What is Linux: Definition and 250 Discussions

Linux ( (listen) LEEN-uuks or LIN-uuks) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution.
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name "GNU/Linux" to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu. Commercial distributions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system such as X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma. Distributions intended for servers may omit graphics altogether, or include a solution stack such as LAMP. Because Linux is freely redistributable, anyone may create a distribution for any purpose.Linux was originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture, but has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system. Because of the dominance of the Linux-based Android on smartphones, Linux also has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems. Although it is used by only around 2.3 percent of desktop computers, the Chromebook, which runs the Linux kernel-based Chrome OS, dominates the US K–12 education market and represents nearly 20 percent of sub-$300 notebook sales in the US. Linux is the leading operating system on servers (over 96.4% of the top 1 million web servers' operating systems are Linux), leads other big iron systems such as mainframe computers, and is the only OS used on TOP500 supercomputers (since November 2017, having gradually eliminated all competitors).Linux also runs on embedded systems, i.e. devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system. This includes routers, automation controls, smart home technology (like Google Nest), televisions (Samsung and LG Smart TVs use Tizen and WebOS, respectively), automobiles (for example, Tesla, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Toyota all rely on Linux), digital video recorders, video game consoles, and smartwatches. The Falcon 9's and the Dragon 2's avionics use a customized version of Linux.Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open-source software collaboration. The source code may be used, modified and distributed commercially or non-commercially by anyone under the terms of its respective licenses, such as the GNU General Public License.90% of all cloud infrastructure is powered by Linux including supercomputers and cloud providers. 74% of smartphones in the world are Linux-based.

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  1. benagastov

    Error while Executing "Make all" code for Quantum Espresso in Colab

    Good evening, Now I start learning Quantum Espresso and I tried to install it on Google Colab, since I already get convenient and its my habit to do all computation in Physics using google Colab. Sometimes I rent cloud gpu if I need bigger RAM and GPU when I have heavy load. You can see the...
  2. S

    What do the extra text fields in the Wavemon scan screen mean?

    In the <F3> (scan) screen of Wavemon, there are certain outputs whose meaning I would like to know. 1. In the third column, there is a percentage. What does that indicate? 2. After the frequency column, some rows (i.e. some SSIDs) have extra text fields like "ESS", "5% chan", "1 sta", "Radio...
  3. shivajikobardan

    Explaining Find Command's "-perm mode", "-perm -mode" & "-perm /mode" in Linux

    I am reading the find documentation and find this pretty confusing. I'll try to explain what I've understood. You can add your explanation to this. . ├── file1.txt (Permission: 644) ├── file2.txt (Permission: 600) └── subdir ├── file3.txt (Permission: 755) └──...
  4. shivajikobardan

    Small confusion about redirection in Linux

    https://linux-training.be/funhtml/ch18.html echo hello > greetings.txt I feel it's telling before counting the number of arguments, redirection operator is ignored. But later it says how it affects output erasing file case. [paul@RHELv4u3 ~]$ cat winter.txt It is cold today! [paul@RHELv4u3...
  5. shivajikobardan

    Why should not I add current directory to PATH in Linux?

    I get that if I put current directory in PATH like said above, I can execute commands from any directory. But what's the problem in that? How's other person able to come and execute it? Why does it makes system unsecure compared to the case where we don't put current directory to PATH? Can you...
  6. Wrichik Basu

    Using crontab to clone private GitHub repo and run lualatex on Ubuntu

    My distro is Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS. I am trying to set up a cron job that will clone a private GitHub repo via git every hour, run lualatex, and save the compiled PDF to Google Drive. I have written a script for this purpose: [CODE lang='bash' title='myscript.sh']#!/bin/bash cd...
  7. Brief-Wishbone

    Unable to install orangescrum in centos 7?

    I've followed almost all tutorials related to installing orangescrum including the one from official orangescrum site. https://www.orangescrum.com/open-source-general-installation-guide#download-open-source-all But even the official tutorial doesn't work. It stops and says failed to install...
  8. Brief-Wishbone

    How to get benefits of LVM in linux?

    https://www.linuxtechi.com/how-to-create-lvm-partition-in-linux/ So far, I followed this tutorial and did the steps told there. But it doesn't make me realize the importance of LVMs. What can I do to realize the importance of LVMs compared to partitioning? What's that that partitioning can't do...
  9. Brief-Wishbone

    Difference between "usermod -aG" and "usermod -G" options in linux?

