S No. |
Feature |
Linux |
Unix |
1. |
What is it? |
Linux is an example of Open Source software development and Free Operating System (OS) |
Unix flavours are both proprietary/open source based operating systems that are popular among universities, enterprises etc. |
2. |
Development and Distribution |
Linux is developed by Open Source community i.e. through sharing and collaboration of code and features through forums etc and it is distributed by various vendors such as Debian, Red Hat, SUSE, etc. |
Unix systems are divided into various other flavors, mostly developed by AT&T as well as various commercial vendors and non-profit organizations.
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3. |
Inception |
It is based on UNIX and eventually after adding many features of GUI, Drivers etc, Linus Torvalds developed the framework of the OS for a desktop. It became LINUX in 1992. The LINUX kernel was released on 17th September, 1991. |
In 1969, it was developed by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs and Dennis Ritchie. It was written in “C” language and was designed to be a portable, multi-tasking and multi-user system in a time-sharing configuration.
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4. |
Cost |
Linux can be freely distributed, downloaded freely, distributed through magazines, Books etc.There are priced versions for Linux also (e.g. Red Hat), but they are normally cheaper than Windows. |
Different flavors of Unix have different cost structures both as freeware to commercial. |
5. |
Market share for Computers |
Popular among Desktop PCs and embedded devices, Android (Linux variant) the most popular smartphone OS. |
Widely used on main frames, minis. Workstations available but expensive than PCs. |
6. |
GUI |
Linux typically provides two GUIs, KDE and Gnome. But Linux GUI is optional. |
Initially Unix was a command based OS, but later a GUI, popularly known as X Window was created for UNIX. |
7. |
Architectures |
Based on x86 Hardware. CISC based |
available on PA-RISC, HP and Sun Solaris and Itanium machines. |
8. |
File system Support |
Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, Jfs, ReiserFS, Xfs, Btrfs format |
jfs,gpfs,hfs,ufs,xfs format |
9. |
Text mode |
BASH (Bourne Again SHell) is the Linux default shell. It can support multiple command interpreters. (e.g. KSH, CShell) |
Originally the Bourne Shell but many other shells are also supported.(e.g. Korn shell, CShell etc.) |
10. |
Security |
Linux has secure file system similar to Unix file system providing permission based file system. Kernel supports various linux security modules. (e.g. AppArmour, SELinux etc.) for auditing, adminsitration and virtualization. |
Unix provides permission based file system and supports various computer security modules for system auditing and administration. |
11. |
Threat detection and solution |
In case of Linux, threat detection and solution is very fast, as Linux is mainly community driven and whenever any Linux user post s any kind of threat, several developers start working on it from different parts of the world. |
Because of the proprietary nature of the original Unix, users has to wait for a while, to get the proper bug fixing patch. Dedicated customer support available commercially. |
12. |
User |
Everyone. From home users to developers and computer enthusiasts alike. |
Unix operating systems were developed mainly for mainframes, servers and workstations. The Unix environment and the client-server program model were essential elements in the development of the Internet |
13. |
Usage |
Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware,ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers. |
The UNIX operating system is used in internet servers and workstations |