Friday, January 14, 2011

The architecture of Linux

Linux consists of a central set of programs that run the PC on a low level, referred to as the kernel, and hundreds (if not thousands) of additional programs provided by other people and various companies. Technically speaking, the word Linux refers explicitly just to the core kernel program. However, most peoplegenerally refer to the entire bundle of programs that make up the operating system as Linux.

Although most of us refer to Linux as a complete operating system, the title “Linux” hides a lot of confusing
but rather important details. Technically speaking, the word Linux refers merely to the kernel file: the central
set of programs that lie at the heart of the operating system. Everything else that comes with a typical ver-
sion of Linux, such as programs to display graphics on the screen or let the user input data, is supplied by
other people, organizations, or companies. The Linux operating system is the combination of many disparate
projects.

The GNU organization, in particular, supplies a lot of vital programs and also system library files, without
which Linux wouldn’t run. These programs and files were vital to the acceptance of Linux as an operating
system in its early days. Because of this, and the fact that Linux completed a long-running goal of the GNU
project to create a Unix-like operating system, some people choose to refer to Linux as GNU/Linux.

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