Intro to Intro to GNU/Linux

What's going on here?

This is a class introducing the GNU/Linux operating system: what it is, why it matters, how to install and use it.

Who are you?

Your instructor. My name is $NAME, I'm a volunteer with Free Geek Seattle.

What's that?

What is GNU/Linux?

It is an operating system and a collection of software. It's the intersection of GNU and Linux. Linux is the kernel, the part that handles hardware, drivers, scheduling and so forth. GNU is the collection of software that makes up much of the rest of the PC_Operating_System. It also includes the software used to build Linux.

GNU

GNU is also a project which develops and maintains the software. It was started in 1984 by Richard Stallman as a Free Software alternative to UNIX.

Linux

Linux started in 1993 at the instigation of Linus Torvalds. Linux is still in charge as BDFL of the project.

So What?

What does any of this have to do with the software you use every day?

Not much...

You don't actually have to know anything about the origins or legal and political ramifications to use the software, but...

...but everything

You use GNU/Linux every day whether you know it or not.

Web sites

Google, Facebook, Boing Boing and many other web sites are hosted on computers running GNU/Linux. Most of the big sites use it. The others are broken ;^)

Embedded devices

Set-top boxes, home networking equipment, appliances and other "non-PC" devices often run GNU/Linux.

Smartphones

More than half of all smartphones run Linux. Very few run GNU, but this may change in the future.

Where to get it

Free Software?! Sounds like a deal, right? Here's How to Order:

The Hard Way

You can download Linux from http://kernel.org You can download GNU from http://www.gnu.org/software/software.html

Then, if you are really smart and a masochist, you can try to put it all together yourself. You'll probably want some other software from other projects too. The Linux From Scratch book can help you build your fancy, ultra-customized, uberhacker system. It probably won't work, but you'll be the koolest kid at the hackfest.

The Easy Way

Or, you can just download and install one of the many great GNU/Linux [distributions] available. It's pretty simple, and we have step by step instructions at this page.

The Really Easy Way

If you go through our Adoption or Build programs, you'll wind up with a computer that has Xubuntu GNU/Linux _already_ installed on it!