Unit1:- History and Development of Linux –

A Brief History of Linux

It started in 1964 in New Jersey when some people of Bell Labs tried to create a multiuser operating
system (OS), they worked on it till 1969, after facing lots of failures they withdraw the project. Then a
group of five people including Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson successfully created an operating
system called UNICS(Uniplexed Information and Computing Service), better known as UNIX. They
publish this OS as open-source(free to use and edit the codebase).
In 1975 a version of UNIX was released labeled “UNIX v6”, it became very popular. Some companies
tried to make a profit from it, so they made their own commercial version or flavor of UNIX :
 IBM – AIX
 Sun Solaris
 Mac OS
 UP UX
Why Linux was created?

Linus Torvalds is the creator of the Linux kernel. In simple words, Linus Torvald created Linux because
he didn’t have money to buy UNIX. He was a student at the *University of Helsinki*. In early 1991 he
decided to do a project on UNIX, but free versions of UNIX were too old and other commercials are too
costly ($5000). So he thought of creating his own OS.
Now one question may arise that is Linux an exact copy of UNIX? Actually not, let us clear this for you.
For idea purpose, Linus did research on UNIX, but more than UNIX he did research on MINIX OS. And
no, Linux is not an exact copy of UNIX.
So finally Linux was released on September 17, 1991. Linus made it open source. Between 1991 to
1995, Richard Stallman started a movement called the “Free Software Movement“, and created the
GNU project (collection of free software).
Linux is a kernel and not an operating system and GNU is a collection of free software, these two
project collabs give us “Linux” or “GNU/Linux” operating system. Some companies and open source
communities adopt GNU/Linux codebase, did some modifications, and created their own version or
distributions, Example:
 RHEL (Red hat)
 Fedora
 Debian
 Ubuntu
 CentOS
 Kali Linux
Basic features of Linux OS

Linux Features

o Multiuser capability: Multiple users can access the same system resources like memory, hard
disk, etc. But they have to use different terminals to operate.
o Multitasking: More than one function can be performed simultaneously by dividing the CPU
time intelligently.
o Portability: Portability doesn't mean it is smaller in file size or can be carried in pen drives or
memory cards. It means that it support different types of hardware.
o Security: It provides security in three ways namely authenticating (by assigning password and
login ID), authorization (by assigning permission to read, write and execute) and encryption
(converts file into an unreadable format).
o Live CD/USB: Almost all Linux distros provide live CD/USB so that users can run/try it without
installing it.
 o Graphical User Interface (X Window system): Linux is command line based OS but it can be
converted to GUI based by installing packages.
o Support's customized keyboard: As it is used worldwide, hence supports different languages
keyboards.
o Application support: It has its own software repository from where users can download and
install many applications.
o File System: Provides hierarchical file system in which files and directories are arranged.
o Open Source: Linux code is freely available to all and is a community based development
project.
Component of Linux operating system

Components of Linux System

Linux Operating System has primarily three components
 Kernel − Kernel is the core part of Linux. It is responsible for all major activities of this
operating system. It consists of various modules and it interacts directly with the underlying
hardware. Kernel provides the required abstraction to hide low level hardware details to system
or application programs.
 System Library − System libraries are special functions or programs using which application
programs or system utilities accesses Kernel's features. These libraries implement most of the
functionalities of the operating system and do not requires kernel module's code access rights.
 System Utility − System Utility programs are responsible to do specialized, individual level
tasks.

