Linux and Unix... Which one is for a personal computer?

Question

Or are they both?

Answer 1

uh..Linux is Unix..
you're talking about the kernel. It's just a matter of finding out which distribution is right for you.

The popular kid on the block these days is Ubuntu Linux, however FreeBSD Unix has all the same functionality etc..

In the end, they are all pretty much the same, it's just a matter of how some of the code is written..BSD Unix for example has a more stable TCP/IP stack. BUT, video card vendors (ati/nvidia) tend to port their drivers to linux.

Answer 2

Unix is older and more stable. Linux has more toys.

So for a personal computer Id say linux. If it was a server and not expected to do more than the usual internet stuff then Id say unix for years worth of running with no headaches.

But a personal machine? Go with linux

Answer 3

Linux is the one for a personal computer.

Linux is NOT UNIX, UNIX describes a family of OSes that are similar and licensed to use UNIX as a name, Linux is just a technical simulation of a UNIX system but it is not licensed to call itself UNIX.

I ran Solaris 8 for PC (maybe 7) before, just for curiousity, it is comparatively undesirable for running on a personal computer.

Answer 4

Without getting all geeky on the subject, you want Linux for your personal computer. Ubuntu and Red Hat are both good versions of it. Ubuntu is the most popular these days. Yes, Linux is basically Unix, but it is Unix with a user-friendly interface.

Answer 5

Ok, nobody has explained in simple terms what the difference is, so I will.

Linux has a gui (which is a graphical user interface), like Windows does, you can click on stuff with the mouse, and you see windows, etc.

You can think of Unix as kind of like DOS, where you have a prompt, and you type commands in. You don't use the mouse, and you don't have windows, etc.

So, Linux would be the OS (operating system) that you would be more likely to find on a personal computer, though Linux is based upon Unix, much like Windows used to be based on DOS.

This explanation isn't perfectly accurate, but it's a good way to think about it for a non-expert.

I'm using Kubuntu right now as my operating system. It's a distribution of Linux that's pretty much the same as Ubuntu, but instead of using Gnome as a desktop manager like Ubuntu does, it uses KDE. (Pretty much it means it looks different and uses different programs, though you can adjust things so that one looks similar to the other, and you can use programs from one in the other, etc. You can pretty much change things to your liking.)

Sorry...I rambled. But hopefully I gave you an answer that helps more than the too-technical ones that others gave. :)

Answer 6

Linux is Unix specially adapted to x86 based computers by Linux Torvalds. Now the linux kernel supports x86,x64,PPC (for Mac's) and even Solaris SPARC platform.
Unix isn't free on the other hand, and it runs only on specially designed computers (like for example HP-Unix runs only on prebuild HP servers).

Answer 7

Linux will easily run on a personal computer. Want to try linux without installing it on your hard drive? You can download LiveCD's which will boot up and run linux from a CD. Nothing to install, just insert the CD and boot from it. When you are done simple shut the computer down.

Answer 8

Linux is better than unix

Answer 9

They are both for pc's and there are a number of great Linux distros (distributions) available for free such as Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Suse, etc. I recommend Ubuntu to get started.

http://www.lugod.org

http://www.linux.org