    I'm on centos 7. I'm wondering what could be the differences between these two? I've read this but could not grasp what they're trying to say. Can you give me an example scenario to work with? https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/608822/difference-between-usermod-ag-and-usermod-g-options
  10. Dex_

    Apple's new ARM CPUs vs, classic x86 for physics?

    Hi it's my first post here! I'm in my second year of my degree and looking to replace my computer. The new M-series chips seem like a better deal, however I am nervous that some software that might not be compatible with the ARM architecture. For more context on my workflow I do quite a bit of...
  11. shivajikobardan

    Other Book to learn system administration using CentOS Linux?

    Recommend the best out of the bunch. I am visual learner so book with lots of pics, codes would be immensely useful.
  12. M

    Ubuntu (or another distro) on a crowded SSD

    I'm a Master student in Physics and my professor for the thesis suggested to use an OS different than Windows, so I want to install a Linux distro in dual boot since I don't want to completely leave Win10 at the moment. I shall point out that I will be working in condensed matter physics (DMRG)...
  13. Vanadium 50

    Troubleshooting Linux Kernel Issues with Older CPUs

    I am not sure what the next step is: Linux kernel 4.18.0-425.3.1.el8.x86_64 work s fine. 4.18.0-425.10.1.el8_7.x86_64 works on two of my five machines. On the other two, I get the screen messages "CPU Stall" but nothing obvious in the log files. The troubled machines have older CPUs (Haswell)...
  14. M

    Github and some help starting out (Linux)

    Hi PF! I am trying to learn github on Linux. I made a repository online called Leetcode, and added a folder "python" there. I wanted to try adding the directory "cpp" to the repository via the command line, so I thought I did this via the add command. To check and see if it indeed uploaded, I...
  15. jedishrfu

    Recent Linux News and Intel Indirect Branch Tracking

    https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linux-IBT-By-Default-Tip IBT is part to Control Flow Integrity strategy/standard: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control-flow_integrity
  16. ramana3797

    I need help to fix a Quantum Espresso installation error in Linux

    I'm a M.Sc physics student and I need to use quantum espresso for my research project . I tried the same procedure I used to install it on the system at home as I did for the one at the College but i keep getting the same error . I can't find why . I'm also new to linux . I'm using ubuntu and I...
  17. S

    Changing mouse cursor on Raspberry Pi OS (Debian Linux)

    I used GIMP to edit copies of certain cursor files called left_ptr and hand2 from the "cursors" folders within the theme directories /usr/share/icons/[theme name]/cursor. This was for the themes "Adwaita" and "DMZ-white". Then I renamed the original cursor files and put the new edited versions...
  18. wyattmarshall

    Best way to self-teach Electrical Engineering and Embedded Systems?

    Summary: Trying to self-teach Electrical Engineering, Embedded Linux and AVR/ARM to make a career change into embedded systems development and I need suggestions on the best way to do that. I have a plan but I honestly have no idea if its a good one. I have been into computers my whole life...
  19. Arman777

    Linux - Moving/Copying Files via terminal

    I am trying to move files and folders from one directory to other. Both of the files has multiple subfolders and files. From the reasearch I have made it seems that the answer should be something like, `cp mv -vr \Downloads\* .` But I am not sure this is true or not. I am also not sure about...
  20. JD_PM

    How to open an STL Mesh file in Linux

    I am building up a mesh via defining a background mesh (using blockMesh) and snappyHexMesh I am dealing with the STL 2D Mesh surface (I cannot uploaded because PF doesn't accept zip files nor STL). My issue comes when I want to open it. When I run vi constant/triSurface/river.stl in the linux...
  21. jim mcnamara

    Pkexec Exploit Gives Attackers Root on Major Linux Distros

    https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/a-bug-lurking-for-12-years-gives-attackers-root-on-every-major-linux-distro/ It's easier for PF members to get some details from the link. I'm sure fixes will start to show up soon. .
  22. R

    Troubleshooting a Linux Filesystem Issue

    I have some Opensuse installed around, and I ran into a really disturbing problem yesterday. I've just made a reinstall. Usually, this goes by swapping the drive (usually I keep the old one and do the new install on a different drive), do a clean install, then mount the old drive and move the...
  23. Arman777

