Diving into Linux
Diving into Linux
Back in the 70s, Unix emerged as a leading system for scientific and business computing. Its initial licensing was... intricate, which meant it was shared quite openly among universities and researchers, leading to many variations such as BSD. It wasn't strictly "free software," but it wasn't completely restricted either. Essentially, users could generally redistribute and alter the Unix code as they saw fit—at least up to that point—which contributed significantly to its appeal. By the early 80s, AT&T began restricting Unix access and shifted it toward proprietary commercial versions, creating a challenge for those who had relied on the earlier open alternatives. This shift prompted figures like Richard Stallman and the Free Software Foundation to develop GNU, an operating system intended to be free rather than closed. The GNU project developed a suite of tools known as GNU utilities, though initially they lacked a compatible kernel. Decades later, in the early 90s, Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel, which became compatible with GNU tools. Today, most Linux distributions combine the Linux kernel with these utilities. I find this fascinating and suggest checking out some videos from Asianometry for deeper insights: The Evolution of the Operating System, The Rise of Unix, and others. Also, see the Wikipedia page on the GNU/Linux naming debate.
Keep in mind, though, you don’t need to memorize all this to run Linux—just focus on getting the basics right. This explanation is meant to be engaging, not overly technical.
If you prefer Mint and its appearance is your main concern, consider switching to a desktop environment that better suits your taste. You can install GNOME on Mint, and it might be feasible to customize Cinnamon more closely to your preferences, though that could involve a more involved setup. For learning Linux, it's best to stick with Linux itself. When you're unsure about something, rely on your preferred search engine for guidance. This approach works well with larger distributions, which tend to have more resources available.