In this video,
let's talk about the importance
of understanding the design philosophy
that has driven Linux over the course of its history.
This philosophy is one of openness and transparency
that has shaped Linux
into the operating system that it is today.
Linux is a family
of open-source, Unix-like operating systems
typically packaged into what's called a distribution.
Now it has been the operating system of choice
for many educational and commercial institutions
due to its robustness
and its extreme low cost of acquisition.
Businesses have also relied on Linux
for their day-to-day operations,
and have seen significant impact over time.
Now, by now you probably have already heard
of popular Linux distributions,
things like Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora,
but there are literally hundreds
if not thousands of other current distributions
in active development.
Linux's popularity is mainly
because of its open source software,
which allows anyone to freely download,
modify, and even redistribute it.
Now it's important to realize
that much of the success of Linux
is due to this open source nature.
The term open source refers to computer software or programs
in which the source code is readily available
for public use or modification from the original design.
It encourages a collaborative effort among programmers
and general users belonging to that program
or software's community
to be able to improve on its design and purpose
by recoding things as they go.
Now, on the other hand,
we also have something known as proprietary software.
Proprietary software is really the opposite of open source.
With proprietary software,
this is going to be a type of software
that's released under a license
that's going to impose restrictions
on what an end user can actually do with that software,
such as how they can download it, modify it
or distribute the entire software
or even parts of that software.
Now, speaking of licenses,
there are many different types
of software licenses out there
including this proprietary software we're talking about.
Now in the open source community,
we use several different types of licenses.
These include the GNU General Public License or GPL,
the Apache license, the MIT license,
the Creative Commons Zero license, and other ones like this.
Now these different licenses are just a few
of the broad spectrum of open source licenses,
from highly protective to unconditional sharing.
Now Linux being Unix-like,
follows the principles of simplicity and modularity
that were set forth
back in the Unix design philosophy as well.
This means that Linux is going to be highly customizable,
reliable, and stable.
Linux also places an emphasis on security and privacy.
Being open source,
many Linux distributions are completely free of charge.
This means you can download them and use them
without having to pay anything.
Now, when you look at proprietary software
like Windows, for example,
you're going to get support from a developer,
but you've paid for that support by licensing that software.
Now in Linux,
because it's open source, you're not paying any fees
but that also means you don't have anyone to call
when things go wrong.
So Linux communities have sprung
up to provide free support to Linux users.
Now remember, free and open source software
also comes with a couple of caveats.
Linux has a much deeper learning curve
compared to those proprietary software,
things like Windows or Mac OS X.
And much of the software that's built for Linux
is not very well supported because somebody could create it
and then abandon it over time.
There's also no definitive or official version of Linux,
which can be really confusing to new users.
And with some exceptions,
there's really no truly official vendor-provided support.
Unlike Microsoft Windows,
where you can just call up Microsoft for support,
Linux doesn't have a central help desk
that you can call and get help with.
But despite these drawbacks,
the pros often outweigh the cons here.
And I've already mentioned,
there are a number of Linux distributions or distros
that are flourishing,
like Ubuntu, Fedora and many others.
While all Linux distributions are based on the Linux kernel,
they do differ primarily in what they offer
as software bundled into that distribution.
This is software that's being added on top of the kernel
to make a fully functional operating system.
There's also differences in the community,
the rate of release and other factors to consider too.
When you're choosing a distribution,
it's more of a matter of identifying which distribution
most closely aligns with your business needs,
as well as your familiarity with the different tools
that are going to be embedded within that distro.
Now some of the more well known Linux distributions
include distributions like Ubuntu, Linux Mint,
Debian, Fedora, Red Hat, Kali Linux, Parrot Linux,
MX Linux, Arch Linux, Gentoo Linux,
Slackware, openSUSE,
CentOS and FreeBSD.
In this course, when I do demonstrations,
we're going to be using CentOS.
Now CentOS is a community-driven free software project
that is focused on creating a fully compatible open source
and free version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
The reason we're going to be using this distribution
in this course instead of using Red Hat
is because Red Hat is by far
one of the most commonly used Linux distributions
in the enterprise-scale networks,
but it costs a lot of money to get that.
So by using CentOS, you're going to be ready for the workplace
by knowing all the same commands
that are exactly the same between CentOS and Red Hat,
but you can download and use CentOS for free.
Now, if you're looking for a great distribution to use
as a Windows operating system replacement for your desktop,
I recommend you also check out Ubuntu.
Now, Ubuntu is a favorite of mine for home use
when you're trying to replace a standard Windows machine
because there's a lot of great desktop applications
including everything from word processors,
to video editors and more.
With CentOS, we're really focused
on having a server-based Linux operating system
that we can use in an enterprise environment.
So it's helpful to understand both of these.
Now there is one main advantage of using Linux,
and that is it is highly extensible.
As a result of this, Linux has been applied
to many computing roles, such as the use of servers,
mainframes and supercomputers,
but it can also be used
on a personal computer or as a workstation.
Linux is also used as the operating system
for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.
When you're using an Android phone,
it's actually a Linux phone at heart.
Now for some purpose-built distros,
we can also use Linux on embedded systems,
things like home appliances, smart thermostats, smart TVs
or even large industrial machinery.
Linux can truly be found everywhere,
from your smart watch to robots and everything in between.