LINUX OPERATING

SYSTEM
CONTENTS


 INTRODUCTION
 HISTORY
 DESIGN
 DEVELOPMENT
 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
INTRODUCTION
 Linux is a free Unix-like operating system
originally created by Linus Torvalds with
the assistance of developers around the
world.
 It originated in 1991 as a personal project
of Linus Torvalds, a graduate student.
 The Kernel version 1.0 was released in
1994 and today the most recent stable
version is 2.6.9
 Developed under the GNU General Public
License , the source code for Linux is
freely available to everyone.

Introduction …..
Company & Developer :Linus Torvalds and thousands of


collaborators
Programmed in :C language
OS family :Unix Like
Source model :Free and open source software
Latest :Kernel 2.6.33.3(26 april,2010)
Kernel type :Monolithic
Default user interface :Graphical User Interface

 System requirements
Processor :Any Intel AMD processor
supporting SSE2 instruction set

Disk Space :1GB( 3-4GBrecomdded )

RAM : 1GB (At least 2048 MB recommended)
HISTORY
The History of Linux began in 1991 with the
commencement of a personal project by
a Finnish student, Linus Torvalds  , to create a new
operating system kernel.
Since then the resulting Linux kernel has been

marked by constant growth throughout its history.

Since the initial release of its source code in 1991, it
has grown from a small number of C files under a
license.
DESIGN

 User Interface
 File System
 Structure of Standard Directories

User interface
Users can control a Linux-based system through
a command line interface (or CLI), a graphical
user interface (or GUI), or through controls
attached to the associated hardware (this is common
for embedded systems). For desktop systems, the
default mode is usually graphical user interface.
On desktop machines, KDE, GNOME, and Xfce  are the

most popular GUI’s, though a variety of additional

user interfaces exist. Most popular user interfaces run
on top of the X Window System (often simply called
"X"), which provides network transparency, enabling a
graphical application running on one machine to be
displayed and controlled from another.
A Linux system typically provides a CLI through

a shell, which is the traditional way of interacting with

a Unix system. A Linux distribution specialized for
servers may use the CLI as its only interface.
System that runs without even a monitor can be
File System
The Linux file system looks like an inverted
tree structure.
You start with the root directory, denoted by /,
at the top and work down through sub-
directories underneath it.
Each node is either a file or a directory of
files, where the latter can contain other files
and directories.
You specify a file or directory by its path
name, either the full, or absolute, path name
or the one relative to a location.
The full path name starts with the root, /, and
follows the branches of the file system, each
separated by /, until you reach the desired file,
e.g.:
file system …
A relative path name specifies the path
relative to another, usually the current working
directory that you are at. Two special
directories :
 . the current directory
 .. the parent of the current directory
So if I'm at /home/frank and wish to specify
the path above in a relative fashion I could
use:
 ../condron/source/ xntp
This indicates that I should first go up one
directory level, then come down through the
condron directory, followed by the source
directory and then to xntp.

File system
STRUCTURE OF STANDARD
DIRECTORIES
/ The ancestor of all directories on the system; all
other directories are subdirectories of this directory,
either directly or through other subdirectories.
/bin Essential tools and other programs (or
binaries).
/dev Files representing the system's various
hardware devices. For example, you use the file
`/dev/cdrom' to access the CD−ROM drive.
/etc Miscellaneous system configuration files,
startup files, etc.
/home The home directories for all of the system's
users.
/lib Essential system library files used by tools in
`/bin'.
/proc Files that give information about current
system processes.
/root The superuser's home directory, whose
Some Important commands
 cd try_it
 Changes the directory to try_it
cd .. Move to superior directory

The command mkdir my_dir

The command rmdir your_dir

 removes directory your_dir if it is empty.

The command cp file_1 file_2

copies file_1 to file_2.

The command mv file_1 file_2

 moves file_1 to file_2

 The command rm file_a
 removes the file_a from the system



LINUX KERNEL
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used
by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is
one of the most prominent examples of free and open
source software.
The Linux kernel is released under the GNU General

Public License version 2 (GPLv2),(plus some firmware

images with various licenses), and is developed by
contributors worldwide. Day-to-day development
takes place on the Linux kernel mailing list.
The Linux kernel was initially conceived and created

by Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds in

1991. Linux rapidly accumulated developers and users
who adopted code from other free software projects
for use with the new operating system. The Linux
kernel has received contributions from thousands of
programmers. Many Linux distributions have been
released based upon the Linux kernel.

PROGRAMING IN
LINUX
Most Linux distributions support dozens
of programming languages. The most common
collection of utilities for building both Linux
applications and operating system programs is
found within the GNU tool chain, which includes
the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) and the GNU
build system.
It supports almost all programming languages

like C,C++, Ada, Fortran,Perl,Python,java etc


Advantages of
Linux
Cost –
 The most obvious advantage of using Linux
is the fact that it is free to obtain
Security –The security aspect of Linux is much


stronger than that of Windows.  The Linux operating

system has been around since the early nineties and
has managed to stay secure in the realm of
widespread viruses.
Choice (Freedom)–
 The power of choice is a
great Linux advantage. With Linux, you have the
power to control just about every aspect of the
operating system. Two major features you have
control of are your desktops look and feel by way of
numerous Window Managers, and the kernel.
 Software - There are so
many software choices when it comes to doing
any specific task software on Linux tends to be
packed with more features and greater usability
than software on Windows. Best of all, the vast
majority of Linux software is free and open
source.


 Hardware -Install Linux and use it as a

firewall, a file server, or a backup server. There
are endless possibilities.



Disadvantages
Understanding –
 Becoming familiar with
the Linux operating system requires patience as well
as a strong learning curve. You must have the desire
to read and figure things out on your own, rather than
having everything done for you..
Compatibility –Though the kernel contributors


and maintainers work hard at keeping the kernel up to

date, Linux does not have as much of a corporate
backing as alternative operating systems. Sometimes
you can find third party applications, sometimes you
can’t.
Alternative Programs –
 Though Linux
developers have done a great job at creating
alternatives to popular Windows applications, there
are still some applications that exist on Windows that
have no equivalent Linux application.
LOGO OF
LINUX
Linus torvalds
Linux desktop