UNIX and Linux are similar to users but different internally. UNIX was developed by AT&T in 1969 and licensed to commercial companies, governments, and educational institutions. BSD is a concurrent version of UNIX developed at UC Berkeley. Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and is generally distributed freely with source code under the GPL. The Linux kernel is smaller and more efficient than most UNIX kernels, but device drivers and file systems are different. UNIX has a text-based command line interface, while Linux has complete GUI systems. UNIX support is often only available through a paid support agreement with the vendor or third party.
UNIX® and Linux® are two types of operating systems that may be quite similar from a user’s point of view, but are very different internally. Operating system (OS) kernels are structured differently and require different device drivers. Linux® operating systems are often entirely open source software, while many UNIX® implementations are not. UNIX® and Linux® are often used by businesses, governments and students for a wide variety of computing tasks. They are also used in many portable devices such as cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and netbook computers.
The original UNIX® operating system was developed at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) in 1969. During the 1970s, AT&T licensed the operating system and its source code to many commercial companies, as well as the government of the United States and educational institutions. Many variants were developed outside of AT&T, in part due to reactions to the company’s growing control and licensing costs. Some of these variants adhere more closely to the informal UNIX® standards of the 1980s and 1990s than others. UNIX® is a fairly broad term and is often associated with similar, but non-standardized, versions of the operating system.
Berkeley Software Distribution (BSD) is a concurrent version of UNIX® developed at the University of California, Berkeley. A free, open source variant called 386BSD was first released in 1992, one year after Linus Torvalds started writing the first Linux® kernel. Most UNIX® implementations are not open-source, which is a big difference between UNIX® and Linux®. UNIX® is often sold with a rather restrictive license that includes a high fee assessed per user or per site. In contrast, Linux® systems are generally distributed freely with source code under the liberal terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL).
The Linux® operating system was developed long after UNIX® matured. UNIX® and Linux® share many of the same concepts, and the software tools included in each provide similar functionality. However, the design and implementation of the Linux® kernel and other operating system software is different from UNIX®. Many of the utilities, compilers, and editors developed by the GNU Project are distributed with the Linux® operating system. GNU’s goal is to produce and maintain a UNIX® compatible free software system, including a kernel.
The Linux® kernel created by Torvalds, distributed under the terms of the GNU GPL, is the foundation of all Linux® systems. It is generally smaller and more efficient than most UNIX® kernels, designed from the ground up to be very UNIX®-like. However, device drivers, file systems and other internal components of the operating system are quite different. UNIX® and Linux® systems therefore require separate drivers for each device, as they are not compatible in this respect.
User interfaces are also often different between UNIX® and Linux® systems. UNIX® has traditionally used a text-based command line interface which is also available with Linux®. Many developers have created complete graphical user interface (GUI) systems for Linux®, some of which have also been ported to UNIX®.
Linux® kernels, GNU utilities, and related free software are continuously supported and improved by a large open source development community. Instead, each version of UNIX® tends to have its own small specialized group of developers, most of whom work for a particular UNIX® vendor. UNIX® support is often only available through a paid support agreement with the vendor or a third party.
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