
Introduction to Linux
OS/2 Users Group - June 1997 Meeting
Matthew Tippett
(mtippett@linuxsa.org.au)
Introduction
- Linux
- What is Linux?
- History
- Uses for Linux
- Current Platforms
- Linux Connectivity
- Available Software
- Linux Resources
- LinuxSA
- What is LinuxSA?
- History
- Contacting LinuxSA
What is Linux?
- Freely Distributable UNIX Clone
- 32 or 64 bit
- Compliant to X/Open and POSIX
- Mostly compatible with BSD and SYSV
- Fully available and independent source code
- Linux is the kernel, not the utility programs
- Six years old, now at 2.0.30 (2.1.43)
- Available on multiple hardware platforms
- Covered by the GNU Public License (GPL)
- Not Free-ware or Share-ware
- Linux Source code will ALWAYS be freely available
- Can be developed by anyone
History Of Linux
- Developed and maintained by Linus Torvalds
- Inspired by, and initially developed on Minix
- Initially supposed to be the Hacker's Minix
- 5 October 1991 - First Official Release 0.02
- Developed in two streams x.y.z - y even and odd
- Development Epochs
- March 1992 - 0.95 - Approaching Official Release
- December 1993 - 0.99pl14
- March 1994 - 1.0 (1.1, 1.2, 1.3)
- June 1996 - 2.0 (2.1)
Uses For Linux
- Unix Workstation
- Software Development
- GNU Development Environment
- Java
- Many others
- File Server
- Unix, Windows and Netware
- Internet
- Web Server
- News Server
- Firewall
Supported Platforms
- Major platforms
- Intel (386, 486, Pentium & SMP)
- Sparc (sun4 hardware, Ultra underway)
- DEC Alpha
- Other platforms, including
- MIPS
- Motorola 68000
- Motorola PowerPC
- On different platforms either 32 or 64 bit
- Networking
- Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Arcnet, ATM,
modems, Packet radio, X.25, ISDN,
Token ring, Parallel
Linux Connectivity
- Network Filesystems
- NFS
- SMB
- Netware
- Appletalk
- Local Filesystems
- Native (e2fs)
- DOS FAT, VFAT, FAT32
- UFS, System V
- ISO 9660
- HPFS, Amiga FFS
Software
- Native Software
- Commercial Software - Corel, MS ActiveX
- Java Applets
- SCO and SVR4 software - iBCS2
- Emulated
- SunOS and Solaris software
- Windows 16 bit software - WABI, Wine
- DOS software - DOSEMU
Linux Resources
- In Print
- Linux Journal
- SysAdmin Magazine
- On The Internet
- Linux International
- SSC
- LDP
- http://www.sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/LDP/
- Software Archives
- Sunsite
- ftp://sunsite.anu.edu.au/pub/Linux/
- TSX-11
- ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/
What is LinuxSA?
- What?
- User Group
- Promotes Linux In South Australia
- Who?
- Any experience level
- Professionals and Hobbyists
- When & Where ?
- 7:00 pm, Third Tuesday of the Month
- 38 Greenhill Rd
LinuxSA History
- Reason For Forming
- Wanted support with Linux
- Wanted to share ideas about Linux
- Creation and Start up
- End of 1995/start of 1996
- First meeting April, 1996
- Three more meetings in 1996
- 1997 and the Future
- InstallFest April, 1997
- Numbers increasing, resources becoming available
Contacting LinuxSA
- LinuxSA Homepage
- http://www.linuxsa.org.au/
- LinuxSA Mailing List
- LinuxSA Organisers
- organisers@linuxsa.org.au
- mtippett@linuxsa.org.au
- geoffrey@linuxsa.org.au
- Telephone
- Matthew - 8285 7804
- Geoffrey - 8370 3650
Questions?