Linux Features

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Linux is distinguished from many popular operating systems in three important ways.
? Linux is a cross-platform operating system that runs on many computer models. Only UNIX, an ancestor of Linux, rivals Linux in this respect. In comparison, Windows 95 and Windows 98 run only on CPUs having the Intel architecture. Windows NT runs only on CPUs having the Intel architecture or the DEC Alpha.
? Linux is free, in two senses. First, you may pay nothing to obtain and use Linux. On the other hand, you may choose to purchase Linux from a vendor who bundles Linux with special documentation or applications, or who provides technical support. However, even in this case, the cost of Linux is likely to be a fraction of what you'd pay for another operating system. So, Linux is free or nearly free in an economic sense.
Second, and more important, Linux and many Linux applications are distributed in source form. This makes it possible for you and others to modify or improve them. You're not free to do this with most operating systems, which are distributed in binary form. For example, you can't make changes to Microsoft Windows or Microsoft Word - only Microsoft can do that. Because of this freedom, Linux is being constantly improved and updated, far outpacing the rate of progress of any other operating system. For example, Linux will likely be the first operating system to support Intel's forthcoming Merced 64-bit CPU.
? Linux has attractive features and performance. Free access to Linux source code lets programmers around the world implement new features, and tweak Linux to improve its performance and reliability. The best of these features and tweaks are incorporated in the standard Linux kernel or made available as kernel patches or applications. Not even Microsoft can mobilize and support a software development team as large and dedicated as the volunteer Linux software development team, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands, including programmers, code reviewers, and testers.
Following in great detail of LINUX features:
1) Linux is secure:
1. Linux has many features that protect your system from both intruders (h4x0rz, 5cr1p7 k1dd13z, viruses, and so on) and users also.

2) Linux is technically advanced
2. Why geeks like it: Linux is, if not the most advanced OS out there, at least among the most advanced operating systems. It's technically superior to many other OS'es, like the infamous Redmond OS.
3) Linux is highly configurable:
You can customize Linux exactly to your liking. You can make it work exactly the way you want, and on the platform you want. You can also optimize your Linux system for your very own hardware, so you can run Linux faster and get every drops of performance squeezed out of your box.
3. Multitasking: several programs running at the same time.
4. Multi-user: several users on the same machine at the same time (and no two-user licenses!).
5. Multiplatform: runs on many different CPUs, not just Intel.
6. Multiprocessor: SMP support is available on the Intel and SPARC platforms (with work currently in progress on other platforms), and Linux ...