What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system. Okay, so what is an operating system? The easiest way to understand an operating system is to look at other popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows and Windows NT, Apple Mac O/S and Sun Microsystems UNIX.

An operating system is the guts of any computer or microprocessor.What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system. Okay, so what is an operating system? The easiest way to understand an operating system is to look at other popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows and Windows NT, Apple Mac O/S and Sun Microsystems UNIX.

An operating system is the guts of any computer or microprocessor. It tells a computer how to do basic tasks such as save or share files, print documents, add users to a network, receive input from a keyboard, display information on a monitor and numerous other tasks. An operating system is the foundation on which useful applications are built to allow individuals and organizations to be more productive. Examples of applications include word processors, personal finance managers, enterprise resource planning packages and countless others.

Why is an operating system important? With the proliferation of computers and microprocessors, the operating system market has grown extremely large. All microprocessors require an operating system and there are a lot of microprocessors in the world. Remember, microprocessors include computers and also embedded systems contained in automobiles, cellular phones, elevators, personal digital assistants and millions of other appliances. These microprocessors need operating systems and Linux is turning into a popular choice because its source code can be modified and scaled, and there are no licensing fees for individual installations.

Open Source

He released Linux under the GNU GPL (Gnu Not Unix General Public License) which gives anyone the ability to access and modify the source code at no cost and requires that the modifications be released back into the public domain at no cost. This has become known as the open source software development model. Torvalds, along with other prominent members of the open source community, have taken responsibility for vetting thousands of code submissions and testing and accepting the best submissions for inclusion in updates to the Linux operating system.

Security of Linux
There is a misconception that because Linux’s source code is open and readily available, Linux is not as secure as a closed-source operating system. Linux is actually no more prone to incursion than a proprietary operating system.

If breaches do occur, the open source community develops patches to repair problems quickly. The open source community itself is an important provider of solutions for maintaining security. All major Linux distributors provide updates and patches for their versions of the Linux operating system. In addition, an open source project, Bastille Linux, provides a “hardening script” which attempts to close security holes and make security breaches more difficult. Dedicated security vendors are well suited to enhance security controls. Furthormore, as Linux shipments have increased, large security vendors have begun to develop commercial security products for Linux.