Blog 2

What functions do Linux and/or Unix provide in today’s world?

In today’s world, Linux/Unix is used by a lot of businesses, large and small because of it’s networking, multi-tasking and security capabilities. Linux servers are very stable and reliable. Because the servers do not require frequent reboots they provide a high availability and very little down time.

This reliability and security makes the Linux operating system a favorite for database servers, web servers, firewalls and proxy servers. The company that I work for (and the reason I am in this class) uses Linux servers for our Oracle databases.

The fact that Linux is a free and open source operating system is a definite plus. Since thousands of programmers are contributing code, when bugs are found they are fixed quickly.

Another important function of Linux is extreme range of hardware that it can utilize. It works on high-end servers clear down to PDA’s and everything in between.