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Unix vs. Linux: How are they different?

If you are starting to look for information about Linux, then it is possible that among the options you have available the term “Unix” has appeared. Although these two terms are very similar there is a great difference between them. Here we will tell you what they are.

Although they are related, Linux and Unix are terms that mean very different things. How are they related? For starters, both are operating systems and one is based on the other. Here we will tell you the history of both operating systems.

1. The history of Unix and Linux

Unix began to develop in the late 60’s and early 70’s, in the computer research department of AT & T Bell Labs (Bell Laboratories) in the United States. MIT and General Electric, together with Bell Labs, were developing a new operating system. Some researchers did not agree with the project. Then they withdrew and began to develop a new operating system on their own. In 1970, Unix was born, a new operating system that was rewritten entirely in C language, two years later. This feature made it popular among developers because it allowed them to port Unix to different computing platforms.

The owner of the brand new Unix system was officially AT & T, a company that sold licenses to universities and later to commercial suppliers. This means that not everyone was allowed to distribute it or modify its code. It was not an open source system yet. In any case, the different adaptations of Unix for different purposes with their own licenses did not wait. Probably the best known version was the distributed BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution). I’m sure the Free BSD system sounds to many of you.

Linux is based on Unix but only in spirit and functionality, not in its code. As an operating system, Linux was born from the union of two Unix-based projects, The GNU Project , initiated by Richard Stallman in 1983, and the Linux Kernel, written by Linus Torvalds in 1991. The goal of the GNU project was to build an operating system similar to Unix but without its code, so that it could be distributed freely. As the Linux Kernel was incomplete, GNU Project accepted the challenge and developed it completely, with the GNU / Linux operating system emerging .

The design of the Linux kernel has the influence of MINIX, a variant of Unix, but all its code was rewritten. This allowed the Kernel to be distributed and modified without limitations, as free software.

Unix was used in servers, large mainframes and expensive computers from various institutions, while Linux was developed for personal computers, with much simpler hardware. However, today it runs on more platforms than any other operating system, including servers, embedded systems and mobile phones.

2. What is Unix?

The term Unix can refer to the following:

The original operating system developed by AT & T Bell Labs, from which the other operating systems derive.

The trademark UNIX, written in capital letters, property of The Open Group, who has also developed a series of standards for operating systems called Single Unix Specification. Only operating systems that meet these standards can legally be called “Unix”. Certification is not free and developers who want to include the Unix name in their operating system must pay a commission.

It also refers to all operating systems registered under the name “Unix” because they comply with the standards mentioned in the previous paragraph. They are the following: AIX, A / UX, HP-UX, Inspur K-UX, UnixWare, Tru64, Reliant UNIX, Solaris, IRIX, z / OS and OS X. As you may have already noticed, the operating system that runs on Mac computers is also Unix.

3. What is Linux?

When we refer to the term Linux strictly, we are only referring to the kernel. But without a desktop environment and applications, an operating system is not complete. And since most applications are developed by GNU Project, the full name of the operating system is GNU / Linux.

However, most people say only Linux when they want to refer to one of the Linux distributions . That is, they use that name for operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Version 4.0 of the Linux kernel is currently in development and recently Linus Torvalds has decided to change the numbering system of the kernel versions.

Linux is a system of the same type as Unix. That is, Linux behaves in the same way as Unix but does not include its code.

Unix operating systems are usually called as follows: A * x, * NIX or * N? X. In some languages they are also called “Unixoids”. Linux does not have the Unix certification. Moreover, it is said that GNU represents the acronym of “GNU’s Not Unix” (GNU is not Unix). In contrast, OS X is a system that has more Unix than Linux.

At the functionality level, the Linux kernel and the GNU / Linux operating system are very similar to Unix. They follow the same principles of philosophy, such as having a code that is readable for humans, that the configuration files are stored in plain text files, based on the simple, the inclusion of small command line tools or the fact of having a user interface, sessions and a session manager.

It is important to keep in mind that it is possible for a Unix-type system to obtain the Unix certificate. In the same context, all operating systems derived from or based on Unix are often referred to as Unix-like, regardless of whether or not they have the Unix certificate. They can also be free and commercial or free operating systems.

4. Main differences between Unix and Linux

These are the main differences:

Linux is free and free. The original Unix system is not, although some of its distributions are.

Linux is a clone of the original Unix system, although it does not contain its code.

Linux is just the kernel of the system, while Unix is a complete operating system.

Linux was developed to be run on PCs, while Unix was developed primarily for large workstations and servers. Currently, Linux supports more platforms than Unix.

Linux supports more types of file systems than Unix.

The confusion between both operating systems is generally given because each of them has different meanings. Whatever the meaning assigned, the truth is that Unix was first in the market and then Linux, as a result of a strong desire for portable and free software. but following the same Unix philosophy. What we can confirm is that we have to be very grateful to the free software movement. Otherwise, the world would be much darker technologically speaking.

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