Linux History and Features
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Questions and Answers

What is the official mascot of the Linux kernel?

Tux

Who conceived the Unix operating system?

  • Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie (correct)
  • Linus Torvalds
  • Steve Jobs
  • Bill Gates

    • What research facility was responsible for the development of the Unix operating system?

    Bell Labs

    When was Linux first released to users?

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    When was the 25th anniversary of Linux?

    <p>2016</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What term describes the different versions of Linux?

    <p>Distributions or distros</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The core features of the Linux operating system are not controlled by Linus Torvalds and his development team, regardless of the distribution.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is not a commercial software type?

    <p>Open-source software</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Open-source software is only sold via the honor system after a trial period.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Shareware software is typically closed source software that is given away for free.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The GPL, or General Public License, was created to discourage the download and redistribution of the product.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The GPL allows anyone to modify and sell a software product.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The GPL only supports profit for products that are not GPL compliant.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    If there is a problem that a user cannot resolve themselves, the user may not have to pay for support for GPL products.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Any modified GPL product must be released with a GPL license.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ubuntu was made available to users in 2022.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The most popular version of Linux is Ubuntu.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A standard Ubuntu release is supported for 9 months.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ubuntu releases are supported for 5 years with hardware and maintenance updates.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    LTS versions of Ubuntu are supported for 5 years after their release date.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    LTS Ubuntu releases are only supported for 3 years with hardware and maintenance updates.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The server version of Ubuntu does not have a GUI.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Kubuntu, Lubuntu and Xubuntu are all Ubuntu releases.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The difference between various Ubuntu releases is in the packages and applications that make up each release.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The kernel is typically found in the /boot/vmlinuz file.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The source files for the kernel cannot be found because they are not released to the public.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The most recent version of the Linux kernel can be downloaded at "http://www.kernel.org/"

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The Bourne shell is not compatible with a Linux system.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The Bourne again shell is a text command line shell.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The shell program is always running during a Linux session.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The only form of command input is the graphical interface.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    KDE and GNOME are examples of graphical interfaces.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The ext2 filesystem is the original ext filesystem.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The ext2 filesystem was the first filesystem to use journaling.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The ext4 filesystem includes larger file sizes than the ext2 version.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The XFS filesystem is designed to span multiple storage devices.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The BtrFS filesystem does not support snapshots.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    All Linux distributions support the FAT32 file system.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Everything stored in a UNIX file system is a file.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Ordinary files can contain text, data, or program information.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A file can have 256 characters in its name with the exception of a number.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Characters like ?, #, and & have special meaning in most shells and should not be used in filenames.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The underscore (`) is preferred to spaces in filenames.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Directories can be empty containers.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Device files are used in the same manner as ordinary files.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The format of a device file varies, but you can identify certain features like device type, unit, and partition.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A hard link is an indirect pointer to a file.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    A soft link is a direct link to the inode on the drive.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    File names in Windows are not case sensitive.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Two files with the same name can exist in the same folder on a Windows operating system.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    File extensions are required to open files in applications on a Linux system.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The UNIX filesystem is organized as a hierarchical tree structure.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Drive letters exist in UNIX file systems.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The top level directory in a UNIX filesystem is called the root directory.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The absolute path /home/linus starts from the working directory.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The current directory is represented with a single dot (.) and the parent directory is represent with two dots (..)

