GNU Linux is the world’s most advanced free operating system. Built on a solid kernel and the UNIX-like GNU system, it is designed with freedom. It’s what makes your computer reliable, highly secure and compatible. What's more, it is elegant and easy to use.
A quick overview of a GNU Linux distribution. See how easy it is to enjoy its features!
The Linux kernel was initially conceived and created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. The Linux kernel runs on a highly diverse range of computer architectures: from embedded devices such as smartphones, desktop computers, laptops to servers and supercomputers1.
The GNU operating system is a complete free software system. GNU stands for “GNU's Not Unix”. Richard Stallman made the Initial Announcement of the GNU Project in September 1983 and thus founded the Free Software movement and the Free Software Foundation.
Today there are many different variants of the GNU Linux system. These flavours are called “distributions.” Ubuntu is only one of them. It is itself based on Debian, but there are many others such as Fedora, Mandriva or OpenSuse. Estimates are that tens of millions of individuals now use GNU Linux systems, and so do large organisations like Wikipedia or big companies like Google2.
GNU Linux doesn’t get PC viruses. And even without antivirus, it protects you from malicious programs. The system is designed as to provide maximum security to the user. That’s why so many web servers trust GNU Linux, even on the Internet where there are so many threats.
Unlike proprietary operating systems, GNU Linux cares about your privacy. Many GNU Linux distributions comes with high-featured privacy tools that enables anyone to feel safe about private data, such as GnuPG which enables you to digitally sign or encrypt your files and emails.
There are different Desktop environments on GNU Linux, the most popular are Gnome and KDE. Because Free Software is software you can modify, GNU Linux is infinitely customizable. Some distributions focus on elegancy, others focus on simplicity and sobriety. Many of the last innovations in terms of desktop effects (3D acceleration) comes from GNU Linux's compiz application.
GNU Linux is also perfect for netbooks and for low-power computers!
GNU Linux is Free Software. “Free” is a matter of freedom, not price. It is sometimes referred to as Open Source Software. Precisely, Free Software grants you
Free Software is the key toward a Free Society, in a world where software becomes widely pervasive in our lives. By using Free Software, you make sure that the system doesn't impose its control over you or over others. And the more Free Software keeps going stronger, the more others will benefit. Free Software has been a major component of such projects as Wikipedia or the One Laptop Per Child association.
Some GNU Linux distributions come by default with a lot of features, and you also have a large amount of Free Software available at no cost.
The good news is, you don't have to struggle on the Web to find where to download the appropriate installation file. You have packages repositories which enable you to install directly the software you're looking for. It's easy, fast and reliable; and you have thousands of applications.
Ubuntu is the easiest GNU Linux distribution for beginners. But the best way to discover GNU Linux is to get helped by someone who is already using it! There are a lot of "GNU Linux Users Group" around the world, search on the web for one in your area. If you don't know anyone, I advise you to read the documentation.
If you have a Free Software-only supported hardware, you should use a 100% Free Software distribution like the Ubuntu-based, gNewSense.
[1] Linux is used by 90% of the top 500 supercomputers in the world and it is more and more used on smartphones, e.g. with Google Android which is based on Linux
[2] See How Google Uses Linux. Some estimates that there are twenty-nine million GNU Linux users.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. See the Linux Foundation website for more information about the Linux Kernel.