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Linux is a Unix-like kernel created by Linus Torvalds. It is licensed under the GPLv2, making it libre, and is one of the biggest libre software projects, as it is stable, lightweight and secure. The open source model of Linux allows it to be more secure, as it allows you to see through the code and it accepts contributions, making it faster to fix security vulnerabilities and general bugs. In fact, Linux is already used widely on servers due to the stability and security. It is also used on mobile phones, with Android being the biggest distribution. Linux isn't used much on the desktop because it isn't used with the most preinstalled operating system Windows, which has its own kernel. However, due to it being libre, it can be a better choice for an operating system with the privacy and security benefits that comes with knowing how a piece of software runs and overall performance with the Unix-like design.

The easiest way to use Linux is with distributions, which are operating systems that use Linux as the kernel and other software to create a usable experience. They normally include GNU software and a Desktop Environment - like Cinnamon or Gnome. Since distributions are normally libre, derivitaves/spinoffs are allowed to be created, resulting in hundreds of distributions to be created. (Click here to see a full timeline of Linux distributions)

A Desktop Environment is a suite of software that acts as the main GUI of the computer. They usually have the traditional floating window layout, a unique GUI design and a different set of software depending on the Desktop Environment. Both Windows and MacOS have Desktop Environments so it can be easy to get used to this type of GUI. Some popular Unix DEs are KDE Plasma and Gnome.

A Window Manager is just one minimal application that manages windows. Some WMs come with a bar but others are more minimal and require you to install a bar. You are expected to install the extra components yourself like your preferred application launcher, bar and terminal. You also require configuring the WM with your exact keybinds to open applications and other commands to do various functions so this can take a lot of time. However, this is worth it if you want to achieve a faster workflow and use your computer more efficiently. The most popular window layout is the tiling WM, which automatically tiles windows instead of having them float over eachother, which greatly improves efficiency. There is also tags or workspaces which lets you have multiple desktops at once, allowing you to quickly switch between applications.

GNU, which stands for GNU's Not Usable or more-widely known as GNU's Not Unix, is useful software for combination with Linux, mainly the Unix utilities and the C standard library, first developed by Richard Stallman (the handsome man above) and licensed under the GPL (Linux uses GPLv2 an older version of the GPL, which is GPLv3). The GPL is a copyleft license, which means that you are allowed to study and use the source code - as long as you also put your modified code under the same license. Copyleft licenses use the copyright system in order to restrict the propiertization of code.

There are some Linux-native games like TF2 and Minecraft but Linux distros are able to play Windows games through the Wine compatability layer by translating Windows API calls to Linux API calls. In fact, on Steam you are able to use Proton, which is a bundle of software that includes their fork of Wine and other projects that improve compatability with Windows, such as DXVK and VKD3D, to play Windows-only games on Steam. There is also a Linux metalauncher called Lutris that combines every launcher together and helps you install certain non-steam games with install scripts.

🎞️ AT&T Archives: The Unix Operating System

In Unix operating systems, the shell is the interface to the kernel. You can run various utilities to get basic jobs done like cp to copy files or mkdir to create a new directory. This is an important part of Linux because the shell can be the most powerful way to control your computer. One of the most important utilities for the shell is the text editor, where vim (an improved version of vi) or Emacs are the most popular on Linux systems.

For example, you can combine commands with the Unix pipe | which takes the standard output from the previous command and uses it as the input. For example you can do cat file.txt | grep "Install Gentoo" to print out text to the terminal (cat file.txt) and use grep to search for "Install Gentoo" (grep "Install Gentoo"). This can be faster than having to go through a massive file in a GUI text editor and manually find it yourself.