On Friday 25 October 2002 8:44 am, Setag Lib wrote:
I hear linux is very good. Is this true? Where can I buy it? What is difference between RedHat and Linux?
Regards, Setag
HI Setag, All of us on this mailing list think that Linux is good! :-) There are a large number of places where Linux can be purchased including the websites for the major distributions such as RedHat, SuSE, and Mandrake. The term "Linux", strictly speaking, refers to the core of the operating system, that is, the part which "talks" directly to the computer hardware. Having this ability is necessary but insufficient to do useful work on the computer. You need programs such as word processors, windowing environments, etc, etc. There are many groups of people (including companies) who have gathered together a large amount of software (including the Linux kernel) with the hope of having enough software to enable most people to do useful work (or have fun!!) with Linux. Some of these companies are RedHat, SuSE, and Mandrake (there are many others). Groups of people which are not companies include Debian. A collection of software which includes the Linux kernel that is distributed by a group of people is referred to as a Linux "distribution". There are many long discussions about which distribution is the best. There is no correct answer, just alot of opinions. In the United States, RedHat and Mandrake appear to be the most commonly used, while in Europe, SuSE has a large following. It is truly difficult to know which is most commonly used since the software can be downloaded from the Internet and counting downloads is not a reliable way to gauge the number of users as some users might download multiple times (for software upgrades, as an example). I look back and see I've written perhaps more than you wished to know, but I hope you find it helpful. Later, Andy -- Andy Stewart, Founder Worcester Linux Users' Group Worcester, MA USA http://www.wlug.org