Linux, properly known as GNU/Linux, is a free, open source, Unix-like operating system, developed originally for home PCs, but which now runs on a variety of platforms including PowerPC, Macintosh, Amiga, Atari, DEC Alpha, Sun Sparc, and many others. Linux is probably the most popular UNIX-like OS. Much like the web, no one single company/organization owns Linux. Linus Torvalds created Linux in 1991 while he was a graduate student in Finland; much of his work was based on available PC operating system software.   Linux is actually the name for the kernel (the core part of the operating system that is responsible for critical things such as memory and file management).

Training Class Facilities at LSTC running Linux

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The Livermore Software Technology Corporation (LSTC) training class facility pictured consists of 24 Pentium 4 machines running Linux.  LSTC, is the development source for the LS-DYNA  finite element analysis software program.

There are several flavors of Linux available today, the most popular being RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake, Turbulinux, Debian and Caldera.  A typical installation now consists of about 1000 floppies (fortunately it comes on 2 or 3 full CD's instead) and includes a large collection of software drivers and applications.

Linux offers one major advantage over nearly every other platform when it comes to software development:  basic development tools are free, including reliable C and C++ compilers.  Microsoft® Windows users would expect to pay several hundred dollars for a C/C++ compilers.  A very good graphical dbugger "ddd" is also free for Linux.

The Linux kernel is normally built using the GNU C compiler and this compiler is, therefore, one of the most reliable available for Linux.  the GNU C++ compiler enjoys a similar reputation.  Commercial C/C++ compilers are available for Linux, ones which are more efficient, but most people just stick with the GNU compilers.