    The status of the previously created ubuntu folders in windows linux s

    A couple of months ago, I had created a WSL1 and used the Ubuntu app under the username void Later on, I have decided to upgrade it to WSL2, but I have encountered an error while upgrading it. Later on, I have discovered that it was due to BIOS virtualization settings. In any case, I have...
  24. dRic2

    Managing Dual Linux OS and Partitions on PC

    Hi, I am running on pc with 2 different Linux OS and the following partitions /dev/sda1 (Boot) /dev/sda2 (ArchLinux) /dev/sda3 (something empty) /dev/sdb1 (Ubuntu) /dev/sdb2 (EFI System partition) /dev/sdb3 (no name) Since I basically don't use ArchLinux, I wanted to uninstall it. I...
  25. pairofstrings

    What changes often in Linux OS?

    Can anyone tell me what the area is in Linux that doesn't change often? We have System programming, Kernel Programming, Device Driver Programming which one of these are less frequently touched? By "change", I mean, how often -in System Programming or Kernel Programming or Device Driver...
  26. Eclair_de_XII

    I'm considering switching to Linux but I'm not versed in ICS

    EDIT: I've already made up my mind about what I'm going to do. So any input would be welcome but not entirely necessary. It's something I've been thinking about every time that Windows 10 annoys me by slowing down my system to a fault by installing new modules while I'm still using it, bugging...
  27. jack action

    Losing Wifi hotspot when connecting to signal

    New to Wifi. I bought the following wifi network adapter to make my PC a hotspot for my new smart phone to connect to: I could finally make it work by installing the driver from kelebek333 (from the PPA repo). I created a wifi connection with a method similar to this one. (The IPv4 & IPv6...
  28. Wrichik Basu

    Understanding the NAME_REGEX in Linux (used for checking usernames)

    I was helping one of my classmates to set up the Ubuntu app on Windows 10 so that he can do Bash programming. While setting the username, he was getting an error due to bad regex, and that prompted me to look up the regex for username on Linux. This regex is stored in /etc/adduser.conf file. The...
  29. M

    Should I delete all PPAs to fix failed updates on Ubuntu 18.04?

    Hi PF On Ubuntu 18.04 when I try and run software updates I get the error "Failed to download repository information". When I run apt-get in terminal I get E: The repository 'http://ppa.launchpad.net/blahota/texstudio/ubuntu bionic Release' does not have a Release file. N: Updating from such...
  30. UFSJ

    Good programs to make graphs (complex systems) in linux

    Hi guys, my questions is simple and direct. I'm new in the study of complex systems and would like to know which programs are suggested to use to build a graphs, some thing as 1500 connected points. Thanks a lot!
  31. Wrichik Basu

    PDF editors for Linux (free or paid)

    I need a good pdf editor for Linux. It can be free or paid. My budget is USD 70. Preferably a perpetual licence. It would be great if the software has a trial version, which will enable me to determine whether it suits my needs. It should have the following capabilities: insert/edit text OCR...
  32. T

    How to use linux library to interface with hardware

    We have a system that requires software to program a fairly complex frequency synthesizer IC. Given the desired frequency, software executes an algorithm to calculate the values needed to be programmed into the physical device. We would like to have this algorithm contained in an independent...
  33. P

    Comp Sci Convert between base system in C on Linux

    We have been requested to run this on linux. I am able to read in the original base system and then I am able to enter the number. As soon as I enter the original number the system reads out "Enter the base of the output:" then does not allow the user to enter the second base. Instead it just...
  34. M

    Linux terminal output top-to-bottom instead of default bottom-to-top?

    Hi PF! I am running Ubuntu 18.04. The terminal output has all new lines at the bottom of the screen. This is giving me some discomfort. As such, is there a way to have the terminal output new text at the top? I've googled it but didn't find much. Thanks!
  35. S

    Anyone using m.2 SSDs in Linux?

    I'd assume that m.2 hard drives like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN217QG/?tag=pfamazon01-20 work just like any other hard drive in Linux. However, the paragraph: makes me wonder if firmware updates require software that runs on Windows or Mac. And how important would firmware updates be?
  36. Wrichik Basu

    How to find original directory in case of bind mount?

    I was trying out the Linux concept bind mount in Android. As everyone knows, Android is developed on Linux framework. I have a rooted phone, and also a terminal emulator with a busybox that supports most of the important Linux commamds. I ran the following commands: $su #cd /storage/emulated/0...
  37. L

    How to build my own Linux Distro?

