Datasheet

Chapter 1: An Overview of Red Hat Linux 9
• Application support — Because of compatibility with POSIX and several different
application programming interfaces (APIs), a wide range of freeware and shareware
software is available for Linux. Most GNU software from the Free Software Foundation
will run in Linux (although some may take a bit of tweaking).
NOTE: Because of the popularity of the Red Hat Package Management (RPM) format for packaging
software, many software packages are available on the Internet in RPM format. If the RPM version matches
your processor type (most have i386 and or i686 versions available), you can install the package without
building and compiling the package. See Chapters 2 and 5 for information on working with RPM packages.
Primary Advantages of Linux
When compared to different commercially available operating systems, Linux's best assets are
its price and its reliability. Most people know that its initial price is free (or at least under $100
when it comes in a box or with a book). However, when people talk about Linux’s
affordability, they are usually thinking of its total cost, which includes the capability of using
inexpensive hardware and compatible free add-on applications. Although commercial
operating systems tend to encourage upgrading to later hardware, Linux doesn’t (although
faster hardware and larger disks are nice to have).
In terms of reliability, the general consensus is that Linux is comparable to many commercial
UNIX systems but more reliable than most desktop-oriented operating systems. This is
especially true if you rely on your computer system to stay up because it is a Web server or a
file server. (You don't have to reboot every time you change something.)
Another advantage of using Linux is that help is always available on the Internet. There is
probably someone out there in a Linux newsgroup willing to help you get around your
problem. Because the source code is available, if you need something fixed you can even patch
the code yourself! On the other hand, I’ve seen commercial operating system vendors sit on
reported problems for months without fixing them. Remember that the culture of Linux is one
that thrives on people helping other people.
NOTE: If you have general questions about Red Hat Linux, try the linux.redhat.misc
newsgroup. For specific questions about networking or hardware, try the following newsgroups:
comp.os.linux.networking and comp.os.linux.hardware, respectively.
What Is Red Hat Linux?
Having directories of software packages floating extraneously around the Internet was not a
bad way for hackers to share software. However, for Linux to be acceptable to a less technical
population of computer users, it needed to be simple to install and use. Likewise, businesses
that were thinking about committing their mission-critical applications to a computer system
would want to know that this system had been carefully tested.