NYLUG.org:
New York Linux Users Group
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NY-LUTE |
NYLUG.org:
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Linux is an independent POSIX implementation of the Unix operating system and includes true multitasking, true multiuser capabilities, virtual memory, shared libraries, demand loading, proper memory management, TCP/IP networking, copy-on-write executables, and other features consistent with Unix-type systems. Because it conforms to the POSIX standard user and programming interfaces, Linux has been ported to more hardware platforms than any other operating system. Likewise, software that runs on Linux is easily ported to and from other Unixes.
Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds and a team of programmers from around the world who relied on the Internet as their development vehicle. Consequently, the operating system software that grew out of this collaboration is very crash-proof, highly interoperable, very configurable, and uses the Internet very efficiently. Furthermore, its security capabilities are unsurpassed.
Many have benchmarked Intel Pentium-based machines running Linux and found them to deliver
performance comparable with mid-range workstations from Sun and Digital.
http://www.cs.uml.edu/~acahalan/linux/benchmark.html
http://www.tdl.com/~netex/mb/mb.html#A few Benchmarks to Consider
http://www.unix-vs-nt.org/kirch/#performance
http://www.silkroad.com/bass/linux
In addition to fast performance and reliability, Linux is well-known for its high quality. Development is unusually rapid by industry standards, with bug fixes and security patches typically available less than a day after a bug is found, and entire new subsystems emerging in a matter of months. With developers in every time zone, round-the-clock bug fixing is the norm.
Another unique fact about Linux is that the software license is non-restrictive. In fact, all of the source code is freely available under the General Public License (GPL) which allows an unlimited number of people to use or make changes to it on an at-will basis. It also legally requires that anyone who redistributes the software, with or without changes, must also pass along the legal right to further copy and change it. This guarantee spawns aggressive peer review and has historically provided incentive for others to make improvements, test the code and fix bugs voluntarily. This new trend in software development, called "Open Source," has produced some of the highest quality software in the world, including the undisputed leader in webserving, the Apache webserver.
Due to the nature of Linux's functionality and availability, it has become quite popular worldwide to take Linux's source code, customize, adapt and recompile it to meet one's individual needs. It is very common to strip the kernel of unnecessary features in order to decrease the footprint in memory. Unlike Windows NT (65 million lines of code), Linux with its meager 1.5 million lines of code, runs quite comfortably in just 4MB of RAM.
Access to source code means that Linux will always be available from more than one organization. Therefore no one can ever get "locked in" to an exclusive contract with a single Linux provider. Competition among providers also advances Linux as a whole much faster than any one company would ever have the resources or motivation to do. Therefore, it is practically impossible for Linux technology to become obsolete - another reason why an increasing number of developers are swarming towards Linux.
By lowering the barrier of entry in the software industry, Open Source has created a large new pool of technical talent. In today's tight labor market, Linux developers are among the most plentiful because the code is free and extremely well-documented.
Linux is perhaps most famous for its low total cost of ownership. Since there are no server nor
client licensing fees and since Linux runs well on commodity off-the-shelf hardware, traditional
cost structures typical in most IT environments are not present. In May 1999, Wired Magazine wrote
"when you compare the cost of building a 25-person LAN using Microsoft products with the cost of using
open-source software, the results are pretty staggering."
This case study compares the
cost of ownership
for a 25 person LAN running Windows NT at $21,453 per year to an equivalent LAN running Linux which
only costs only $5544 per year.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/7.05/cheaplan.html
In conclusion, Linux and Open Source were born of the Internet and these technologies have fundamentally changed the economics of the software industry:
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With the generous support of IBM, all NY-LUG meetings are held at the IBM headquarters building located at 590 Madison Ave. on the corner of 57th Street in mid-town Manhattan. Meetings take place every third Wednesday of the month starting at 6:30pm. All meetings are free and open to the public. | |