Benefits of Linux

Linux is an open-source operating system like Windows and MacOS. It is not just limited to the
operating system, but nowadays, it is also used as a platform to run desktops, servers, and
embedded systems. It provides various distributions and variations as it is open source and has a
modular design. The kernel is a core part of the Linux system.
Linux system is used to manage various services such as process scheduling, application
scheduling, basic peripheral devices, file system, and more. Linux
provides various advantages over other operating systems such as Windows and macOS. So, it is used
in almost every field, from cars to home appliances and smartphones to servers (supercomputers).
In this section, we will see some major advantages of the Linux system. Further, we will see the
advantages of Linux over other operating systems and will determine why it is better than other
operating systems.
1. pen Source
As it is open-source, its source code is easily available. Anyone having programming knowledge can
customize the operating system. One can contribute, modify, distribute, and enhance the code for any
purpose.
2. Security
The Linux security feature is the main reason that it is the most favorable option for developers. It is
not completely safe, but it is less vulnerable than others. Each application needs to authorize by the
admin user. The virus is not executed until the administrator provides the access password. Linux
systems do not require any antivirus program.
3. Free
Certainly, the biggest advantage of the Linux system is that it is free to use. We can easily download it,
and there is no need to buy the license for it. It is distributed under GNU GPL (General Public License).
Comparatively, we have to pay a huge amount for the license of the other operating systems.
4. Lightweight
Linux is lightweight. The requirements for running Linux are much less than other operating systems. In
Linux, the memory footprint and disk space are also lower. Generally, most of the Linux distributions
required as little as 128MB of RAM around the same amount for disk space.
5. Stability
Linux is more stable than other operating systems. Linux does not require to reboot the system to
maintain performance levels. It rarely hangs up or slow down. It has big up-times.
6. Performance
Linux system provides high performance over different networks. It is capable of handling a large
number of users simultaneously.
7. Flexibility
Linux operating system is very flexible. It can be used for desktop applications, embedded systems,
and server applications too. It also provides various restriction options for specific computers. We can
install only necessary components for a system.

8. Software Updates
In Linux, the software updates are in user control. We can select the required updates. There a large
number of system updates are available. These updates are much faster than other operating systems.
So, the system updates can be installed easily without facing any issue.
9. Distributions/ Distros
There are many Linux distributions available in the market. It provides various options and flavors of
Linux to the users. We can choose any distros according to our needs. Some popular distros
are Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Linux Mint, Arch Linux, and many more.
For the beginners, Ubuntu and Linux Mint would be useful and, Debian and Fedora would be good
choices for proficient programmers.
10. Live CD/USB
Almost all Linux distributions have a Live CD/USB option. It allows us to try or run the Linux operating
system without installing it.
11. Graphical User Interface
Linux is a command-line based OS but, it provides an interactive user interface like Windows
12. Suitable for programmers