    Hi, I'm interested in creating my own distro of Linux. I need help on where I start though. I don't have a programming degree, but I might be able to develop it myself in my off hours if I self-educate. Thank you.
  38. Wrichik Basu

    Shutting down Windows 10 from CMD takes more time than usual....

    Just like a Linux computer can be made to shut down from the terminal using sudo poweroff, a Windows 10 PC can be shut down from the command prompt using shutdown /s. I have, however, seen that Windows 10 takes more time to shut down if the command is triggered from CMD. In my laptop, it...
  39. L

    How to replicate Linux Academy's videos for blog?

    Hi, I'm starting a blog that will have computer-related courses on there. My question is how exactly do I replicate the way that courses are made on Linux academy? What software and hardware do I need? what ediiting software should I use? What exactly do I need to replicate the videos like Linux...
  40. M

    Troubleshooting Linux OpenFOAM Issue - Help Needed

    Hi PF! I'm unsure if I'm in the right area, but I'm trying to run OpenFOAM on Linux. I'm following the tutorial here: https://cfd.direct/openfoam/user-guide/v6-tutorials/ but when I type the 4th command: cp -r $FOAM_TUTORIALS/incompressible/simpleFoam/pitzDaily I receive the error: cp...
  41. L

    (Linux) having trouble connecting Linux to internet/wifi

    Hi, Let me tell people this first: I have already invested in wireless usb wifi adapters and this has still not solved the problem. My internet at home is wireless. The modem is upstairs on the main floor while my office space and computers are downstairs. I want to install Ubuntu Linux on the...
  42. L

    Should I switch to Linux or Mac?

    Hi, For my next computer I either want a PC running OpenSUSE for coding and Ubuntu for gaming. I can code C++, Python, and Swift. I know that for Swift development you need a Mac computer. There's just no other way to code swift other than getting a Mac and XCode. But I know that Linux is pretty...
  43. L

    (CompTIA Linux+ certifications) How to become more of a detail-oriented learner

    Hi, My question is how to improve my detail-oriented learning style. I admit that I struggle to learn through books as opposed to online courses or hands on. The company that I currently work for agreed to pay for my CompTIA certifications to help me transfer into the tech department. I don't...
  44. H

    What is the connection between organic chemistry, trigonometry, and astronomy?

    Hi, I am a retired Organic Chemist. I was looking around for the answer to a trig question and found this site. It looks interesting so I signed up. I am also an amateur astronomer, and have an interest in arduinos and raspberry pis as well as other computers. I mainly use linux and my...
  45. T

    Forensic analysis using Memory Dump

    I'm in my second year in college and I've taken an Operating Systems course that has a project component. I've been assigned Memory Forensics as my project topic. On approaching the professor I was told that I need to attempt to attack the Linux Kernel ( I'm guessing that means I need to write...
  46. E

    MATLAB Switching to Linux - LateX, MATLAB, JavaScript, Java, C++, Python, R

    How easy is it to switch to Linux full-time? Programs I mainly use are LateX, MATLAB, and languages I use (or may use) are JavaScript, Java, C++, Python, and R. My concern is compatibility with windows, since not all people use Linux, and I may need to share some files with windows users. For...
  47. M

    Writing a module to a linux kernel

    I was wondering about "writing a module to a linux kernel." This question haven't asked yet. Would you please explain why linuxers write such modules to a linux kernel? What is the reason? Thank you.
  48. Arman777

    Download Linux on Windows - Step-by-Step Solutions

    I am trying to download a linux on windows but I couldn't find a site. I tried to download from Oracle VM but I couldn't make it work. I need help. Thanks
  49. E

    Linux Privacy: Advice on Efficiency, Security & Convenience

    I just watched a video to Richard Stallman (you can find it here), in which he says that Ubuntu violates the freedom principle of the Gunu/Linux project, by sending the searches you make on your computer to canonical (I think it is the source of Ubuntu or something), and it includes Amazon...
  50. E

    Linux: Videos play fastforward

    Hello, Everything was just fine, and today when I opened Ubuntu on VirtualBox, the videos on YouTube played fastforward (and the voice as well). I googled this issue, and the solution seemed to change the audio output option as System>Preferences>Sound>Output Then select "Internal Audio Analog...
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