Linux Lab Programming
Module 1
Introduction to Linux
Jean Paul NIZEYIMANA
Linux is Everywhere!
● Linux is everywhere, Linux jobs are everywhere, there is a shortage of Linux
talent, and, Linux skills are in demand in just about every industry and job
category on the planet.
Linux is a Kernel
● Linux means the kernel of the system, which is the central controller of
everything that happens on the computer.
● Linux is a combination of software called GNU/Linux, which defines the
operating system.
○ GNU is the free software that provides open source equivalents of many common
UNIX commands.
○ The Linux part of this combination is the Linux kernel, which is the core of the
operating system.
● The story of Linux begins with UNIX, an operating system developed at AT&T
Bell Labs in the 1970s.
● UNIX is written in the C language.
Linux is a Kernel
● Linux started in 1991 as a hobby project by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish born
computer scientist studying at the University of Helsinki.
● The GNU Project was developed Linux by Richard Stallman in 1983.
● Linux programmers were able to incorporate the GNU tools to provide a
complete operating system.
Linux is Open Source
● Historically, most software has been issued under a closed-source license.
● This means that you get the right to use the executable program or machine
code, but cannot see the source code.
● The development of Linux closely parallels the rise of open source software.
● The open source philosophy is that you have a right to obtain the software
source code and to modify it for your own use.
Linux Has Distributions
● A distribution refers to the Linux kernel, tools, and suite of applications that
come bundled together.
● Take Linux and the GNU tools, add some user-facing applications like a web
browser and an email client, and you have a full Linux system.
● There are distributions suited to every imaginable purpose.
● There are distributions that focus on running servers, desktops, or even
industry-specific tools like electronics design or statistical computing.
Linux Embraces the CLI
● There are two basic types of interfaces available that allow you to interact
with the operating system.
● The typical computer user today is most familiar with a graphical user
interface (GUI).
○ In a GUI, applications present themselves in windows that can be resized and
moved around.
○ There are menus and tools to help users navigate.
● The second type of interface is the command line interface (CLI), a text-
based interface to the computer.
○ The CLI relies primarily on keyboard input.