2.2 Linux and Unix

Question 1

What is Unix and its historical significance?

Answer 1

• One of the Oldest OS
• Developed at Bell Labs in 1969
• C Programm Language
• Originally Open Source
• Widely Adopted in Academia

Question 2

How did Linux evolve and differentiate from Unix?

Answer 2

• MINIX Open Source educational OS layed groundwork
• Linux Kernel Developed by Linus Torevald
• Open Source protected under GNU
• Community Driven, Torevald oversees Kernel

Question 3

What are the structural similarities between Unix and Linux?

Answer 3

• Layered approach with standardized Interfaces = flexible implementation
• POSIX standard = compatability
• Users can choose from multiple command-line shells and desktop environments like GNOME and KDE

Question 4

How do Unix-like operating systems handle file systems differently?

Answer 4

• Adopt the “everything is a file” paradigm, representing hardware resources as files.
• Support a unified directory tree that includes both normal and special files, allowing for straightforward device interaction.
• Utilize mounting to integrate the file systems of storage devices into the global directory tree

Question 5

What is POSIX?

Answer 5

• Standard that defines Uniform Programming Interface for UNIX
• Supported by IEE
• Copatible accross different OS

Question 6

Comparison of Win32 API and POSIX functions

Answer 6

• Win32 API and POSIX standards offer similar functionalities with different naming conventions (e.g., CreateFile vs. open, ReadFile vs. read).
• Unix/Linux systems tend to favor the POSIX standard for cross-operating system compatibility, unlike the Windows-specific Win32 API.

Question 7

GNU General Public License

Answer 7

This license (also called GNU GPL) allows anybody to use, modify, and distribute open-source software provided that the license’s exacts terms are always retained.

Question 8

Name Significant Linux Distributions

Answer 8

• Ubuntu
• Fedora
• Debian
• CentOS
• ArchLinux
• Red Head Enterprise