The Choice Of A GNU Generation

As the computer industry's Goliaths slug it out for control of the desktop operating system market, David lurks on the edge of the fray gathering stones. That David is called Linux and is squaring off against such giants as Windows 95, Windows NT and OS/2 Warp, while providing a low-cost alternative to other more expensive flavors of UNIX for Internet Service Providers, research facilities and the like.

Linux is the brainchild of Linus Torvalds, a computer science student at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Upon completion of a class assignment, which formed the core of the Linux code, he uploaded it to the Internet. There the code grew, with the help of dedicated programmers around the world, working in their spare time, into a full blown operating system.

Linux is a variant of the vastly popular UNIX operating system, which runs on systems from IBM-type PCs to Macintoshes to Sun workstations to massive Cray YMP supercomputers. UNIX is the operating system of choice on the Internet. It was developed concurrently with the C programming language, the TCP/IP protocol (which is how computers communicate on the Net), and in fact, the Internet itself.

Initially, Linux was bleeding-edge propeller-head fare. Drivers for non-mainstream hardware were non-existent or at best unstable. But thanks to the many hours of work by thousands of programmers and the indomitable pioneering spirit of 'Net surfers performing "live" beta tests, Linux has become a stable, reliable operating system. It currently runs on Intel-based PCs, Macintoshes, MIPS machines, and even DEC Alphas and Sun workstations.

Linux fills a unique position. It is a UNIX-like operating system with complete 32-bit multithreaded, multitasking, and *multi-user* capabilities. All of the TCP/IP communications are built in to the system and all of the features of UNIX are included. The vast majority of UNIX applications are either readily available or can be recompiled ("ported" to us propellerheads) to run under Linux. Since Linux is a multi-user operating system, each user has his or her own account (just like on your Internet provider's machine) and can customize his or her own login and workspace.

In addition, Linux, which runs on a PC, can provide a powerful desktop environment. It is highly configurable. Linux can run on a DOS partition with little modification to existing files, where it is launched much like any other DOS app. It can also reside on its own partition(s). It can peacefully coexist with DOS, OS/2, Windows 95/NT (with a bit of work...Not Linux's fault) or a variety of other operating systems. A number of emulators are available for Linux, including a DOS emulator and a Windows emulator. A Linux port of Sun Microsystems' WABI Windows emulator is coming soon as well.

The rapidly growing popularity of Linux is generating interest in UNIX desktop apps. Currently, there are a variety of word processors, spreadsheets, games and the like available for Linux, with more hitting the street every day. (For instance, IDSoftware writes its games on a Linux machine. Therefore, there are Linux-native versions of Doom and Quake available.

Linux, like most other UNIX systems, uses the X Window System as a graphical user interface. The X Window System, or X, runs apps much like Windows or MacOS. You can have icons and the like, and in fact one window manager has the "look and feel" of Windows 95. Another advantage of X is that if you have two machines running X, you can start an application on one computer and control it from the other.

How much would an operating system with all of these capabilities cost? It is free. The GNU Public License (GPL) awards copyright to the appropriate parties while making the programs freely available free of charge. What does all that mean? If you have an Internet account, you can pull it down off the Net from ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux, ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux, ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/systems/linux or a number or other sites around the world. If you don't have the patience to download 50+ disks from the Net, you can buy a CD containing a mirror of one of these sites from CheapBytes (http://www.cheapbytes.com) or InfoMagic (http://www.infomagic.com), or another vender. The third option would be to get a commercial Linux release. RedHat (http://www.redhat.com) and Caldera (http://www.caldera.com) both offer Linux packages. The cost associated with the ftp mirror CDs can only reflect the cost of pressing the CD. Commercial releases cost more because they provide technical support, printed and bound documentation, and value-added packages. Even so, the cost of a commercial package is more than reasonable, usually in the $50 to $100 range. Compare this with Windows NT server at around $700.

A minimal Linux installation can be run from 2 floppy diskettes. It does not have the X window system or any of the larger packages, but it is a good start. Another way to check it out before committing resources to it would be to install with the UMSDOS filesystem on your DOS partition. I have been running Linux for nearly two years, and my disk space needs for Linux has grown from 85 MB to 180 MB to 520 MB to nearly 1 GB (for two distributions). I highly recommend at least experimenting with Linux, especially if you are interested in Windows 95 or NT.