(Solved) Can someone provide an over view of the Linux OS.

[Spud1200]

I was reading that Linux Mint is based of Ubuntu and Ubuntu is based of Debian. However LMDE is based directly of Debian and Debian has been around since the early 1990's.

The different flavors available for each specific purpose from what I can tell; what is the difference between Linux and Unix and do you have to pay for Unix.

PS: i hope this is the correct category for this question as I wasn't sure about it being put in newbie questions.

[austin.texas]

Distrowatch.com is one place to learn about linux distros.
Wikipedia is a good source of information about linux and unix.

[Spud1200]

I was reading that Linux Mint is based of Ubuntu and Ubuntu is based of Debian. However LMDE is based directly of Debian and Debian has been around since the early 1990's.

The different flavors available for each specific purpose from what I can tell; what is the difference between Linux and Unix and do you have to pay for Unix.

PS: i hope this is the correct category for this question as I wasn't sure about it being put in newbie questions.

EDIT: Apologizes, I should of been more clear about my Question. Is their a purpose for every Linux OS and can someone try and explain how the tree kinda works. If you can understand that, what I mean is their a structure involved. What is Debian and is their any other Debian like root OS's out their.

[GoLinux]

If it doesn't give you a headache looking at the charts , try this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... tributions

[Spud1200]

If it doesn't give you a headache looking at the charts , try this:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of ... tributions

From what I have read sitting hear at home. Their is a lot of variations in the Open Source Market. From what I can tell all this, even Debian and modern day Linux dates and goes back to Unix or should we say UNIX or even a UNIX Like operating system originally developed way back in the 1960's. UNIX being the first from what I can tell Computer Operating system and Ubuntu what is based off Debian and their are hundreds of flavors of Linux available. I have just read that Apple OS is UNIX as well, the likes of Darwin.

EDIT: I was wrong about the above comment. I think I'm getting confused.

[millpond]

From memory, the basics:

1. By the late 1960's there were many operating systems as machines got smaller with integrated circuits, and 'mini' computers began to compete with the massive IBM mainframes. There were also many programming languages, often based on specific purposes, like Fortran for engineering.

2. A general purpose OS based on a then new language called C caught on quickly, and was used to create an OS called Unix. There were many variations, but all were expemsive and none were aimed at the consumer market. System V and BSD were the two most prominent, but there were others as well. BSD survives in the present day as a free Open Source OS. It is NOT Linux.
And it haad been forked early into NetBSD and FreeBSD.

3. By 1990 the main language being taught in schools for business systems was C, and Unix was the primary language. Students with Personal Computers (PC's) often bought another Unix variant called Minix, for around US $300.

4. This was an extortionate sum, especially in Finland, where one student, Linus Torvalds needed Unix to do his homework away from school. So he decided, wth a little help from his friends on Usenet - to build his own. He was only partially successful, as he had only managed to build the core software called the 'kernel'. Nevertheless, Linux was born.
The actual software to run it was already created by Richard Stallman and his GNU organization who were already providing free applications for other Unix varieties, based on his 'Posix' standards.

5. A basic Linux package was distributed via BBS's and soon sunsite.unc.edu became the main distribution point for the quickly growing Linux/GNU project.

6. Soon after, 3 'forks' developed:
a. Slackware from the sunsite version, and no central organziation, that developed into other forks such as Arch and Gentoo.
b. Ian Murdoch created Debian, with a central non-profit and democratic organization, based largely (not totally) on Richard Stallman's (RMS) philosophy.
c. RedHat - a corporation that created and monetized some of its software, while offering 'free' versions such as Fedora.

7. In 2004 a South African dot.com success named Mark Shuttleworth founded a Limited type Corporation with a clear objective to monetize it after a period of 'free' services and software, in a manner only different from RedHat in that it promoted itself as a Social Justice Warrior meme bringing software freedom to the world. However the familiar slow bait-and-switch shaftware approach ran into snags when its Amazon spamware hit a brick wall of opposition. Its currently making money seling promo items as well as software (next to the FOSS items) in its 'store'. Originally it used the Debian repository as its source of software, and diverged by changing the file system around so that *its* packages, typically rebranded as PPA's would not function on Debian.
Its currently trying to become less dependant on Debian, by making and encouraging non-Debian compliant software.
Its the most 'popular' Linux distro mainly due to its heavy marketing efforts. Originally Canonical sent out sets of CDs for free, including a 'Live' version, so people could see Linux without installing it.

8. Ubuntu itself was forked, and Mint is one of those forks. Clem took Ubuntu, cleaned it up, added some goodies, and made the system easier to use.

9. Now for the confusing part to alot of folk: There are TWO Mints:
a. The Ubuntu fork, discussed previously, and called Mint.
b. A direct Debian fork, called Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE). Composed of the Debian archives, and debian.multimedia,net archives. Despite its name the latter is Clem's creation with zero affiliation to the Debian orgnization.