# Newbie Query: Linux v. Unix



## Durbrow (Feb 17, 2003)

Hi. I'm trying to learn Unix and I am confused by its relation to Linux. Simple question: If I learn Unix will I also know how to operate Linux? Thanks!


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## Giaguara (Feb 17, 2003)

For a good part, yes. 
But Linux has some special commands or interpretations, and so does Mac OS X as well...


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## nickn (Feb 17, 2003)

Unix is actually not a OS. Well, it was a OS 30 years ago (or however long) however I do not believe there is any, maybe some antique systems running actual Unix. Now days Unix is more considered a type of OS. So Linux is a Unix, FreeBSD is a unix, and for all intent and purposes, Mac OS X is a Unix.  POSIX is close to UNIX. But for all intent and purposes and to keep things simple, just remember that linux/freebsd/macosx are all "Unix like operating systems"


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## Darkshadow (Feb 17, 2003)

That's true, but there *is* still an actual UNIX OS around, though I don't know if it's being officially updated anymore.  Some businesses still use it.


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## wiz (Feb 18, 2003)

SCO's SVR4 is the original UNIX sustem


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## btoneill (Feb 18, 2003)

> _Originally posted by wiz _
> *SCO's SVR4 is the original UNIX sustem *



Actually, thats not true, SCO bought the rights to the AT&T source code from Novell, who in turn had purchased it from AT&T. Many OS's use bits of code from the original AT&T UNIX codebase, including OS's from SCO, but they use parts of it, not all of it. They also must pay a licensing fee to SCO to use the source code. To make matters even more complicated, the UNIX trademark is not owned by SCO, it is owned by The Open Group. The Open Group licenses the UNIX name to vendors whose OS meets the specification of the specific UNIX specification (UNIX93, UNIX95, UNIX98, etc) they are trying to achive, and they also must pay a licensing fee to use the name. To use the UNIX name all the OS has to do is pass the specificiations and pay a licensing fee, they don't have to have a single bit of AT&T source code which is now licensed from SCO to pass. But if they do use AT&T code licensed from SCO they need to pay fees to both The Open Group and to SCO. Are you confused yet?

Brian


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## scruffy (Feb 18, 2003)

Here's an amusing link - the whole history (simplified version, they say - ha!)

http://www.levenez.com/unix/


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## michaelsanford (Feb 18, 2003)

As many have said, for the most part, yes.

I'm running RedHat 8 on my (old, decrepid) Dell box, and there are some differences but for the most part I can find my way around in the shell.

If you're going to be doing simple things like running a server (www, ftp, nntp, smb, etc...) it's all pretty much the same, navigating the file system is for the most part the same. Apache's httpd.conf which is universal whether you're running it on Windows or RedHat...

And if you've used a particular piece of software (like pico, for example, which does not come in the default RedHat linux installation) you can almost always find a port to your version and just install it yourself--which is really handy.


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## Koelling (Feb 19, 2003)

For your question, yes you will be familar with linux if you learn unix. I'm fairly familiar with linux by mucking around with Darwin. 

But a more entertaining paradox for those of you who said linux is a form of unix: no it's not. Because linux is GNU which stands for Gnu Not Unix so by definition it can't be unix!


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## Easter (Mar 1, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Koelling _
> *For your question, yes you will be familar with linux if you learn unix. I'm fairly familiar with linux by mucking around with Darwin.
> 
> But a more entertaining paradox for those of you who said linux is a form of unix: no it's not. Because linux is GNU which stands for Gnu Not Unix so by definition it can't be unix!  *


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## djliquidice (Mar 6, 2003)

scruffy ,

nice web site find.
It's amazing that someone actually took time to do that timeline!!! WOW


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## Nummi_G4 (Mar 8, 2003)

*But a more entertaining paradox for those of you who said linux is a form of unix: no it's not. *[/QUOTE] 

ummmm. Are you sure about that. I thought it went like this:

The name UNIX is at the top of the list. Then it breaks down into other sections like Solaris, A/UX, AIX, HP/UX, the BSDs, and Linux.

Am I wrong?


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## wiz (Mar 9, 2003)

actually Linux is a total mockup of UNIX, well something like that.

It was originally designed to be a free alternative to UNIX, and was geared towards personal use. While at that time UNIX os's were extremely expensive, and were created as full scale large enterprise operating systems.

But Linux has been under serious development for years now. It's as good as UNIX. Although it still has a somewhat different standards and philosophy.

You could think of Linux as a complete rewrite, re-engineered, modern version of UNIX from the ground up, with a twist.


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## Nummi_G4 (Mar 10, 2003)

...how about this. I also thought Linux was really just a kernal. Not an OS.

?


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