User:MichaelWestwind/Linux - What and Why

What is Linux
Linux is an Operating System, which is to say it gives Applications (the programs you actually want to use) a standard way of talking to the hardware and getting things done. Other operating systems you might have used include Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh OS. Each of these operating systems has a standard way of interacting with programs, called an API, which is different from any other OS. If a programmer wants the program he is writing to work on more than one OS, He or she will haved to rewrite parts of it for the two.

Linux is also Free and Open Source Software (FOSS). That means it is free to use however you want, and free to redistribute and modify, as long as you grant any recipients the same right.

Why use Linux
Linux has several advantages over other operating systems, expecially Microsoft Windows

It is more secure It is more configurable