system
is basically GNU with Linux added, or GNU/Linux. All the so-called "Linux"
distributions are really distributions of GNU/Linux.
Jack Lee
>I've heard that Linux OS' can be "editable", like from its source, is this true?
Oh boy, if only you knew
If it is, isn't it an Open Source OS?
It goes even further than that, it's libre software
Jaxon Cooper
this, read up on copyleft to understand the implications of the licensing of the linux kernel and the gnu subsystems
Camden Rodriguez
linux is the kernel