32 reviews

Linux

Released August, 1991

The Pros:Free and open-source. Strong developer community. Enterprise-class server operating system.

The Cons:Not all hardware is readily supported. Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions. Poor support from hardware manufacturers, few machines come with full Linux support.

Linux is a "UNIX-like" operating system first developed by Linus Torvalds, a 21 year old Finnish software engineer, in 1991. It is one of the most well-known examples of open-source and free software.

From the beginning, Linus made the source code for his operating available to the community of developers, and since then, the Linux operating system and kernel are often used as a prime example of the benefits of open-source community development.

Uses

Linux is most popular used as a server operating system, and in embeddable systems. The stable, customizable, and free nature of Linux make it an ideal choice often in these cases. Many web servers run on Linux, with a LAMP (Linux-Apache-MySQL-PHP) setup being the most common.

Distributions

There are many distributions and variations of the Linux Kernel. Many of the distributions are customized to specific applications and are often made to have a more familiar UI. Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, Gentoo, and SUSE are five of the most common distributions of the Linux Kernel.

User Reviews (35)

Add Pros & Cons

ProScore

Pros

24

Free and open-source
22

Strong developer community
21

Enterprise-class server operating system
21

Stable platform with long uptimes
20

Easily modified to be used in embedded systems
20

Designed for multiple users because of UNIX roots
16

Spawned many variations and distributions (Debian, Ubuntu, etc.)
9

no one company is responsible for Linux
6

Many distributions exist, giving a large amount of choice depending on its intended use
4

Available with commercial support in addition to communities
4

Fast growing applications, fast development
3

Development supported by strongest IT companies like Red Hat, Novell, IBM, etc, gives warranty in quality
3

Oriented to user experience and needs, not bound to commercial income only, finally users get what they order to develop
2

native TRIM support (ATA protocol enhancement for SSDs to prevent performance degradation)
1

Much easier to install than competitive products
1

High security
1

less vulnerable to computer virus

Cons

15

Not all hardware is readily supported.
11

Most Windows programs aren't available in Linux versions
1

Poor support from hardware manufacturers, few machines come with full Linux support.
-3

driver stability - many drivers are just ports of windows drivers
-3

Considerably harder to install and configure than competing products
-4

Delivers illusion of perfect security to non-power-users resulting in comparatively 'reckless' behavior of unaware users.
-7

Difficult to learn and install
-12

No one company is responsible for Linux