Operating System Basics - Computing Fundamentals - page 85

Figure.4 5 Windows 7.

Linux was developed by Linus Torvalds. The name Linux is a com-
bination of the words Linus and UNIX. Linux is open-source, which
means that Mr. Torvalds retains ownership of his original code, but
it is free to the public to use in any way they see fit. Users are free to
modify the code, improve it, and redistribute it. Developers are not
allowed to charge money for the Linux kernel itself (the main part of
the operating system), but they can charge money for distributions
( distros for short), which are packaged collections of add-ons and
utility programs for Linux. Some of the most popular distros include
SUSE Linux, Ubuntu Linux, and Red Hat Linux.

distribution or distro A packaged collection of
an open-source kernel such as Linux along with
helpful add-ons and utilities.

multi-boot The ability to have more than one
OS installed and to choose at startup which one
to run.

virtualization Running a different operating
system in a windowed environment within another
operating system.

virtual machine An operating system running
within another operating system.

Running More than One OS
If you want to run multiple operating systems on a single PC, one way is to set it up to multi-boot . Each time you
start the computer, a menu appears asking which operating system you want to start up. Each operating system
must be on a separate volume in order to multi-boot. Windows supports multi-booting; install the non-Windows OS
first, and then when you install Windows, its Setup program will ask whether you want to set up multi-booting. The
drawback to multi-booting is that each time you want to switch operating systems, you have to restart the computer.

Another way to experience multiple operating systems on the same PC is to use a virtualization program.
Virtualization enables you to create an entire virtual machine inside an application, and install a different operat-
ing system on it. The main operating system of the PC is the host OS, and the one inside the virtual machine is
the guest OS. You can easily switch back and forth between the host and guest operating systems. VMWare ( www.
vmware.com / products ) is the most popular virtualization software; versions are available for individual PCs as
well as for large-scale commercial use, such as running several server OS versions on the same server.