Born out of a geek's inability to gain access to a freeware version of UNIX, the Linux operating system, developed by Linus Torvalds, is among the most popular operating systems after Windows. Based loosely on UNIX, Linux is an linux as it is today
open source operating system.

For those of you who are scan dalised by the prices that Microsoft charges for its licenses, a free operating system like Linux may just be the ticket. While it may lack the glamour, razzle-dazzle, and spit and polish of Windows, it is a highly stable system that can do most computing tasks that you do in Windows without your being any the worse for it. There are many applications available for Linux, including replacements for Microsoft Office in the form of OpenOffice.