Embracing the Future with Linux
By Jason Eckert
“Some people have told me they don’t think a fat penguin really embodies the grace
of Linux, which just tells me they have never seen an angry penguin charging at them
in excess of 100mph. They ’d be a lot more careful about what they say if they had.”
>>> Linus Torvalds
When Linus Torvalds created the first Linux operating system kernel more than a decade ago and branded it with a simple penguin logo, no one would have imagined that it would be used by over 18 million people today and continue to develop faster than any other operating system ever created.
Based on the UNIX operating system, Linux is a unique operating system, because it is freely developed and continuously improved by a large community of software developers. Software that is developed in this manner is called Open Source Software (OSS). Today, OSS is created by millions of software developers worldwide who work together via the Internet to distribute, test, and improve software that is needed by modern organizations. SourceForge.net alone hosts over 80,000 active OSS projects, and nearly all of these software projects are designed to run on the Linux operating system.
Because Linux is freely developed, several of its attractive features have evolved over the past decade. Linux runs on almost any hardware platform, supports thousands of different types of software applications, and can be customized to suit the ever-changing needs of organizations. This versatility allows Linux to be used in a large variety of situations, including the server computing market and the Internet, as well as in the entertainment and scientific industries. Companies such as IBM, Dell, and HP market Linux on their server hardware platforms to perform a variety of server functions within other organizations. The largest Internet search engine in the world, Google.com, uses thousands of Linux computers daily to connect millions of users to resources on the Internet. Dreamworks Inc. uses large clusters of Linux computers to create movies such as Shrek, and NASA uses Linux computers to control exploration rovers on the surface of Mars. You will also find Linux technology in cell phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), refrigerators, cars, and even game systems, such as the Sony Playstation.
More companies are implementing Linux technology today than ever before. By migrating their traditional computer systems to faster and cheaper Linux systems and using cutting edge OSS, such as the Apache Web server, the MySQL database engine, and the Samba file and print server, companies can cut costs and improve performance. The investment giant, Morgan Stanley, expects to save $100 million in the next year following its migration of 4000 server computers to Linux the previous year.
This Linux phenomenon has caused a great deal of confusion and change within the Information Technology industry. Companies such as Microsoft and Sun Microsystems have lost a large part of their operating system market share to Linux since 2001, which is mainly due to the attractive low cost of implementing Linux and OSS.
As the number of companies implementing Linux grows, so does the need for skilled users, developers, and administrators. Linux is now a common word found in technical job advertisements, and several Linux certifications have been established to provide a benchmark of technical ability by organizations such as CompTIA, RedHat, SUSE, Linux Professional Institute, and Sair-GNU. Universities, colleges, and high schools across North America incorporate Linux and OSS into their curriculum, while book store shelves are cluttered with hundreds of Linux and Linux-related titles. In addition to this, a multitude of freely-available Linux resources exists for those who want to learn Linux. New Linux users can visit one of several thousand Web sites for information and help on learning Linux, or they can attend a Linux Users Group (LUG) meeting in their local area. There are over 600 registered LUGs worldwide listed at www.linux.org.
In short, like an angry penguin charging at 100mph, Linux has made its way into the computing world, and it doesn’t look like it is going to disappear any time soon. Instead, Linux continues to shape the industry as more and more organizations incorporate Linux into their own Information Technology infrastructures. And while the Linux operating system is highly developed today, it continues to change and grow and will most certainly increase its momentum in the future.