I wanted to write this article to talk about the many different distros of the Linux Operating System. Before I go into the distros, I need to talk first about what Linux is, just in case you are unfamiliar with the Linux Operating system.
Linux is a free Operating System. If you are unaware of what an Operating System is, it is what we need to be able to use a computer. Many people use Microsoft Windows or maybe the Apple Mac Operating System. If you just had a computer with no Operating System, you would not be able to do anything with the computer. It would just sit on your desk and have a blank screen. Think of the Operating System as the engine in your car. Without an engine, the car really would be of no use. Once the computer has an Operating System, we can install the programs that make the computer useful.
So what is Linux? Linus Torvalds created Linux while attending the University of Helsinki in the fall of 1990. He wrote the code for Linux out of a need for a better Operating System. He also always envisioned his Operating System to be FREE and Open Source. We all know what FREE means; he wants no money for his work. Open Source means that he wants others to be able to see all of his code and add more functions to the system. So how can FREE be any good? This is something all of us Linux users have been fighting to get new users to the Operating System. People are conditioned to have to pay big money to use a computer! Thanks, Microsoft and Apple, for that. The simple truth is that Linux is more secure because so many people are now working to keep it that way. There are also millions of FREE applications that run with Linux.
Now that you know where Linux came from and what it is let’s talk about what a Distro is. One thing that many of us Linux users love is tinkering with our computers. We also love trying out new Distros. A Distro is a different style of Linux or even different layouts of desktops, including software packages. I also feel this is the downside of Linux for new users because there are too many choices. If you are new and want to use a FREE and Secure Operating System, start with either Linux Mint or Ubuntu Linux. Both of these Distros are easy to use and come with all the software you will need to use your computer to the fullest.
A million videos on YouTube will help guide you along your journey into using Linux. I also plan to begin writing a series of help guides to assist you in your personal journey of using Linux. I love videos and also create many. But I also love to have step-by-step guides to show me the way. My first series will be using Linux Mint since it is my favorite which is also what my wife uses daily, and my wife is not a technical person. I may make some of this content paid for because of the workload involved in putting it together. So now it is time for you to try out Linux and have a more FREE Secure Operating System.