Why do we like Linux?
Cross-platform: communicates with PCs and Macintoshes.
Low-cost: Because it is distributed with the GPL license, the cost is very low, or non-existent.
Customizable: The source code is available so we can make adjustments as needed.
Not demanding: A Linux server can run on a lower-end computer than NT or Mac servers.
Free Support: The Linux community supports itself through newsgroups and websites.
Low virus incidence: Non-existent?
Security: Excellent security options for individuals and groups. Linux is a UNIX-like 32-bit operating system that runs on a variety of platforms, including Intel, SPARC, PowerPC, and DEC Alpha processors, as well as multiprocessing systems. The operating system is essentially free and you can download it from the Web. You can buy fully supported commercial versions from Red Hat, Caldera Systems, and other companies.

Linux is a "user-developed" product, meaning that many of its components and drivers have been developed by users around the world who ran the operating system for their own use. The original operating system was developed by Linus Torvalds as a college project. It is now well supported and gaining ground as a respectable operating system despite its homegrown roots. The operating system is used by many Web site developers and is now available as an embedded system, either as a small software kernel or burned into a chip.

Anyone planning to use Linux for production use should first make sure that the applications they need to use run on the operating system, and that appropriate drivers are available to support hardware and software.

On the Web, Linux is one of the most well-documented and talked-about products around. You can visit many different sites for more information about the latest releases of Linux and programs written for Linux. Linux International (LI) is a nonprofit association that promotes the growth of Linux. The LI Web site has historical information, Linux resources, links, mailing lists, documentation, FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), and other information.

Distributors such as Red Hat, Caldera, Walnut Creek, and WorkGroup Solutions bundle the basic Linux kernel with additional utilities and product support. Some of the versions are quite sophisticated and include cross-platform utilities that interoperate with other operating systems.
Linux is a completely free reimplementation of the POSIX specification, with SYSV and BSD extensions (which means it looks like Unix, but does not come from the same source code base), which is available in both source code and binary form.

Linux, per se, is only the kernel of the operating system, the part that controls hardware, manages files, separates processes, and so forth. There are several combinations of Linux with sets of utilities and applications to form a complete operating system. Each of these combinations is called a distribution of Linux. The word Linux, though it in its strictest form refers specifically to the kernel, is also widely and correctly to refer to an entire operating system built around the Linux kernel.