Introduction to Linux
Objectives
Developing the Information Technology, Programming and Development and Literacy learning strands, specifically:
- Researching information and collecting and presenting data.
- Investigate the background and context of a specific information technology.
- Examine technical information of a system to be able to navigate it as a basic user.
Introduction
Learn It
- An operating system is software that controls computer hardware and software.
- There are many different operating systems you can use to control a computer; you're probably familiar with some of these already both on PC and mobile.
- Microsoft Windows 10
- Apple MacOS X El Capitan
- Google Chrome OS
- Apple iOS
- Google Android
- One you may not have heard of is Linux. Unlike all the Operating Systems named above, this one isn't written by a company, but instead is written and maintained by individuals around the world, who collaborate together to produce a free, open-source platform for users.
- Open source means that anyone can look at the code the operating system runs on, see exactly how it works and modify it to meet their own requirements.
Learn It
- (Picture courtesy of softpedia)
- Linux was released to the word in October 1991, when Linus Torvalds released his home-made operating system for others to use.
- A year after its release, Linus posted on an online newsgroup, requesting that anyone using his new OS should send him a postcard. He was inundated with postcards from around the world very quickly, leading his family to suspect that something big was happening!
Research It
- Linux can be used in various different desktop environments, so it can be customised to look however you want. Users can install several at once, and have a different experience every time they boot their computer.
- Find screenshots on four of the following Linux desktop environments, and put them on a word document.
- GNOME
- Raspbian (used on Raspberry Pi computers)
- KDE
- Unity
- Xfce
- Cinnamon
- Xmonad
- MATE
- LXDE
Badge It
- Answer as many of the following questions as possible to collect the badges.
- Silver: One Linux graphical desktop environment is 'GNOME'. Find out about three others, and write a sentence about what makes each unique. If you're writing your answers in Word, you could include a screenshot of each.
- Gold: Write a short piece explaining the history of Linux. Include:
- What operating system it's based on,
- When it came out,
- At least 3 Linux facts.
- Platinum: Linux users often use the command line. Find out three different commands, and briefly explain what they do.