Linux operating systems are an alternative to licensed operating systems like Microsoft Windows and are created with free open source software and have been becoming more and more popular over the past few years … So, this article is intended as an introduction, and later we will delve further into the issue and how they relate to the world of translations in future articles.
The creator of the kernel, or core component of these operating systems, was Linus Torvalds in 1991, and his name along with the GNU toolset (GNU’s Not Unix) gave rise to the wide variety of operating systems “Linux” or “GNU Linux”, as it is also known.
It is one of the most popular “free” operating systems, since all the source code can be used, modified, enriched and redistributed freely, by and for their community.
A member of the community is anyone who develops under the terms of the GPL (GNU General Public License) and other licenses.
The core or “kernel” developed by Linus Torvalds is the software component responsible for interpreting and interacting with all the hardware components that make up the PC and the set of tools from the GNU project or other projects such as GNOME or KDE offer all the advanced functions that the user can perform their daily tasks, such as browsing the Internet or reading emails.
At the same time, since for each type of task is more than one free program available, some users began to package the kernel with the application package of their choice. These set of applications are called “distributions” and their aim is to provide varying forms to suit the needs of a specific community. Some of these distributions we can mention are “Ubuntu”, “Debian”, “Mandriva”, “Fedora”, etc.
According to some technology reports, an area where Linux is winning the battle is in its use as a server, since it is estimated that 80% of major Internet servers in the world use some of its variants.
While its largest market is for IT professionals, there is a gradual and steady increase in the use of Linux in the market for family PCs (Ubuntu), handhelds (PDAs), mobile phones (Android), etc.
Below is a brief listing of the numerous equivalent programs for Windows and GNU/Linux, which we will expand on later.
In a following article, we will go into detail on the relationship of Linux and the world of translations …
Web Navigators:
GNU/Linux: Firefox
Windows: Internet Explorer
Email Clients:
GNU/Linux: Evolution, Thunderbird
Windows: Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express
FTP Clients:
GNU/Linux: Gftp.FileZilla.
Windows: Proof FTP, CuteFTP, FileZilla.
Instant Messaging Clients:
GNU/Linux: Pidgin, aMSN
Windows: MSN
For more information, please read this article on CAT Tools for Linux, or direct your inquiry to Translation Services.
(Spanish version: https://www.trustedtranslations.com/sistemas-operativos-linux-introduccion-2010-08-07.html)
