Rainbow Cybernuke - Linux - the other operating system

Anonymous writes "Most people have used some form of either a Windows or Macintosh operating system (OS) to run their computers, but what's the open alternative all about? Some people may have never heard of Linux - and who could blame them? It can be a bit difficult to digest, with the technical jargon and relative obscurity compared to the two big systems.

In terms of worldwide usage, it's small fry: according to December 2009 statistics, about 92 per cent of computers use Windows, 5 per cent use Mac OS and 1 per cent use Linux (source - Ed:- somewhat biased and perhaps inaccurate statistics from Ars technica, make of it what you will). But those who do use it swear by it for a number of reasons.

I wanted to find out more about Linux, and to explain the main points in terms we can all understand (my explanations will look like this).

Read full article and comments for the whole picture.

Ed.Note:- Any article that attributes Linux's existence solely to Linus Torvalds, and fails to give due credit to the GNU Foundation, for the huge amount of work it did prior to and following Linus's creation of the Kernel (that which brings the operating system together), fails to understand the philosophy behind Open Source software and further shows a lack of understanding for what the GNU/Linux operating system is really all about. Some of the comments correct these inconsistencies.

Microsoft may well have gained the bulk of the desktop user market, by the fact that it created a system which detaches users from an understanding of what a computing system is. As a corporate monopoly, it must be said that its bottom line must not only put the interests of its share-holders above the interests of its customers, but this detachment offers many options to strengthen its control over its users.

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