What is Linux for beginners

In the first tutorial of this blog I explained that this blog was for complete Linux beginners and that I would explain everything in simple terms.

The first question to answer is of course what is Linux.

If you Google what is Linux the typical answers are:

- an open-source version of the UNIX operating system (Princeton)
- Linux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. (Wikipedia)

Did you fully understand that? No? Good, that means this blog is for you! What I actually will explain is: What is Linux for the complete beginner?

The good answer for you is probably: Linux is a free program that you install on your computer to replace Windows.

This is probably what you heard, and in my opinion this is the best definition of what Linux is for a beginner. If you wanted you could stop reading this tutorial here, but if you want to understand a little better what Linux is there are two concepts in the "official" definition of Linux that you should understand.

First Linux is an operating system.

Well, what is an operating system?

An operating system is a group of computer programs (so a system) that allows you to operate your computer. This operating system provides you with an interface to use the computer (pointers, icons, windows etc...) and allows you to use applications like a Web browser or an e-mail reader. The operating system also allows all the parts of the computer such as the screen, the printer or the scanner to work together thanks to small programs called drivers. Since all computers require an operating system to work your current computer was probably delivered with a version of the Windows operating system such as Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7.

There are three common families of operating system: the Windows, the MacOSesand the Linuxes. All three families of operating system perform the same basic task: they let you operate your computer, but each family do it in a slightly different way, and each has it's own applications and drivers. You can change the operating system that your computer is using between Linux and Windows without too much trouble nowadays, and we'll see in the next post the reasons that may push you to change from Windows to Linux

So What is Linux? Linux is first a family of operating systems.

Second Linux is a kernel.

A kernel is the core of your computer's software, the heart of your operating system. It is the program that makes all the applications and drivers work with each other, the big boss, the CEO, the leader. What makes a Linux operating system a member of the Linux family is that the kernel program in charge of running your computer is a version of the Linux kernel. This kernel is the part that is common to all Linux distributions (I'll explain what a distribution is in a later tutorial). Different Linuxes can have different applications, different looks, different sizes (from the DVD to the thumb drive), the one thing they all have in common is a Linux kernel.

So What is Linux? Linux is a kernel program.

Now that you know better what Linux is let's go back to the first definition: Linux is a program that replaces Windows. The natural question is: Why should I replace Windows by Linux? I will answer that question in next week's tutorial: 9 reasons to switch from Windows to Linux

To be sure not to miss next week's tutorial you can subscribe to this blog in your RSS reader or you can receive updates by e-mail.