Linux is an operating system (OS). Like all OS's it allows a user to run applications, save and load files to the hard drive and other devices.

Linux was first started in Europe by Linus Torvald who worked on Unix systems and wanted to have the same system on his home PC so he could work from home. Hence Linux begun as a version of Unix that would run on the newly invented home PC. Linux is a word derived from mixing his name with Unix.

Since then hundreds of thousands of people have added to and tweaked Linux to suit their needs.

Having seen how Unix and the up and coming micro$oft software development suffered from trying to protect their software and maintain copyright, Linus shared his efforts with the world, making Linux one the first major opensource (copyleft) software projects in the world.

The decision has clearly paid off. Linus has not only made more money the he could have hoped (and continues to), but can now claim to be the founder of the most stable and secure OS available.

Without copyright various groups have been free to distribute and develop the OS. This has given rise to many slightly different variations of Linux.

• Slackware
• RedHat (fedora)
  
• Debian
• Mandrake
• Knoppix

to name just a few.

Slackware was one the first distrubtions released and paved the way for the others.

Debian has held a tight focus on security, stability and server applications. Whilst it continues to excell in these areas it is not as user friendly as RedHat or Mandrake.

RedHat has had huge economic success and is one of the widest spread distributions. Its focus was on the user friendly installation and maintanence of web servers and alike. Recently it seems that RedHat has spawned off a new distribution called Fedora.

Mandrake focusses on User friendly desktop environments and simplified hardware installation.

Knoppix is specific distribution designed to run straight off a CD without any installation necessary, a good way to check out linux without any hassle finding hard drive space and doing installations.

Linux is spreading fast but it is impossible to know how many users there are as it is freely downloaded off the internet without any records kept.

It is clearly the OS of choice for people wanting a secure and stable OS to run web hosting from. Most of pages you read on the internet (it is said) are hosted on Linux servers.

Linux has many advantages over micro$oft OS's apart from being free.

It rarely suffers from viruses (in fact in 15 years of being a linux user I have not had one virus :-) ).

It keeps on keeping. Linux can be booted up and left on for years without any rebooting or crashes.

There is a huge plethora of free quality software available on the internet. Linux offers all the usuall applications and more. Image manipulation (GIMP), Office Suite software (Openoffice), Sound software of every variety, database and web servers etc, etc.

Internet support is extensive try typing any PC issues into google with the word linux and you'll discover there is never any shortage of information, no one is trying to keep any secrets, quite the opposite. Infact google even has a dedicated search page for linux google.com/linux

So any disadvantages ? we'll just just a few.

There is not as many users (particularly in Australia) so finding friends to ask for help may be a little harder. This is changing fast though.

You cannot run micro$oft software that you already know how to use. Whilst similar software packages are there for free you may find yourself learning the options all over again.