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Jack H

2.1 OVERVIEW

Linux is a free UNIX clone that was developed by volunteers around the world. Although Linux is almost a decade old, it went largely unnoticed by the general public until a couple of years ago. Since then it has become very popular with individual users, universities and large corporations. For example, IBM has made it a major part of their business strategy for server hardware. Many software companies already offer Linux versions of their software, including products such as Oracle, Labview and MSC Nastran. Other companies have developed embedded applications using Linux. Currently Linux can be found in devices as small as a wristwatch [1] and as large as a Beowulf class supercomputer [2]. The popularity of Linux is based on three factors:

-costs are lower because the software is free and it runs well on less expensive hardware.

-it has more software, capabilities, and features than other operating systems.

-the source code is open, so users can customize the operating system to meet their needs.

This chapter will present the Linux operating system in general, and its current status in computing.