The Open Learning Centre

The real answer is that Linux (pronounced li-nucks) is a computer's software kernel.

A kernel being the central component of most computer operating systems (OS). Its responsibilities include managing the system's resources and the communication between hardware and software components.

In reality, most people use the name Linux to mean a complete operating system, or distribution, such as Ubuntu or Red Hat. The whole package that goes up to make the operating system should really be called GNU/Linux but brevity has seen to it that just Linux is now widely used.

Linux was originally created by a Finnish chap called Linus Torvalds and works in a similar way to another very successful OS called UNIX. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the USA and some other countries. A good starting point for further information on Linux is the Wikipedia entry.

The kernel on it's own won't actually get you very far. But, when you use a complete operating system or distribution (distro for short), such as Ubuntu for example, you get a powerful, multi-user, fully featured OS with strong security, multi-tasking and high reliability. Distributions of GNU/Linux are usually assembled to provide either desktop or server type functionality although there is no real restriction on what applications can be run on what platform. The GNU/Linux operating system has reached a level of sophistication now where it can quite easily be used as a straight replacement for commercial products such as Microsoft's Windows. Advantages of Linux include price, reliability, security and flexibility.

Yes, however weird and wonderful your network might be! Linux works fine with Windows networking (it can even be a domain controller or member server in an Active Directory domain) it also supports Unix NFS, Appletalk, Novell Netware and others.

There are thousands of applications that work with Linux. Most distributions include a catalogue of applications which can be installed and updated just by selecting them from the list. Ubuntu has 21,490 packages in the catalogue at the moment (some of these are different versions of the same thing and some modular applications come in several packages, but whatever way you count it there are lots of applications!)

It isn't just the thousands of free applications you can use with Linux. Major commercial applications like Oracle, SAP, DB2, Lotus Domino all run on Linux. There are tools for film makers, artists, musicians, engineers etc. If there is an application you are particularly interested in, please ask us about it.