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The root directory is not accessible to the root user.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /bin directory contains binary executables.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /sbin directory contains system binaries.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /etc directory only contains configuration files that are required by programs.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Device files are only found in the /dev/ directory.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /proc/ directory contains information about running processes.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /var/ directory contains information about the user's environment.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /tmp/ directory does not get cleaned up after a reboot.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /usr/ directory contains user-related, second-level programs and related resources.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Root users can access binaries found in the /usr/bin directory.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /home/ directory contains information about the computer's hardware.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /boot/ directory contains boot loader related files, such as the grub bootloader.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /lib/ directory contains library files that support the binaries in /bin and /sbin.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /opt/ directory contains optional add-on applications.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /mnt/ directory is used to mount filesystems.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /media/ directory is used to mount removable media devices, like DVDs, USB drives, or floppy drives.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The /srv/ directory is used to store service-related data.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The shell program is loaded on top of the kernel when Linux is started.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The shell program provides an interface between the user, the kernel, and the operating system.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The bash shell is the default shell program on most UNIX operating systems.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The terminal acts as a program that interacts with the shell.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Graphical and text-based terminal emulators can be used.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Commands entered into the terminal are run under the context of the logged-on user.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Virtual terminals can be accessed with the tty command.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Most Linux distros have 6 virtual terminals.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Virtual terminals are not compatible with Linux

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The terminal prompt ~ is the working directory.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The terminal prompt > indicates being logged in as a regular user.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command pwd will show the user their current working directory.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command dir is used to list the contents of a folder or directory.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command cd is used to change folders or directories.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command cp is used to copy files.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command mv is used to move files. It is not possible to rename a file using this command.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command rm is used to delete files.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command rmdir is used to delete folders or directories.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command mkdir is used to make folders or directories.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command find is used to search for files. It is not possible to specify wildcard character searches in this command.

    <p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

    The command clear is used to clear the contents of the command prompt or terminal.

    <p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Linux Background

    • Tux is the official mascot of the Linux kernel.

    Linux History

    • Based on the Unix operating system developed in the late 1960s.
    • Conceived by Kenneth Thompson and Dennis Ritchie at Bell Labs.
    • Bell Labs was a research facility for the telecommunications giant AT&T.
    • Unix was made available to universities and gained popularity when students who used it entered the workforce.
    • Linux was developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds.
    • Torvalds wanted a Unix operating system that ran on a 386 desktop computer (Unix at the time was running on mini computers).
    • The first version of Linux was made available to users in 1992.
    • The first commercial version, Slackware Linux, launched the following year.
    • There are many different flavours of Linux including: Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS, and SUSE.
    • These different versions are referred to as distributions or distros.
    • The core features of the operating system are controlled by Linus Torvalds and his development team, regardless of the distro.

    Open-Source Software

    • Types of software:
      • Commercial software: Closed source software sold for profit.
      • Shareware software: Closed source software sold via honor system (pay after the trial period).
      • Freeware: Typically closed source software that is given away for free.
      • Open-source software: Distributed with its source code, making it available for use, modification, and distribution with its original rights.
    • Linux operating system is distributed with its source code.
    • Anyone can view and/modify the code that controls the operating system.
    • Source code for all computer programs, including operating system software, should always be available when software is purchased.
    • Supplying the source code provides a collaborative work environment.

    The General Public License (GPL)

    • Linux is distributed with a GPL, or a General Public License.
    • The licensing model encourages the download and redistribution of the product to anyone.
    • The GPL allows anyone to modify a software product and even sell it.
    • Profit is supported for products created having a GPL.
    • Normally charge is for support, if a user cannot resolve a problem themselves.
    • Any modified GPL product must also be released with a GPL license and include the new product's source code.

    Ubuntu

    • Ubuntu is one of the more popular versions of Linux.
    • Versions are released twice yearly, in April and October.
    • Different versions are marked by a code name and the year/month of release.
    • Naming convention example: Ubuntu 22.10, released in October 2022, named Kinetic Kudo.
    • Two types of releases:
      • Regular (standard) - Supported for nine months
      • Long-Term Support (LTS) - Supported for five years from release date, two years with both hardware and maintenance updates available, then only maintenance updates for the last three years. Current LTS version is 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish.
    • Companies usually deploy only LTS versions because of the longer support periods.
    • Ubuntu has server and desktop versions.
    • The desktop version has a graphical user interface (GUI) by default.
    • Other versions of Ubuntu include: Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu MATE.
    • Differences between these versions are in the packages(applications) included in the default installation and the interface.

