Linux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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How can I run a sudo command automatically on startup? I need to run sudo alsactl restore to mute my microphone from playing In my own headphones on every reboot. Surely I can delegate that to the system somehow?
Try paveaucontrol, it has an option to lock settings plus it's a neat app to call when you need to customise settings. You could also add user to the group that has access to mic.
I use Kali Linux for cybersecurity work and learning in a VM on my Windows computer. If I ever moved completely over to Linux, what should I do, can I use Kali as my complete desktop?
No never! Do not use Kali as main OS choose Debian, Fedora, RHEL (not designed for this use case) or Arch system
Ctrl Alt f1 f2 etc. Why do these desktops/cli exist. What was their intended purpose and what do people use them for today? Is it just legacy of does it stll serve a purpose?
How do programs that measure available space like 'lsblk', 'df', 'zfs list' etc see hardlinks and estimate disk space.
If I am trying to manage disk space, does the file system correctly display disk space (for example a zfs list)? Or does it think that I have duplicate files/directories because it can't tell what is a hardlink?
Also, during move operations, zfs dataset migrations, etc... does the hardlinked file continue tracking where the original is? I know it is almost impossible at a system level to discern which is the original.
What is the practical difference between Arch and Debian based systems? Like what can you actually do on one that you can't on the other?
The practical difference is the package manager; Debian-based systems use dpkg/APT with the .deb package format, Arch uses Pacman with .pkg packages.
Debian-based distros use a stable release cycle, so there are version numbers. The ecosystem is maintained for each version for an extended period of time, so if you have a workflow that requires a specific era of software, you can stick with an older version of the OS to maintain compatibility. This does not necessarily mean the software remains unpatched; security or stability patches are applied, this tends to mean the system is stable. Arch-based distros use a rolling release, basically what they said they were going to do with Windows 10 being the "last" version of Windows and they'd just keep updating it. Upside: Newest versions of packages all the time. Downside: Newest versions of packages all the time. You get the latest features, and the latest bugs.
Debian-based distros don't have a unified method of distributing software beyond the standard repositories. Ubuntu tried with PPAs, which kind of sucked. Arch has the Arch User Repository, or AUR.
Arch itself is designed to be an a la carte operating system. It starts out as a fairly minimal environment and the user will install the components they want and only the components they want, though many Arch-based distros like Manjaro and EndeavorOS offer pre-configured images. Debian was one of the earliest distros shipped ready to go as a complete OS; I know of no system that offers the "here's a shell and a package manager, install it yourself" experience on the Debian family tree.
But given an installed and configured Debian and Arch machine, what can one do that the other can't? As in, can it run [application]? Very little.
You can “do” the same thing in Debian as you can arch, the main difference is packaging philosophy, Debian packages are older and more stable, while in Arch world you typically have the newest version of software packages as late as a few weeks from their release (the caveat being breakage is a bit more likely), Arch also has user repositories where the community can contribute unofficial packages