ABSTRACT
LINUX IS A UNIX-TYPE OPERATING SYSTEM, originally created by Linus Torvalds in 1991, that has been enhanced by developers around the world. Linux is an independent POSIX implementation and is compliant with X/Open and POSIX standards. Linux is developed and distributed under the GNU General Public License. The GNU license specifies that the source code for Linux plus any Linux enhancements should be freely available to everyone. Vendors are free to charge for distributing Linux, and the availability of source code does not apply to applications developed on top of Linux. Linux features includes true multi-tasking, multi-user support, virtual memory, shared libraries, demand loading, proper memory management, TCP/IP networking, shell, file structure, utilities, and applications that are common in many UNIX implementations. A complete list of features is included in Exhibit 26.1. Linux is a candidate operating system to be evaluated by enterprise and data center managers who have any flavor of (or are considering acquiring) UNIX or Windows NT.
