The differences and connections between UNIX and Linux

Source: Internet
Author: User
Tags posix

The biggest difference between Linux and Unix is that the former is free software that develops source code, and the latter is the traditional commercial software that protects the source code from intellectual property. This should be their biggest difference, this difference manifests in the user to the former has the very high autonomy, but to the latter can only go passively adapts, this difference also manifests in the former development is in a completely open environment, but the latter development is in a black box completely, Only the relevant developer is able to access the prototype of the product.

The source of Linux goes back to the oldest UNIX. In 1969, Ken Thompson of Bell Labs began using an idle PDP-7 computer to develop a multi-user, multitasking operating system. Soon, Dennis Richie joined the project and, with their joint efforts, was born the earliest Unix. Richie was inspired by an earlier project--multics to name this operating system Unix. Early Unix was written in assembly language, but its third version was redesigned with a new programming language, C. C is the programming language that Richie designed and used to write the operating system. With this rewrite, Unix was ported to a more powerful DEC pdp-11/45 with 11/70 of computers running on it. What happened later, as they say, has become history. Unix came out of the lab and became the mainstream of the operating system, and now almost every major computer vendor has its own version of UNIX.

Linux originates from the simple needs of a student. The only software that Linus Torvalds,linux's authors and major maintainers can afford when they go to college is Minix. Minix is a Unix-like simple operating system that is widely used to aid teaching. Linus to Minix not very satisfied, so decided to write their own software. He started his work on an Intel 386 PC as a prototype of the familiar UNIX of the student age. He was very quick and encouraged by his work, and he shared the results with other students through the Internet, mainly in the academic field. Someone saw the software and started distributing it. Whenever a new problem arises, someone will immediately find a solution and join it, and soon Linux becomes an operating system. It is worth noting that Linux does not include UNIX source code. It was rewritten in accordance with the open POSIX standard. Linux uses the GNU software from the Free Software Foundation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Linux itself is built with them.

Two other major differences:

1) UNIX systems are mostly hardware-compatible, while Linux can run on a variety of hardware platforms.

2) UNIX is a commercial software, and Linux is free software, free, open source code.

History

Unix's history is longer than Linux. Linux is thought to originate from Unix

Products

Both UNIX and Linux are the name of the operating system. But the Unix four letters, in addition to the operating system name, also belong to SCO as a trademark.

Linux is commercialized with Redhat Linux, SuSe Linux, Slakeware Linux, red flags in the country, and Turbo Linux.

Unix is dominated by Sun's Solaris, IBM AIX, HP-UX, and the SCO Unix/unixware of the x86 platform.

[Other differences]

The core of Linux is free, free to use, and the core source code is open. And the core of UNIX is not public.

On hardware requirements, Linux is lower than Unix and less demanding than UNIX. Linux is easier to master on installation than UNIX.

In use, Linux is relatively less complex than UNIX.

UNIX is mostly hardware vendors for their own hardware platform of the operating system, mainly related to the CPU, such as Sun's Solaris as a commercial, positioning in its use of SPARC/SPARCII CPU workstations and servers, of course, Solaris also has x86 version, Linux also has its own version of RISC. But to be exact, it's not appropriate to compare UNIX on a RISC with Linux on x86. As for the price, the personal use of Linux is basically free, different Linux vendors for enterprise-class applications on the basic system of some optimizations, such as Redhat Enterprise products, these products including support services are more expensive. UNIX, like Ibm/hp/sun, because it is primarily for its hardware platform, so the operating system is usually in the device price. (No one is going to buy a Unix operating system alone.)

In terms of performance, Linux is not as comprehensive as UNIX, but is largely more than enough for individual users and small applications. Typically, if you have access to a UNIX environment, such as the banking and telecommunications sectors, it is generally a fixed-model UNIX. For example, the majority of sun in telecommunications, civil aviation in the majority of HP, the majority of IBM in the bank. In learning, different UNIX command sets are somewhat different, so be aware of them.

As for learning, I think Linux is more studious, and now like and tinker with Linux more and more people, a variety of information about Linux is also a lot. If you want to learn, then the Linux or BSD system is a good choice. A x86 machine will do. Application, unless it is a large web site, general enterprises or individuals, using Linux.

UNIX is a powerful, full-featured multi-user, multi-tasking operating system, can be applied from supercomputer to ordinary PC and many different platforms, is the most widely used, the most influential operating system.

Linux is an operating system that looks and performs the same or better than UNIX, but Linux does not originate from any version of Unix's source code, not UNIX, but a Unix-like product. Linux products successfully imitate the UNIX system and functions, specifically, Linux is a set of compatible with System V and BSD Unix operating systems, for System V, the current software program source code to Linux under the recompile can be run, and for the BSD UNIX, its executables can be run directly in the Linux environment.

In general, Linux is a set of operating systems that comply with the POSIX (Portable OS Environment) specification, which enables all UNIX features on an ordinary PC computer with multitasking and multiuser capabilities. Another major reason for Linux's fondness for computer enthusiasts is that it has the full functionality of Unix, and anyone who uses UNIX operating systems or who wants to learn UNIX operating systems can benefit from Linux.

In terms of network management capabilities and security, people who have used Linux agree that Linux is similar to UNIX. UNIX system has been used as a high-end application or server system, so has a set of perfect network management mechanism and rules, Linux followed these excellent rules, so that the network can be configured very strong, providing a great flexibility for system management.

Here are some explanations of the differences and connections between UNIX and Linux, and want to help you!

The differences and connections between UNIX and Linux

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