Installation

Most Linux distributions have menu-driven (or graphical) install programs.

Linux is usually installed on its own partition

Can live on a MS-DOS FAT or Win95 VFAT partition using "UMSDOS" filesystem

Drivers

Hardware: 386sx to Pentium Pro SMP

Most standard hardware supported

Large selection of video, Ethernet, SCSI cards

ISDN supported

Large installed base & available source code means fast addition of new drivers

Stability

1.1, 1.3, and 2.1 are "experimental" versions which include new features and device drivers

1.0, 1.2, and 2.0 are "stable" Most individual software packages also have "stable" and "experimental" versions

Overall stability when using all "stable" packages is better than some commercial Unixes

Compatability

Software binary compatibility using iBCS

POSIX.1, ANSI-C; Linux-FT distribution is also FIPS 151-2

Heading for POSIX.2, XPG4

Cost/Licensing

The most popular distributions can be downloaded off the Internet

CD-ROM versions for $20-$30

4- or 6-CD-ROM packages for $40-$50

Nearly all software can be redistributed

Some pieces of software (Motif, word processors, some X servers) have conventional sales/licensing

Web Software

Browsers: Netscape, XMosaic, Lynx, Arena (free graphical)

Servers: Apache server of choice, others available

Other: Perl and C for CGI; Java support being added to kernel