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Linux is Network-friendly
Nowadays, people are becoming more and more enamored of the Internet and what it can do for them.
Since Linux was developed by a team of programmers over the Internet,
its networking features were given high priority. Linux is capable of acting as client and/or server to any of the popular operating systems in use today, and is
quite capable of being used to run Internet Service Providers. It is also well-suited to serving as a dial-in network station.Linux supports most of the major protocols, and quite a few of the minor ones. Support for Internet, Novell, Windows, and Appletalk networking have been part of the Linux
kernel for some time now. With support for Simple Network Management Protocol and other services (such as Domain Name Service), Linux is also well suited to serving
large networks.
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Linux is Multi-user
Linux is an implementation of the UNIX design philosophy. This has numerous advantages, even for a system
where only one or two people will be using it. Security, which is necessary for protection of sensitive information, is built into Linux at selectable levels. More importantly, the
system is designed to multi-task. Whether one user is running several programs or several users are running one program, Linux is capable of managing the traffic.
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Linux is Open
Perhaps most importantly for what we are trying to accomplish with SEUL, Linux is open. That means that for the entire base system, which includes the kernel, the GNU
tools, and all the basic utilities, we as programmers and users have access to the source code as well as the right to modify it. Without that access and that right, many of the other Linux projects currently underway, including GNOME, the GNU Network Object Model Environment, a
desktop interface; MNEMONIC, a free web browser under development; or many
others would not have been possible. If users like SEUL, they will be able to modify it if they wish.
An important aspect of open software is the ability to write kernel extensions and drivers as needed.
Another huge advantage of an open system is a large number of software authors and beta testers. This makes the software testing and refinement process faster and
better. Because there is not a lot of commercial software for Linux (though that is an increasing market), most software written for Linux is written because the authors want
to do it. Since there are no corporate deadlines, there need be no compromise of quality. It means higher-quality software, which means less prone to crash, more efficient, what have you.
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Linux is "Free"
Linux is "Free" in two senses. In one sense, the Linux consumer is free to modify the system and do anything he or she wishes with it. In another sense, acquiring Linux
does not necessarily require any cash outlay at all.There are two very popular methods for acquiring and distributing Linux: FTP and CD-ROM. Most of the major Linux distributions (Red Hat, Debian, Slackware, Caldera) are
available for free download from several popular sites. Though time consuming, it does not cost anything beyond connection charges.Of course one of the greatest advantages of Linux is that it is the freedom to modify the existing code makes it a very easily extensible platform. That is exactly what we are
trying to do with EUL - modify and extend the base system to make it easier for people who do not have years of Unix experience to work with the system.
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Linux is Reliable
Linux is one of the more stable operating systems available today. This is due in large part to the fact that Linux was written by programmers who were writing for other
programmers and not for the corporate system. The only people who made the decisions on what went into the system were programmers. Also, the deadline pressure is
not as strong when one is developing as a hobby.
Several uptimes of over 1 year were reported. This is because the system is designed to be upgraded and modified "on the fly" -- the only reason one would need to turn off a Linux system would be
to add hardware or boot from a different kernel. That means that the end-user can count on Linux to work consistently, day in and day out.Another factor which touches on reliability is that there are currently two mature program packaging standards in the Linux world. Debian and Red Hat each have their own
packaging systems; both will check dependencies (package A needs to have package B installed before it will run, so the installer will install package B), both can upgrade
an entire running system without a reboot. this makes it easy to upgrade parts or all of a system, as well as add new software, or remove unwanted software.
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Linux is Backwards-Compatible
Linux has superb support for older hardware. This is because the driver authors need time to write and test the drivers, and some vendors are not exactly forthcoming with the information required to write a driver.What this means for the user is that they can protect their investment in hardware. When old hardware is rendered obsolete by the latest version of Windows (or
MacOS...we try to be fair), it can most likely still run enough of Linux to be perfectly useful. There is no reason for Linux users to try to make hardware obsolete - and every
reason for them to provide support for older hardware.
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