74 lines
4.5 KiB
HTML
74 lines
4.5 KiB
HTML
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<!Converted with LaTeX2HTML 95.1 (Fri Jan 20 1995) by Nikos Drakos (nikos@cbl.leeds.ac.uk), CBLU, University of Leeds >
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<TITLE>1.7.3 Linux vs. The Other Guys</TITLE>
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<meta name="description" value="1.7.3 Linux vs. The Other Guys">
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<meta name="resource-type" value="document">
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2004 HREF="node29.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2002 HREF="node25.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1996 HREF="node27.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2006 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2007 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2005 HREF="node29.html">1.7.4 Other implementations of </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2003 HREF="node25.html">1.7 Differences Between Linux </A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1997 HREF="node27.html">1.7.2 Linux vs. MS-DOS</A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<H2><A NAME=SECTION00373000000000000000>1.7.3 Linux vs. The Other Guys</A></H2>
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<P>
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A number of other advanced operating systems are on the rise
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in the PC world. Specifically, IBM's OS/2 and Microsoft's Windows NT are
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becoming very popular as more users move away from MS-DOS.
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<P>
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<A NAME=487> </A>
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<A NAME=488> </A>
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Both OS/2 and Windows NT are full multitasking operating systems, much like
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Linux. Technically, OS/2, Windows NT, and Linux are quite similar: they
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support roughly the same features in terms of user interface,
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networking, security, and so forth. However, the real difference between Linux
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and The Other Guys is the fact that Linux is a version of UNIX, and hence
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benefits from the contributions of the UNIX community at large.
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<P>
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What makes UNIX so important? Not only is it the most popular operating
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system for multiuser machines, it is also the foundation for the
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majority of the free software world. If you have access to the Internet,
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nearly all of the free software available there is written specifically
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for UNIX systems. (The Internet itself is largely UNIX-based.)
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<P>
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There are many implementations of UNIX, from many vendors, and no single
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organization is responsible for distribution.
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There is a large push in the UNIX community for standardization in the form
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of open systems, but no single corporation controls this design.
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Hence, any vendor (or, as it turns out, any hacker) may implement these
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standards in an implementation of UNIX.
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<P>
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OS/2 and Windows NT, on the other hand, are proprietary systems. The
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interface and design are controlled by a single corporation,
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and only that corporation may implement that design. (Don't expect to see
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a free version of OS/2 anytime in the near future.) In one sense, this
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kind of organization is beneficial: it sets a strict standard for the
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programming and user interface unlike that found even in the open systems
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community. OS/2 is OS/2 wherever you go---the same holds for Windows NT.
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<P>
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However, the UNIX interface is constantly developing and changing. Several
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organizations are attempting to standardize the programming model,
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but the task is very difficult. Linux, in particular, is mostly compliant with
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the POSIX.1 standard for the UNIX programming interface. As time goes on,
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it is expected that the system will adhere to other such standards, but
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standardization is not the primary issue in the Linux development community.
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<P>
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<A NAME=489> </A>
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<A NAME=490> </A>
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<P>
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<BR> <HR><A NAME=tex2html2004 HREF="node29.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="next" SRC="next_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2002 HREF="node25.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="up" SRC="up_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html1996 HREF="node27.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="previous" SRC="previous_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2006 HREF="node1.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="contents" SRC="contents_motif.gif"></A> <A NAME=tex2html2007 HREF="node250.html"><IMG ALIGN=BOTTOM ALT="index" SRC="index_motif.gif"></A> <BR>
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<B> Next:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2005 HREF="node29.html">1.7.4 Other implementations of </A>
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<B>Up:</B> <A NAME=tex2html2003 HREF="node25.html">1.7 Differences Between Linux </A>
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<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME=tex2html1997 HREF="node27.html">1.7.2 Linux vs. MS-DOS</A>
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<BR> <HR> <P>
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<BR> <HR>
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<P><ADDRESS>
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<I>Matt Welsh <BR>
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mdw@sunsite.unc.edu</I>
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</ADDRESS>
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</BODY>
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