linux

If you've stayed current with the offerings in IT over the past several years, no doubt you have heard about the Linux operating system. You may have even thought about using it in your business. If you haven't heard of Linux, or just wish to know more about it, let me take a moment of your time to introduce you to this "open-source phenomenon" that has been taking the IT industry by storm.

"What is Linux?"
Pronounced "Lin'-nucks", Linux is a multi-tasking operating system (OS) for personal and server computers. Like Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh OS, it enables users to run programs using a graphical user interface (GUI) or from a command line, as well as run tasks such as file, print and web services.

"Who makes Linux?"
As a student in Helsinki, Finland, Linus Torvolds started Linux back in 1991. Although it began as a college project to develop an alternative to the UNIX-like operating system, MINIX, overtime Linux grew beyond even Linus' dreams. In part due to the vast amount of professional programmers volunteering their time to the project, and in part due to the more recent acceptance of the operating system by major corporations such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard, Linux has "come of age."

Because Linux and the vast majority of server, productivity, office applications and utilities that accompany the operating system are usually open-source, some vendors have developed "distributions", combining the operating system, server software, selected applications, utilities and desktop environments into a more consistant package for users to operate with.

Many of these distribution vendors have also developed custom "package management" utilities to ease the installation and removal of the various software that accompany the distribution. Many package management utilties for Linux have been released to the open-source community, but perhaps the two most popular are those that are developed by Red Hat and Debian. Although there are many Linux distributors such as Mandrake, SuSE, Storm, Slackware, Lycoris, Libranet and Turbo Linux, most all distributions based their package management utilities on those two.

"What makes Linux so special?"
One of the biggest differences between Linux and its Microsoft and Apple counterparts is that it's royalty free. And, because it's open-source, this means that not only can you freely install it on as many computers as you need without paying licensing fees, you are also free to modify the source code if so desired to suite your business needs.

Perhaps Linux's greatest strength is its reliability as a server appliance. It is not uncommon for Linux servers to remain in operation without rebooting for hundreds of days. On the contrary, some operating systems usually require weekly rebooting to keep system resources at an acceptable level. Without these regular reboots they will eventually lock up, forcing a reboot. Very rarely will these operating systems run continuously without these "crashes," which usually occur within a month to six week's time at the latest.

And, unlike Windows operating systems, Linux doesn't need to be "shut down and restarted" with each software, hardware driver or security patch installation or change. Usually, Linux only needs to be rebooted when the kernel (the core of the OS) is recompiled or a patch is applied to it. This is because Linux uses true protected-mode management with its software and hardware drivers. If one application or device fails or requires an upgrade, all other processes running in memory are protected and are not usually affected by the change. This allows you to keep the server up and accessible throughout the majority of your upgrades, in turn keeping your users, and your business, operating at peak efficiency.

"I thought Linux was for 'techies,' can it really be used for business?"
I have used UNIX, and various forms of UNIX-like operating systems since 1986, but it wasn't until 1999 that I took a good look at what Linux offered and immediately grasped the OS as a viable alternative to the entrenched Microsoft Windows operating systems for small to mid-size businesses. At that time, Linux was considered to be a very strong, and secure, operating system suited for servers, but was still "a little rough around the edges" for general desktop use due to the immaturity of the Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that were offered for the platform. However, since that time these environments, as well as a slew of applications designed for them, have advanced to the point where more and more businesses, large and small alike, are taking a much closer look at what they can offer.

Although I have also been using Microsoft Windows since version 1.0 (1985) and various other operating systems, I do specialize in Linux and as a certified Linux professional, can attest to those offerings. For an server operating system, Linux is hard to beat. For the vast amount of open-source (and free) software solutions that are packaged with the various distributions from Red Hat, Debian, SuSE, Gentoo and others, it's often not only hard to beat, but next to impossible.

For example, the GNU Foundation has provided virtually the same utilities and commands as used in UNIX variants to accompany the Linux OS. As well, other open-source developers offer items such as OpenOffice, an alternative to Microsoft Office, which can not only read and write documents created with the Microsoft Office applications, but often mimic the general "look and feel" of those applications as well, easing the transition for users accustomed to those applications. Although no longer free, another low-cost alternative for Microsoft Office is Sun's StarOffice. Much of what is in StarOffice has been contributed by Sun to the OpenOffice project, but this alternative provides a very rich environment for businesses and provides Microsoft Office file-format compatibility as well.

"But we already have a network, will it work with that?"
Should you already have an existing Windows, NetWare or AppleTalk network in operation for your business, you don't have to give up your existing servers. Linux servers will fit seamlessly into your network and add to your file, print, Internet access and network security services. Linux can also easily replace your Windows NT and NetWare servers, saving you hundreds or thousands of dollars by breaking the Microsoft upgrade cycle.

My unique approach specializes in providing business software and networking solutions based on the open-source tools and applications that integrate with the Linux operating system. I get to know your business needs to help you optimize and cost-effectively manage your business. Using specialized techniques developed to help businesses migrate their systems to the Linux platform, keeping disruptions of current office operations to a minimum (if any), I'm able to ease the transition of your current network infrastructure to this platform almost transparently to your end users. All of my solutions and services are designed to help you run your business independently, and give you support only when needed.

A few advantages to using Linux in your business are:

Linux in the business marketplace news:

Other Linux links of interest:

  • Red Hat Linux   (top Linux distributor)
  • Debian GNU/Linux   (top all-volunteer Linux distributor)
  • SuSE Linux   (another top Linux distributor)
  • Apache Software Foundation   (excellent web servers, and the most popular)
  • Sendmail   (the most popular mail transfer agent in use today)
  • Samba   (fast Microsoft NT/2000 fileserver replacement)
  • Squid   (popular web cache proxy server)
  • MySQL   (flexible and strong SQL server)
  • GNOME   (a popular GUI desktop environment)
  • KDE   (another graphical desktop environment - very "Windows-like")
  • OpenOffice.org   (a strong Microsoft Office alternative)
  • Sun StarOffice   (low-cost Microsoft Office alternative)
  • Mozilla   (an excellent web browser suite, loads of features)
  • Netscape   (another nice web browser suite based on Mozilla code)
  • The GNU Project   (Linux commands & utilities)
  • Free Software Foundation   (the "force" behind free open-source)

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and others are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. NetWare and Netware are registered trademarks of Novell. AppleTalk is a registered trademark of Apple Corporation. Other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective owners.


Copyright © 1996-2004 David D. Scribner , webmaster, all rights reserved.
Last Updated: September 4, 2004
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