What
is Linux?
Just like Windows, iOS, and Mac OS,
Linux is an operating system. In fact, one of the most popular platforms on the
planet, Android, is powered by the Linux operating system. An operating system
is software that manages all of the hardware resources associated with your
desktop or laptop. To put it simply, the operating system manages the
communication between your software and your hardware. Without the operating
system (OS), the software wouldn?t function.
The Linux operating system comprises
several different pieces:
- Bootloader –
The software that manages the boot process of your computer. For most
users, this will simply be a splash screen that pops up and eventually
goes away to boot into the operating system.
- Kernel –
This is the one piece of the whole that is actually called ?Linux?. The
kernel is the core of the system and manages the CPU, memory, and
peripheral devices. The kernel is the lowest level of the OS.
- Init system
- – This
is a sub-system that bootstraps the user space and is charged with
controlling daemons. One of the most widely used init systems is systemd?
which also happens to be one of the most controversial. It is the init
system that manages the boot process, once the initial booting is handed
over from the bootloader (i.e., GRUB or GRand Unified Bootloader).
- Daemons –
These are background services (printing, sound, scheduling, etc.) that
either start up during boot or after you log into the desktop.
- Graphical server –
This is the sub-system that displays the graphics on your monitor. It is
commonly referred to as the X server or just X.
- Desktop environment –
This is the piece that the users actually interact with. There are many
desktop environments to choose from (GNOME, Cinnamon, Mate, Pantheon,
Enlightenment, KDE, Xfce, etc.). Each desktop environment includes
built-in applications (such as file managers, configuration tools, web
browsers, and games).
- Applications –
Desktop environments do not offer the full array of apps. Just like
Windows and macOS, Linux offers thousands upon thousands of high-quality
software titles that can be easily found and installed. Most modern Linux
distributions (more on this below) include App Store-like tools that
centralize and simplify application installation. For example, Ubuntu
Linux has the Ubuntu Software Center (a rebrand of GNOME Software? Figure
1) which allows you to quickly search among the thousands of apps and
install them from one centralized location.
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Bootloader,
Kernel,
Init
system,
Daemons,
Graphical
server,
Desktop ,
Applications,
