January 2002
Beginner
368 pages
10h 52m
English
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Chapter 1. Why Run Linux?
Welcome to Linux, the operating system that everyone’s talking about. Unlike the weather—which proverbial wisdom says you can’t do anything about—you can do something about Linux. You can run it on your own PC, so that you can see firsthand what the talk is about. This chapter is the first leg of your journey into the land of Linux. Here, you’ll learn whether this particular journey is right for you and what you can expect down the road. If you’re impatient to get started, you can jump ahead to the next chapter, which helps you prepare your PC for installing Linux. But if you’d like to know more about the history and capabilities of Linux, read on.
What Is Linux?
Linux is an operating system, a software program that controls your computer. Most PC vendors load an operating system—generally, Microsoft Windows—onto the hard drive of a PC before delivery; so, unless the hard drive of your PC has failed, you may not understand the function of an operating system.
An operating system solves several problems arising from hardware variation. As you’re aware, no two PC models have identical hardware. For example, some PCs have an IDE hard drive, whereas others have a SCSI hard drive. Some PCs have one hard drive; others have two or more. Most PCs have a CD-ROM drive, but some do not. Some PCs have an Intel Pentium CPU, whereas others have an AMD Athlon, and so on. Suppose that, in a world without operating systems, you’re programming a new PC application—perhaps ...
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I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
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I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.