Linux is a powerful and popular operating system (OS), like Windows - but better!

Think of there being two general types of computer software: operating system software and "other" software.

The "other" software consists of several types of software programs, including application software programs, utility software programs and server programs.

All of the "other" software programs, such as Linux server software programs, run "on top of" Linux.

Linux can be used as a desktop system, for running application software programs, like a word processor or spreadsheet. And Linux can also be used as a server system, for running various types of Linux servers.

Linux is actually much more commonly used as a server system than a desktop system, but with the extremely high licensing fees of Windows, this is rapidly changing!

Windows Server Systems and Linux Server Systems

There are lots of types of Windows and Linux server systems that are used on a network, such as on the Internet or on a local area network (in an office).

For example, file servers are used to "serve" (send) program files and data files to users and web servers are used to "serve" web pages to people running browsers and surfing the Internet.

In the same way as Windows can be used as an OS that you run server software programs "on top of", Linux is also used as a server system - and there are lots of types of Linux servers and millions of Linux servers used on the Internet and in offices all around the world!

You can download Linux free and run it as a desktop system (relatively easily) or run Linux as a server system (a bit trickier).

Linux Downloads Free! - The Linux OS and Linux Server Software Programs

Linux is extremely popular as an OS that various types of Linux servers run "on top of". This is because you can easily download the Linux OS and Linux server software, and get lots (and lots!) of different Linux servers - free!

For example, you can boot a Linux system and run Linux and then use this OS as the foundation for: a web server (for serving web pages), an ftp server (for transferring files) and a dns server (for converting web site domain names into IP address numbers).

Linux Tips: It is estimated that 80% of all web servers in the world are Linux servers running the Apache web server software. Linux is extremely popular with web hosting companies. You have probably used Linux thousands of times (almost every time you accessed a web page) and not even known it!

Once you get Linux, video tutorials are an excellent way to continue your Linux training. Just watch a Linux video to see a popular Linux concept or command being described - and then do the steps to work with Linux yourself!

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About the Author

Watch Free Sample I Learn Linux Video Tutorials now at http://www.iLearnLinux.com and get over the steep Linux learning curve (goa).

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Clyde Boom, Author and Expert Trainer with 20+ Years of Training Successes.