    Linux Architecture

    • Kernel: Includes device driver support for a large variety of PC hardware.
    • The kernel is typically found in the file /boot/vmlinuz, while the source files are in /usr/src/linux.
    • The latest version of the Linux kernel sources can be downloaded from http://www.kernel.org/.
    • Shells and GUIs: Linux supports two forms of command input:
      • Text command line shells (e.g., sh, bash, csh).
      • Graphical interfaces (GUIs) such as KDE and GNOME window managers.

    Linux File System

    • Traditional filesystem types: ext2 (original ext filesystem), ext3 (added journaling), ext4 (larger file sizes, up to 16TB).

    • Other file systems:

      • XFS: designed for multiple storage devices, good for large files.
      • BtrFS: supports snapshots.
      • ZFS
      • JFS

    • Also includes other filesystem types such as FAT, FAT32, and exFAT.

    • Everything stored in a UNIX file system is a file.

    • Four types of files:

      • Ordinary files: Can contain text, data, or program information. Filenames can contain any keyboard character (except '/') and can be up to 256 characters long. Some characters (like *,?,#,&) have special meanings in most shells so should be avoided in filenames. Underscores are acceptable for spaces in filenames.
      • Directories: Containers that hold files, and other directories.
      • Devices: Used in similar ways to files, frequently for disks in the /dev directory. Typically consist of three parameters:
        • device type: The first two letters typically identify the type of the device (e.g., sd for SCSI-based drives, hd for ATA-based drives)
        • unit: The letter(s) after the device type indicate the specific unit (e.g., a or b).
        • partition: Indicates the partition number on the device (e.g., 1)
      • Links: A pointer to another file, either a direct link to the inode (hard link) or an indirect pointer (soft link).

    • File names are case sensitive in Linux. Files with identical names can exist in the same directory.

    • File extensions are not required in Linux.

    Linux Directory Structure

    • The UNIX filesystem is hierarchical and tree-structured.

    • Root directory is designated with a slash (/).

    • Paths through the tree are specified using absolute or relative paths. Absolute paths start from the root directory(/). Relative paths start from the current working directory.

    • Key directories:

      • /bin: User binaries
      • /sbin: System binaries
      • /etc: Configuration files
      • /dev: Device files
      • /proc: Process information -  /var: Variable files
      • /tmp: Temporary files
      • /usr: User programs
      • /home: Home directories
      • /boot: Boot loader files
      • /lib: System libraries
      • /opt: Optional add-on applications
      • /mnt: Mount directory
      • /media: Removable media devices
      • /srv: Service data.

    Linux Shell vs Terminal

    • Shell: Loaded on top of the kernel when Linux starts and a user logs in. It's a program that takes commands from the keyboard and gives them to the OS for execution.
    • Terminal: A program (terminal emulator) that opens a window for interaction with the shell.
    • Bash (Bourne Again Shell): The most common shell on Linux.
    • Other usable shells are: ksh, tcsh, and zsh.
    • Virtual terminals (tty): Multiple terminal windows to allow work on a machine from different log-on points. Different terminal windows can be accessed by the command Ctrl+Alt+F1-F6.

    Linux Terminal Prompt

    • Typical prompt format example: student@ubuntu-desktop:~>
      • student: Username
      • ubuntu-desktop : Hostname
      • ~: Working directory or home folder symbol.

      • or $: Prompt sign, indicates user is currently logged in as a standard user (>,$ can be interchanged). If the prompt starts with a #, it indicates the user has logged in as an administrator (root).

    • The command pwd displays the current working directory path.

    Linux Shell Commands

    • Comparison table of basic commands for listing, changing, copying, moving, renaming, deleting files/folders/directories.

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    Linux Background PDF

    Description

    Test your knowledge about the history of Linux, its origins from Unix, and various distributions. Learn about the key figures involved in its development, including Linus Torvalds. This quiz covers both foundational concepts and specific details of Linux operating systems.

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