Linux is popular for many reasons.
1. It is very fast, easy to use and reliable.
2. Writing programs and scripting on Linux is often times much easier than doing so on Windows as many of the users are that use Linux are computer savy but also because the framework that makes up Linux is completely open source, thus allowing programmers to program with Linux not around it.
3. Linux's security features are that of excellence, most distributions and server editions of Linux have the highest security ratings of any OS.
4. It Looks really cool and has many desktops to choose from (KDE, XFCE, FLuxBox, and Gnome)
5. There are so many different distros or flavors of Linux to choose from, many with the same use in mind but more features and positives than others.
6. It uses an advanced shell scripting terminal allowing for an easy to use command line system based off of Unix making it very powerful and versatile.
7. Last but not least its FREE! and open source so you are free to do with it what you want at absolutely no cost.
Some complain that its not compatible, well no its not with windows programs but for every program that runs on NT theres 3 better for any Linux distro, games are also a problem with Linux, but I manage Crysis at 60FPS and COD 5, and HL2 all at superb graphic levels.
It is all around an extremely good and well rounded operating system once you learn how to use it.
Yes, very much. Linux is a developing and cutting edge OS.
pretty much anything that can run Linux and sendmail
quicker answer is which linux distro does not work? Pretty much all will work
Linux is a free to download operating system, so it is difficult to put a specific value on it.
A Mac is a computer the cost of which varies depending on which model you buy. Linux is an operating system that is free. You can use the Linux operating system on a Mac if required.
Yes, Linux is like an operating system much like Windows OS or Mac OS. Linux is kind of like a community of Operating Systems. A popular OS from Linux is Ubuntu.
Nobody. Code is contributed by and remains the property of the many volunteers and employees of various companies.
I'm assuming you are referring the Linux operating system. Linux is 100% free. If you pay a penny for it, get your money back. There are hundreds of different distributions of Linux. Some of the best beginner distro's are Ubuntu and Linux Mint. Check the related links below.
No, Linux has .so (Shared object) and .ko (Driver) files. Shared objects work in much the same way as dynamically linked libraries, except in a much better way that doesn't screw things up. There is no real Linux "DLL hell" equivalent.
U-Boot is not actually part of Linux; it is a separate project. It is a bootloader, much like GRUB, often used in embedded devices.
As much as you can give it. Architecturally, Linux can support 64 GB on an x86 server, and a theoretical 16 exabytes on an x86-64 (no current server can come close to supporting that much RAM in hardware).
No, Linux is simply the operating system running on the hardware, much in the same way that you could run Windows or another OS on the same hardware.