Linux for Dummies

Explaining what Linux is
Going over what Linux distributions typically include
Discovering what Linux helps you manage
Getting started
I
bet you've heard about Linux. If you're wondering what exactly Linux is
and what it can help you do, this chapter is all about answering those
questions. Here I provide a broad picture of Linux and tell you how you can
start using it right away.
By the way, this book covers Linux for Intel 80x86 and Pentium processors
(basically any PC that can run any flavor of Windows).
What Is Linux?
You know that your PC is a bunch of hardware -- things you can touch, like
the system box, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The system box contains
the most important hardware of all -- the central processing unit (CPU), the
microchip that runs the software (any program that tells the computer how
to do your bidding), which you actually can't touch. In a typical Pentium 4
PC, the Pentium 4 microprocessor is the CPU. Other important hardware in
the system box includes the memory (RAM chips) and the hard drive -- and
one program has to run all this stuff and get it to play nice: the operating
system.
The operating system is software that manages all the hardware and runs
other software at your command. You, the user, provide those commands by
clicking menus and icons or by typing some cryptic text. Linux is an operat-
ing system -- as are UNIX, Windows 98, Windows 2000, and Windows XP.
The Linux operating system is modeled after UNIX; in its most basic, no-frills
form, the Linux operating system also goes by the name Linux kernel.
The operating system is what gives a computer -- any computer -- its per-
sonality. For example, you can run Windows 98 or Windows XP on a PC --
and on that same PC, you can also install and run Linux. That means that
depending on which operating system is installed and running at any partic-
ular time, the same PC can be a Windows 98, Windows XP, or Linux system.