[What you need to know if you're looking to work for an IT company!] What is Linux? (For beginners)
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Hello!
I'm Inoue, the Persian cat at Beyond Shikoku office.
With 2022 now underway, some of you may be starting a new job as engineers in April, right?
So, this time,
"Linuxwe'll answer the question,
When I first joined the company, I was also completely baffled when I heard the term "Linux."
To prevent aspiring engineers from experiencing the same confusion, I'll explain it here.
What is Linux?
Linux is an operating system (OS).
You're probably familiar with Windows and Mac OS.
Linux is also a type of OS, like Windows and Mac.
"OS" stands for Operating System, which is the basic software used to operate computers and smartphones.
Earlier, I mentioned that Linux belongs to the same family of operating systems as Windows and Mac, but
Linux has many features that Windows and Mac do not.
Linux features
Linux is open source, meaning anyone can use it freely and for free.
Therefore, it's used for a variety of purposes, including IT-related work and learning.
While it's primarily used for servers, it's also excellent as an environment for personal programming learning. This
is because, as mentioned earlier, Linux allows you to set up a development environment for free, making it easy to configure a programming environment.
Linux is primarily command-line interface (CUI).
You won't be using the mouse to click around like you're used to on a regular computer.
Instead, you'll mostly use the keyboard to type commands to send instructions to the OS.
Using commands to send instructions to the OS allows you to download software like Apache,
check server status, and more.
In addition, you can use cron to start programs at specified times, and
system data after a certain period to prevent it from accumulating and consuming disk space
allow you to delete or overwrite
You can utilize these kinds of automation mechanisms.
Furthermore, Linux has a large selection of high-quality software, most of which is free to use.
Representative examples of such software includeApacheandMySQL.
Linux is widely used as a server by many people around the world, and one of its key features is its high reliability.
However, most of the help and documentation is in English, which is a challenge for a Persian cat who only understands Japanese.
That said, the availability of English help and documentation is proof of its widespread use worldwide. It
would be great if more Japanese help and documentation became available in the future.
Linux is not good at editing multimedia such as videos and music.
Therefore, these are areas where Windows and Mac excel.
In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Linux is that it's free for everyone to use and allows for free building and customization. The fact that
there are no initial costs is a great benefit.
Even if something doesn't work as expected, you can install and customize the software as many times as you need, so there's no need to worry.
These days, you can find information on how to download software and learn many commands simply by searching the internet.
a wealth of information on how to use it available online, so even Linux beginners can get started.
"Linux is so much fun! I want to explore it more!"Many people probably think,
Linux also allows for user privileges, so you can use it with peace of mind from a security standpoint.
Linux in the narrow sense and Linux in the broad sense
When you hear the word "Linux," some people might have a general idea of what it is.
While engineers often use the term "Linux" casually,Linux in the narrow sense" and "Linux in the broad senseit can be divided into
" "Linux in the narrow sense" refers only to the "Linux kernel.
" The "Linux kernel" is the core part of the Linux operating system.
The "kernel" refers to the core part of an operating system that issues instructions to the hardware.
Therefore, it refers only to the software within the "Linux" operating system that controls the computer's hardware under the name "Linux."
When we consider Linux as a kernel, we call it "Linux in the narrow sense."
As I mentioned in "What is Linux?", if we consider "Linux" as an "OS", then this is "Linux in a broad sense".
When preparing a Linux environment, the first thing you do is decide which "Linux distribution" to use.
Now, what is a "distribution"? Some of you may be wondering. I would like to
talk about "distributions" which are necessary when preparing a Linux environment.
allow users to use Linux
a "distribution" is a package that includes the core part called the kernel, as well as basic commands and applications that
In other words, when we consider Linux as an OS, we call it "Linux in a broad sense".
You can remember that "Linux in a broad sense" = "Linux distribution".
There are two types of "Linux distributions": Red Hat-based and Debian-based, but
I often use Red Hat-based distributions, including CentOS.
While we don't usually think about the distinction between "Linux in the narrow sense" and "Linux in the broad sense,"
it's a useful piece of trivia for engineers to know.
Linux Operation Guide Blog
I've written a few blog posts in the past about how to use Linux.
I hope you find them helpful.
[For Linux Beginners] Editing and Saving with the vi Command
[Super Beginner's Guide in 3 Minutes] Displaying Linux OS Command Execution History
[Super Beginner's Guide in 1 Minute] Checking System Uptime on Linux OS
[Super Beginner's Guide in 3 Minutes] Checking Disk Usage
[Super Beginner's Guide in 3 Minutes] Creating and Deleting Directories
Linux Challenge Blog
[Persian Cat Memo] I tried it with the AWS free tier! Adding SWAP space
[Apache] Easy explanation of how to view access logs
Linux Useful Blog
This solves the problem! Change your forgotten MySQL root user password
Finally
This was a rather rough summary, but what did you think?
When I first joined the company,The New Linux TextbookI bought and read a book called
I recommend it because it covers a wide range of topics, from answering the question, "What is Linux?" to explaining commands that engineers frequently use.
This might be a good opportunity to look into the history of Linux, which can be fun.
Persian cats wholeheartedly support new employees as they spread their wings as engineers!
Growing every day, moving forward every day.
I must update myself every single day!!!
Thank you for reading to the end.
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