What is the difference between UNIX and LINUX

Unix OS

Unix is a proprietary software and it is a complete operating system.

The Unix OS works primarily on Command Line Interface. Recently, there have been developments for GUI on Unix systems.

Unix is not as flexible as Linux. It has less compatibility with different types of hardware. Unix installation requires a strict and well-defined hardware machinery and works only on specific CPU machines.

The Unix OS is not a freeware and therefore its source code is not available. You cannot modify and sell your version of Unix therefore.

Unix installation is comparatively much costlier than Linux since it requires special hardware and can be run only on specific CPU processors.

Unix comparatively supports very fewer File systems. It supports the following File systems:

zfs, js, hfx, gps, xfs, gps, xfs, vxfs

The Unix Operating System is not portable.

There are comparatively less distributions or versions of Unix operating systems.

Different versions of Unix are as follows:

1. AIS (IBM)
2. BSD
3. HP – UX
4. Solaris
5. Iris

Unix OS was created in the early 1970s at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the United States.

The Unix OS is mainly used on large server systems, mainframes, expensive and high-end computer systems at big MNCs and institutions.

Unix is being developed, maintained and updated by AT&T developers. They don’t encourage open source developments.

Linux OS

Linux is an open source operating system based on Unix. Linux is basically the name of the Kernel. The graphical user interface and the applications make it a complete operating system.

The Linux OS has both Graphical User Interface (GUI) as well as Command Line Interface (CLI). Linux comes with KDE and Gnome as its GUI environment. The Command Line Interface is optional in Linux.

Linux is a very flexible operating system and is compatible with most hardware systems. Linux OS can be installed and executed on most of the CPU machines.

Linux OS being an open source OS, its source code is available for free. You can, therefore, read, modify and implement it on your machine. However, you cannot sell it as it comes under the GNU GPL License.

Linux has a good scope of scalability and supports a really large set of file systems. Linux installation is generally very economical as compared to Unix since it does not require special hardware for it to run.

The File systems supported by Linux are as follows:

xfs, ramfs, nfs, vfat, cramfsm ext3, ext4, ext2, ext1, ufs, autofs, devpts, ntfs and many more.

There are comparatively more distributions or versions of Linux operating systems. The distributions available for Linux are as follows:

1. Redhat
2. Slackware
3. Debian
4. Solaris
5. Ubuntu
6. CentOS
7. Fedora

The Linux Kernel was created by Linux Torvalds in 1990s. However, the complete OS with GNU GPL license also had a huge contribution by Richard Stallman.

The Linux OS mainly focused on home based PCs and laptops. However, due to its popularity and stability, it started being used in offices and high-end systems including mobile phones, servers and even embedded systems.

The developments in Linux are contributed by a community of developers worldwide without any cost. However, the authority to implement the development lies with the founder of Linux – Linus Torvalds.

Source : https://codingsec.net