Linux is a free(well, open
source)
operating system originally designed for the 386
computer(and more recent x86s) by Linus Torvalds and has since been
released for many types of computers, such as the Mac, PowerPC, SPARC
stations and others. It
runs well on older computers, has excellent networking capabilities, and a
very cute penguin mascot, Tux. Just exactly how free is Linux?
GNU General Public
Liscense describes the legal aspects of it.
www.linux.org This is a great place to begin learning about linux. (the site is extremely busy, so it may be a bit slow; please be patient)
Myths about linux are abundant- this is an article which will hopefully dispel those myths(or, at the very least, produce some counter-propaganda). Here is another more graphically oriented linux myth dispeller. Linux a security risk? the NSA apparently doesn't think so.
Linus's commentary on Tux, the linux penguin. i find his statements on the matter to be quite profound(if not out-right hilarious).
www.openclassroom.org is putting together a linux-based open source software distibution for use in education. that's great!
Linux for newbies, an online tutorial.
National Public Radio's All Things Considered aired a story about Linux on April 8th, 1998. Give it a listen, if you'd like.
www.linuxmall.com An example of a sucessful linux-based business, and a place to order linux software, books, penguins, t-shirts, etc. It also has many news articles relevent to linux.
www.redhat.com is another very sucessful linux business(supported by big-hitters like Compaq, IBM, Intel, Netscape, Novell & Oracle), and they produce the most easy to use distribution of linux i've come across (and i've installed and used 6 or so distributions). 8/6/99 i change my mind. RedHat is growing increasingly annoying. I've been using SuSE linux 6.1 and look forward to getting slackware 4.0... which are perhaps in some ways more difficult to install, but far more flexible. DosLinux is also a really great, easily downloadable distribution, that can easily co-exist with DOS or Windows. Peanut linux is another great distribution- much like doslinux(only bigger), but comes preconfigured with X-Windows(X-Free86) and KDE, as well as Netscape Navigator
metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux(formerly sunsite.unc.edu) is a popular website to download linux material from. It is also a very busy site, so please look for mirror sites near you. The Urbana, IL mirror works pretty well for me. metalab.unc.edu also provides numerous other resources.
This is a handy site for determining the location of an internet site(to determine the closest mirror sites, to satisfy idle curiosities...)
Microsoft's Halloween Documents might show you what they have to say about linux.
www.linuxlinks.com appears to be far more comprehensive site than mine will ever be- with 5000(and probably more by now) links to linux information.
here's a little page about linux on my 486 Sharp pc8660 laptop. For more information about linux on laptops, check out a Linux-Laptop page
here are a few quotes i've found amusing:
From: grep@calvin.oriole.sbay.org (George Bonser)
"Well, let's just say, 'if your VCR is still blinking 12:00, you don't
want Linux'".
--- Bruce Perens, Debian's Fearless Leader
editor's note from rob the Naked Pirate: i think even this may be
changing...
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From: tempest@amiserv.xnet.com (Gregory Ade)
From the Linux getopt(3) manpage:
"BUGS
This manpage is confusing."
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From: "Wayne O. Cochran"
"Windows is packaged with Solitaire (ooh)!
Linux is distributed with Doom ... you can have your deck of cards,
I'll take a chainsaw!"
--- paraphrase from comp.os.linux.advocacy
the logos from this site mostly come from here