Difference between Linux and UNIX.

There is a widespread point of view that the Linux and UNIX operating systems are practically the same thing. How legitimate is this thesis?

Facts about Linux

Linux is a family of free operating systems that come in dozens, if not hundreds, of flavors. All of them are united first of all by openness: in fact, any programmer can write his own version of Linux based on existing Linux distributions.

One of the first known Linux distributions was developed by Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds. In 1991 it was shown to the IT community. Subsequently, Linus's developments were further developed with the participation of groups of free software enthusiasts from around the world. The most popular Linux versions today are Mint, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora.

Linux operating systems are well suited for server administration. Therefore, these operating systems are most in demand among corporations - in particular, in the provision of hosting services, in the segment of cloud solutions. In the segment of PCs aimed at private users, the popularity of Linux is significantly inferior to Windows, despite the fact that in terms of basic functions, modern Linux distributions are, in principle, comparable to the capabilities of the OS from Microsoft.

At the same time, the most popular OS for smartphones and tablets, Android, has been developed on the basis of Linux. Which, in turn, is significantly ahead of the mobile version of Windows in terms of prevalence.

Linux operating systems are considered UNIX-like. This is due to the fact that Linus Torvalds and his associates used key concepts that were implemented in another OS family - UNIX when creating their free operating system. This fact predetermined the emergence of the thesis that Linux and UNIX are two versions of the same OS, and the difference between them is very small.

Whether this is so - we will study further. Now - the basic facts about UNIX.

Facts about UNIX

UNIX is also a family of operating systems. The first implementation of the UNIX OS appeared in 1969. Most modern versions of UNIX, unlike Linux, are commercial operating systems. Among them - OS X, Mac OS, iOS - operating systems for Apple devices, as well as solutions such as Sun Solaris, AIX, HP-UX.

Solutions based on UNIX concepts are in most cases closed source. That is, programmers who are not related to the company that developed a particular OS version cannot make legal changes to a particular distribution kit.

Now the OS of the UNIX family, like Linux, is mainly used in the corporate environment - as a server management tool. However, the prevalence of the corresponding solutions is also significant in the segment of PCs for private users, since the Mac platform is controlled by OS X or its predecessor - Mac OS, based on UNIX.

In addition, Apple is one of the key players in the mobile gadgets market. The iPhone, iPad devices are controlled by iOS, which, as we noted above, also belongs to UNIX systems.

Comparison

From the point of view of technologies, the UNIX and Linux families are very close. For example, many programs created for Linux can be easily adapted for UNIX without rewriting their source code. This largely predetermines, in particular, the ease of simultaneous creation by developers of mobile applications of versions of the corresponding software for Android and iOS. A large number of modern Linux programs originally appeared as free versions of similar solutions running on UNIX.

The commands used to control Linux are largely identical to those used in UNIX. Both OS families are based on a single concept of data administration, the essence of which is in building a policy for generating permissions to execute certain files. For example, on UNIX and Linux operating systems, unauthorized launch of programs and data modification are very difficult. This predetermines, in particular, a high degree of resistance of both OS families to viruses.

What is the fundamental difference between Linux and UNIX? Modern IT experts agree that the key criterion in this case is the attitude of OS developers to making a profit. Most of the solutions based on UNIX are paid types of closed source software, which is mainly owned by the developer of the corresponding software. In turn, Linux operating systems are non-commercial, as well as programs for them, and at the same time their codes are open to third-party developers.

Free Linux and commercial orientation of UNIX predetermine a number of other fundamental differences between the OS families under consideration.

These include the narrower technological specialization of UNIX. In many respects, it is precisely because of the closed nature of the code. Operating systems of this family, as a rule, are created for specific platforms. For example, HP-UX can run exclusively on the PA-RISC processors from HP and Itanium, which are jointly developed by HP and Intel. OS X, Mac OS, and iOS systems only run on Apple devices. The same can be said for UNIX-based file systems support. Basically, a specific UNIX-based OS distribution is capable of working with 1-2 standards of the corresponding type.

In turn, Linux solutions are less standardized. Distributions of "desktop" versions of Linux can be installed on computers with AMD, Intel processors, if necessary, they can be adapted, for example, to Russian Elbrus chips. Android OS is also a "multi-brand" solution, used by dozens of gadget manufacturers. When it comes to file system support, Linux is also more versatile here than UNIX. Modern Linux distributions work fine even with Windows file systems such as FAT32, NTFS.

It can be noted that in the modern market of digital solutions an unofficial confrontation between Linux and UNIX has taken shape:

  • competitors of OS X and Mac OS that are installed on Apple computers;
  • in the segment of mobile gadgets, Android OS, installed on smartphones and tablets of different brands, are competitors of iOS, which is installed on iPhone and iPad, also produced by Apple.

In the first case, Linux significantly loses to UNIX: the share of systems of the first type in the world PC market, according to Net Applications, is 1.34%, the share of Mac OS and OS X is about 7.11%. In the segment of mobile gadgets, devices running Android based on Linux, according to IDC, account for about 81.5%, iOS - 14.8%.

Table

So, we have studied the difference between Linux and UNIX. Let's try to display the relevant criteria in the form of a table.

Linux UNIX
What are the similarities OS family data?
Similar source code for programs.
General principles of data administration.
Identity of basic OS control commands.
Virus resistance
Main differences
Almost all Linux operating systems are freeMost of the OS of the UNIX family are commercial
OS are more versatile, compatible with hardware from different brands, a wide range of file systemsOS are less universal, each distribution is adapted to a limited number of platforms and file systems
The source code of the distributions is openThe source code is in most cases closed
...