Anti-FUD | AntiFud / WhatIsLinuxAndFOSS

What is Linux?

According to Wikipedia,

An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer resources and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. An operating system processes system data and user input, and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system. An operating system performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating computer networking and managing files. Operating systems can be found on almost anything made with integrated circuits, such as personal computers, internet servers, cellphones, music players, routers, switches, wireless access points, network storage, game consoles, digital cameras, sewing machines and telescopes. ^(Wikipedia)

Simply put, Linux is an Operating System (OS), like Microsoft's Windows, or Apple's OS X. It's very likely that you are using either Windows or OS X to look at this page, but most people are unfamiliar with Linux. There is no reason to be afraid of Linux, and it has matured quickly in the past few years.

Note for the tech-savvy: strictly speaking, Linux is a kernel, not an operating system; however, we commonly use the term Linux to refer to the "software ecosystem" that it represents, that is, Linux-based operating systems. As such, we will refer to Linux from now on, but we mean "Linux-based". You can learn more about the subtle nuance by comparing the Wikipedia articles on Linux vs the one on the Linux kernel.

Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux-based operating systems have some things in common, and some differences. For the beginner, the biggest difference is how they look:

A screenshot of Microsoft Windows XP
A screenshot of Mac OS X Jaguar
A screenshot of Ubuntu Linux 8.04, running the GNOME desktop environment.

Under the hood, there are quite a few differences, but most users don't need to worry about them. All an average user should worry about is which OS will do the jobs he or she needs it to do.

For more information on Linux, see the Wikipedia article.

What is FOSS?

FOSS stands for Free Open Source Software. "Free" means two things: Free as in no cost in money, and Free as in freedom to do whatever you want with it. Some people prefer to call it "Software Libre" instead of Free Software, or simply Open Source Software. It is also called FLOSS (Free Libre Open Source Software). Open Source refers to the fact that the source code is made available for anyone to look at and use for their own programs.

One of the most common reasons given for avoiding FOSS is that people think that anyone can go into the code and add a virus. This is definitely not true. FOSS, such as Firefox and OpenOffice.org, are built by a community, and anyone can submit code for the program, but it must be approved before it is added.

For more information on FOSS see the Wikipedia article on Free Software.