Coding On Linux

Linux is such a versatile operating system that’s both malleable and powerful, while offering the programmer a perfect foundation on which to build their skills. While all the

popular and mainstream programming languages are available on Linux, as they are on Windows and macOS, Linux also utilises its own coding language, called scripting.

Bash scripting on Linux can be used to create a wealth of useful, real world programs that interact with the user, or simply work in the background based on a predefined schedule.

Scripting is a powerful interface to the Linux system, so we’ve crafted this section to help you get to grips with how everything fits together, and how to make some amazing Linux scripts.

Free And Open Source

Linux is a fantastic fit for those who want to develop multi-platform code. The efficiency of the system, the availability of applications and stability are just a few good reasons.

The first thing we need to address is that there is no such operating system called Linux. Linux is in fact the operating system kernel, the core component of an OS. When talking about Linux what we, and others, are referring to are one of the many distributions, or distros, that use the Linux kernel. No doubt you’ve heard of at least one of the current popular distros: Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Fedora, openSUSE, Debian, the list goes on. Each one of these distros offers something a little different for the user. While each has a the Linux kernel at its core, they provide the user with a different looking desktop environment, different preloaded applications, different ways in which to update the system and get more apps installed and a slightly different look and feel throughout the entire system. However, at the centre lies Linux which is why we collectively say, Linux.

Linux works considerably differently to Windows or macOS. It’s free for a start, free to download, install on as many computers as you like and use for an unlimited amount of time. It’s also free to upgrade and extend using equally free programs and applications.

This free to use element is one of the biggest draws for the developer. While a Windows license can cost up to £100 and a Mac one considerably more, a developer can quickly download a distro and get to work coding in a matter of minutes.

Alongside the free to use aspect comes a level of freedom to customise and mould the system to your own use. Each of the available distros available on the Internet have a certain ‘spin’, in that some offer increased security, a fancy looking desktop, a gaming specific spin or something directed towards students. This extensibility makes Linux a more desirable platform to learn coding on, as you can quickly shape the system into a development base, including many different kinds of IDEs for the likes of Python, web development, C++, Java and so on.

Linux is a great operating system in which to start coding

Another remarkable advantage is that Linux comes with most of the popular coding environments built-in. Both Python and C++ are preinstalled in a high percentage of available Linux distros, which means you can start to program almost as soon as you install the system and boot it up for the first time.

Generally speaking, Linux doesn’t take up as many system resources as Windows or macOS. By system resources we mean memory, hard drive space and CPU load; the Linux code has been streamlined and is free from third-party ‘bloatware’ which hogs those systems resources. A more efficient system of course means more available resources for the coding and testing environment, and the programs you eventually create. Less use of resources also means you can use Linux on older hardware that would normally struggle or even refuse to run the latest versions of Windows or macOS. So rather than throwing away an old computer, it can be reused with a Linux distro.

There are thousands of free packages available for programmers under Linux

However it’s not all about C++, Python or any of the other more popular programming languages. Using the command line of Linux, also called the Terminal, you’re able to create Shell scripts, which are programs that are designed to run from the command line and are made up of scripting languages. They are used mainly to automate tasks or offer the user some form of input and output for a certain operation. They are surprisingly powerful and we look at how to create them within this section.

Finally, although there are many more advantages to list, there are thousands and thousands of free programs and apps available that cover near every aspect of computing. Known as packages, there are (at the time of writing) over 8,700 specific programming applications just for Linux Mint alone.

Linux therefore, is a great resource and environment for programming in. It’s perfectly suited for developers and is continually improving and evolving. If you’re serious about getting into coding, then give Linux a try and see how it works for you.

Each distro offers something unique to the user but all have Linux at the core

A Linux programming environment can be as simple or as complex as you need it to be

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