Introduction

Welcome to Linux! You hold in your hands everything you need to install and use one of the
most powerful computer operating systems in the world. This book is designed to help guide
you through the process of learning about Linux.
Although the title of this book is Sams’ Teach Yourself Linux in 24 Hours, you won’t be alone
while you learn. As you’re taken from installation through system administration to playing
games, you’ll find advice, tips, and hints to help you along the way. Before you know it you’ll
be familiar with the terms, topics, and technical concepts dealing with the hottest and newest
operating system in the world—Linux!
This book is designed to help you learn quickly. You’ll find it an indispensable guide to
installing Linux and getting right to work. This book helps you overcome technical obstacles,
explains complex subjects in simple language, and shows you some neat tricks to make your
computing experience easier.
Each section of this book gives you an hour’s worth of knowledge and examples that you can
run as you learn. By the way, you should know that this book was created, developed, and
edited using the software included on the book’s CD-ROM. We hope you enjoy teaching
yourself Linux!

What is Linux?
Linux (pronounced Lih-nucks) is a UNIX-like operating system that runs on many different
computers. Although many people might refer to Linux as the operating system and included
software, strictly speaking, Linux is the operating system kernel, which comes with a
distribution of software.
Linux was first released in 1991 by its author Linus Torvalds at the University of Helsinki.
Since then it has grown tremendously in popularity as programmers around the world
embraced his project of building a free operating system, adding features, and fixing
problems.
Linux is popular with today’s generation of computer users for the same reasons early versions
of the UNIX operating system enticed fans more than 20 years ago. Linux is portable, which
means you’ll find versions running on name-brand or clone PCs, Apple Macintoshes, Sun
workstations, or Digital Equipment Corporation Alpha-based computers. Linux also comes
with source code, so you can change or customize the software to adapt to your needs. Finally,
Linux is a great operating system, rich in features adopted from other versions of UNIX. We
think you’ll become a fan too!