It supports almost all of the most used programming languages such as C, Java Python, Ruby, and
more. Further, it offers a vast range of useful applications for development.
The programmers prefer the Linux terminal over the Windows command line. The package manager on
Linux system helps programmers to understand how things are done. Bash scripting
is also a functional feature for the programmers. It also provides support for SSH, which helps in
managing the servers quickly.
13. Community Support
Linux provides large community support. We can find support from various sources. There are many
forums available on the web to assist users. Further, developers from the various opensource
communities are ready to help us.
14. Privacy
Linux always takes care of user privacy as it never takes much private data from the user.
Comparatively, other operating systems ask for the user's private data.
15. Networking
Linux facilitates with powerful support for networking. The client-server systems can be easily set to a
Linux system. It provides various command-line tools such as ssh, ip, mail, telnet, and more for
connectivity with the other systems and servers. Tasks such as network backup are much faster than
others.
16. Compatibility
Linux is compatible with a large number of file formats as it supports almost all file formats.
17. Installation
Linux installation process takes less time than other operating systems such as Windows. Further, its
installation process is much easy as it requires less user input. It does not require much more system
configuration even it can be easily installed on old machines having less configuration.
18. Multiple Desktop Support
Linux system provides multiple desktop environment support for its enhanced use. The desktop
environment option can be selected during installation. We can select any desktop environment such
as GNOME (GNU Network Object Model Environment) or KDE (K Desktop Environment) as
both have their specific environment.
19. Multitasking
It is a multitasking operating system as it can run multiple tasks simultaneously without affecting the
system speed.
20. Heavily Documented for beginners
There are many command-line options that provide documentation on commands, libraries, standards
such as manual pages and info pages. Also, there are plenty of documents available on the internet in
different formats, such as Linux tutorials
, Linux documentation project, Serverfault, and more. To help the beginners, several communities are
available such as Ask Ubuntu, Reddit, and StackOverflow.
For more head to head comparison of Linux system, visit Linux vs. Windows
Linux Distributions (Distros)
Other operating systems like Microsoft combine each bit of codes internally and release it as a single
package. You have to choose from one of the version they offer.
But Linux is different from them. Different parts of Linux are developed by different organizations.
Different parts include kernel, shell utilities, X server, system environment, graphical programs, etc. If
you want you can access the codes of all these parts and assemble them yourself. But its not an easy
task seeking a lot of time and all the parts has to be assembled correctly in order to work properly.
From here on distribution (also called as distros) comes into the picture. They assemble all these parts
for us and give us a compiled operating system of Linux to install and use.
Linux Distributions List
There are on an average six hundred Linux distributors providing different features. Here, we'll discuss
about some of the popular Linux distros today.
1) Ubuntu
It came into existence in 2004 by Canonical and quickly became popular. Canonical wants Ubuntu to be
used as easy graphical Linux desktop without the use of command line. It is the most well known Linux
distribution. Ubuntu is a next version of Debian and easy to use for newbies. It comes with a lots of pre-
installed apps and easy to use repositories libraries.
Earlier, Ubuntu uses GNOME2 desktop environment but now it has developed its own unity desktop
environment. It releases every six months and currently working to expand to run on tablets and
smartphones.
2) Linux Mint
Mint is based on Ubuntu and uses its repository software so some packages are common in both.
Earlier it was an alternative of Ubuntu because media codecs and proprietary software are included in
mint but was absent in Ubuntu. But now it has its own popularity and it uses cinnamon and mate
desktop instead of Ubuntu's unity desktop environment.
3) Debian
Debian has its existence since 1993 and releases its versions much slowly then Ubuntu and mint.
This makes it one of the most stable Linux distributor.
Ubuntu is based on Debian and was founded to improve the core bits of Debian more quickly and make
it more user friendly. Every release name of Debian is based on the name of the movie Toy Story.
4) Red Hat Enterprise / CentOS
Red hat is a commercial Linux distributor. There products are red hat enterprise Linux (RHEL) and
Fedora which are freely available. RHEL is well tested before release and supported till seven years
after the release, whereas, fedora provides faster update and without any support.
Red hat uses trademark law to prevent their software from being redistributed. CentOS is a community
project that uses red hat enterprise Linux code but removes all its trademark and make it freely
available. In other words, it is a free version of RHEL and provide a stable platform for a long time.
5) Fedora
It is a project that mainly focuses on free software and provides latest version of software. It doesn't
make its own desktop environment but used 'upstream' software. By default it has GNOME3 desktop
environment. It is less stable but provides the latest stuff.
Choosing a Linux Distro

Distribution Why To Use

UBuntu It works like Mac OS and easy to use.

Linux mint It works like windows and should be use by new comers.

Debian It provides stability but not recommended to a new user.

Fedora If you want to use red hat and latest software.

Red hat enterprise To be used commercially.

CentOS If you want to use red hat but without its trademark.

OpenSUSE It works same as Fedora but slightly older and more stable.

Arch Linux It is not for the beginners because every package has to be installed by yourself.

Important Question
Q1) What is Linux distribution? Give its lists and explain anyone
Q2) Describe the structure of Linux O.S. and its components.
Q3) Write note on Basic features of Linux.
Q4) what is Linux Describe it's features.
Q5) Explain in brief history of Linux.
Q6) List and explain features of Linux.
Q7) Draw structure of Linux O.S. and explain its components
Q8) Write history of Linux briefly