Linux is an open-source operating system. Open source means anyone can download it and customize it as per their requirements by editing source code. It is free of cost. Does not require any license to download or buy. Which makes it preferred by a technical user. 

Linux was not Linux from always. It started as UNIX. UNIX was born in 1968. When few developers decided to develop common software for all the computers. Large organizations started using UNIX initially. Like Governments, universities and financial corporations in mainframe and microcomputers and user organizations started to build on their own UNIX.

Later in 1991, a student of university of Helsinki, Finland. Who was unable to afford a Unix 386 Intel computer wrote a code for the freely available academic version of UNIX for himself. This started for fun by ended up being a large project. It’s first name was“freax”, which was later changed to “Linux”.

Linux OS is accessible in supercomputers, smartphones, desktop, web servers, tablet, laptops and home appliances like washing machines, DVD players, routers, modems, cars, refrigerators, etc.

The developer of Linux is  Linux Torvalds. He built it with an idea of creating a free operating system kernel. Which can be accessible and used by anyone. At present “the Linux foundation” maintains Linux. Which has its headquarters in San Francisco.

Linux adheres to GDPR or general data protection regulation in terms of data processing and privacy. As Linux is an open source operating system. It just collects information while using the website for download.

Linux also adheres to The California Consumer Privacy Act. Which provides exclusive rights to California consumers for data privacy. This act aims to provide control and transparency to users. By informing them, about the data they collect, how they use it and if they share it with the third party.

WHAT IS LINUX OPERATING SYSTEM?

Linux is just a kernel (basic and core part of an operating system). It is not a complete package of the operating system. Different operating systems have different kernels. Kernal maintains the balance between the hardware and the software.

Linux and Windows have different kernels. The Linux kernel is monolithic and Windows uses the microkernel. The key difference between them is Windows is commercial software while Linux is open-source software.

STORAGE OF LINUX?

In Linux, everything is looked at as a file. Unlike other operating systems in which images, documents and files are different heads.

Linux does not have different drives or folders to store files. It saves all the files in one root directory. The root directory looks like a tree structure, where everything expands from a single source. It is the start point of the file system.

KINDS OF FILES?

General files: These files contain images, text or any program.

Directory files: It is a single file to store all the files. For instance: in windows folders.

Device files: Windows mentions any external device such as Pendrive, hard drive as different drives like, ‘E:’, ‘F:’ . But Linux mentions it as files such as dev/sda1, dev/sda2.

Linux can contain two files with the same name in the operating system. Because files in Linux are case sensitive. The user can save two files with the same name in upper case and lower case.

DATA PRIVACY IN LINUX

• Each application in the Linux operating system has to be authorized by the admin user.
• The virus cannot enter and execute itself Linux until the administrator provides the access password.
• Linux systems do not need any antivirus program.
• It never collects any private data from the user.
• Linux provides authentication to the user by assigning passwords and login IDs.
• It provides authorization by assigning permission to read, write and execute.
• Linux encrypts the files, converts them into an unreadable format.

Companies like Google, Amazon and Facebook use Linux to protect their servers. As it proves out to be highly reliable and stable.

LINUX IS JUST A KERNEL, IT NEEDS ASSEMBLING

What is a kernel?

The kernel is a computer program. It is an integral part of the operating system. Which creates a bridge between the applications and hardware for the proper functioning of the system.

For instance: Application -KERNAL (a bridge) – CPU, memory and devices.

Microsoft assembles all the parts or codes internally. Then release it as a single package of the operating system.

But in the case of Linux, it is different. Different organizations develop different parts or codes of Linux.

These parts are:

• Kernal
• Shell utilities
• X server
• System environment
• Graphical programs

The developers assemble the codes of all these parts. To make Linux a running operating system. All this heavy work is a curse for a regular user.

LINUX DISTRIBUTORS

• Ubuntu: Ubuntu came into existence in 2004 by Canonical. It is the most well-known Linux distribution. Ubuntu works like MacOS. It is easy to use.
• Linux Mint: Linux mint works like windows. It is comfortable for new users.
• Red Hat: Red hat is a commercial Linux distributor. It is used commercially.

These distributors collect all the parts, make it a complete package of operating system and then sell it. A coder can do this himself but a regular user needs to buy it from these distributors.

I will call it an operating system with supports another operating system. Linux is not very user friendly due to its technical nature. But it is very reliable as it is fully protected from malware and rarely crashes. Even android uses the Linux kernel. As mentioned above Linux is open-source software and developers can modify it according to their needs.

Linux provides the Android developers with a pre-built operating system kernel to start with so they don’t have to write their kernel.