(GNU-)Linux

the better operating system?

The basic idea of the free software projects with the penguin as a symbolic figure is simple: The source code of software must not be a trade secret, but is made openly available to all who are interested in it. Then everyone can improve the code, add to it and make it available again for the community, i.e. for the community of all developers. It has been shown that in this way errors are discovered more quickly and innovations are realized sooner than in the closed structure of a company hierarchy.

Linux, or rather a Linux distribution, can be operated as a stand-alone operating system, but can also be used within a multi-boot system. Modern distributions like OpenSUSE, Debian, MX Linux or Ubuntu guide the user through the installation on the PC with the help of graphical user interfaces and almost always recognize other operating systems independently. An individual combination can be selected from well over umpteen thousand free programs. Word processing, spreadsheets, multimedia applications, network tools, games or scientific applications cover most application areas that are important in everyday office life and in the private sector.

KDE Desktop

Gnome Desktop

Awesome Desktop

Open Source: are building the future, the "world as a computer"

Red Hat made a name for itself 25 years ago with an operating system for data centers that was based on Linux software. IBM wants to buy the software specialist Red Hat for 34 billion dollars. What makes Red Hat special for IBM is that the software specialist has developed "Open Shift", a solution that allows customers to efficiently manage different types of applications. In addition, they can develop their own programs on the platform - on the one hand, to bring old programs that previously ran in their own data center into the cloud. On the other hand, to quickly implement new projects.

Above all, however, IBM is a major player in the open source software business. Open source software has long since established itself, as Microsoft's acquisition of the open source developer platform Github for $7.5 billion showed.

Microsoft and the Open Source Culture

The spread of Linux on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform continues to grow. In fact, more than half of all operating systems installed there already appear to be Linux distributions instead of Windows.

Just how important the Linux ecosystem is to Microsoft is confirmed by a number of products. Azure Kubernetes service, for example, supported Linux containers exclusively until recently. Only later was the offering supplemented with Windows versions. According to its own statements, the company even wants to create an open source culture within the company.

Microsoft's takeover of GitHub is a nuisance to many programmers. The Redmond company has repeatedly tried to abuse its strong position against free software (Embrace, Extend and Extinguish ()) (The Halloween Documents) and generally against companies that get in their way. Many programmers had announced to leave the platform in case of such a change of ownership.