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Desktop Linux, also Linux on the desktop (LOTD) is the application of the GNU/Linux operating system on a desktop computer. The GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa The GNU Project was announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman. ...
Linux (IPA pronunciation: ) is a Unix-like computer operating system family. ...
An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer. ...
Desktop computer with several common peripherals (Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, microphone and a printer) A desktop computer is a personal computer made for use on a desk in an office or home and is distinguished from portable computers such as laptops or PDAs. ...
History
Historically, UNIX and other Unix-like operating systems have been utilized on servers, mainframes, and workstations in corporate or scientific environments. Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ...
Diagram of the relationships between several Unix-like systems A Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Sun SPARCstation 1+, 25mhz RISC processor from early 1990s A workstation, such as a Unix workstation, RISC workstation or engineering workstation, is a high-end desktop or deskside microcomputer designed for technical applications. ...
Beginning in the latter 90's, a few Linux distribution companies, such as MandrakeSoft, began to advertise their systems for low-end desktop computers. However, it was not until Apple released the first version of Mac OS X, a UNIX-like system, that Linux began to be seen as a serious alternative to Microsoft's Windows operating system on desktop computers, in both corporate and home environments. It has been suggested that Linux be merged into this article or section. ...
Mandriva (merger of Mandrakesoft, Lycoris, and Conectiva) is a French software company, and creator of Mandriva Linux. ...
Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ...
Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ...
Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ...
Since the turn of the 21st century, a growing number of Linux, and even BSD-based, distributions have originated with a dedication to the desktop market. Perhaps the most famous of these distributions, as of 2007, is Canonical's Ubuntu distribution. Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD, sometimes called Berkeley Unix) is the Unix derivative distributed by the University of California, Berkeley, starting in the 1970s. ...
Canonical is an adjective derived from canon. ...
Ubuntu (IPA pronunciation: ) is a widely used Linux distribution predominantly targeted at personal computers. ...
Advantages Desktop Linux has long been touted by its users, vendors, and advocates as a more security-conscious, stable OS for the desktop computer, compared to Microsoft Windows, which has been criticized throughout its history for its security and stability problems.
Applications Most Desktop Linux distributions are developed and deployed with an assortment of applications developed by third-party projects, such as KDE, GNOME, GIMP, Mozilla Firefox, and OpenOffice. This is to make sure that the user will be less prone to looking for basic applications which he/she may be lacking. KDE (K Desktop Environment) (IPA: ) is a free software project which aims to be a powerful ecosystem for an easy-to-use desktop environment. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
The GNU Image Manipulation Program, or GIMP, is a raster graphics editor application with some support for vector graphics. ...
Mozilla Firefox is a graphical web browser developed by the Mozilla Corporation and a large community of external contributors. ...
OpenOffice. ...
3D user interfaces In addition, with the development of Xgl and other hardware-accelerated user interface architectures, 3D environments have experienced greater demand from both potential and veteran Desktop Linux users. Cube view on a hardware accelerated Xgl server Xgl is an X server architecture designed to take advantage of modern graphics cards via their OpenGL drivers, layered on top of OpenGL via glitz. ...
Disadvantages
Applications Desktop Linux has also been maligned for its lack of name-brand applications in comparison to their more "closed" counterparts, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. In response, Desktop Linux advocates have blamed the more recognized application vendors, such as Adobe Systems, for their alleged shunning of Desktop Linux systems and users in favor of users of either Windows or Mac OS X. Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ...
Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Drivers The aforementioned 3D user interface environments also have come under scrutiny because of the usage of closed-source drivers for the graphic cards, from Nvidia or ATI upon which the environments are dependent; this is problematic for most Desktop Linux distributions, as redistribution of such drivers by third parties is prohibited by the EULAs placed on the drivers. In response, independent developers have reverse-engineered the drivers, providing their works under permissive licenses for redistribution by Desktop Linux vendors. A GeForce 4 4200-based graphics card A graphics card or video card is a component of a computer which is designed to convert a logical representation of an image stored in memory to a signal that can be used as input for a display medium, most often a monitor...
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) (pronounced ) is the worlds largest GPU company and a worldwide leader in GPU technologies for video cards, graphics cards, workstations, desktop computers, handhelds and more. ...
ATI may stand for: ATI Technologies Inc. ...
In addition, in 2006, freedesktop.org began a project called "Nouveau" in order to create open-source drivers for Nvidia cards. freedesktop. ...
Installation The experience of installing a Linux distribution on a desktop computer varies from person to person. While a number of ways to use a Desktop Linux distribution exist, the barriers of entry remain high for many speculative users.
See also The Desktop Linux Consortium (DLC) is a non-profit organization which aims at enhancing and promoting the use of the GNU/Linux operating system on the desktop. ...
The Desktop Linux Summit is an annual conference with a programme of speakers addressing desktop Linux issues. ...
KDE (K Desktop Environment) (IPA: ) is a free software project which aims to be a powerful ecosystem for an easy-to-use desktop environment. ...
This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Beryl is a compositing window manager for the X Window System. ...
Cube view on a hardware accelerated Xgl server Xgl is an X server architecture designed to take advantage of modern graphics cards via their OpenGL drivers, layered on top of OpenGL via glitz. ...
External Links - DesktopLinux.com
- The Linux Desktop Myth
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