Desktop environments

One of the big differences between Unix/Linux systems and Windows is they truly are modular in design. Sure, I know Microsoft says Windows is modular in design, but this really isn't the case. With Windows, the desktop is seamlessly integrated into the operating system. So, until Server 2012, you had to run a Windows server with a running GUI. With Server 2012, you have the option to run the machine headless, but the server's use is very limited running in this mode. Try to uninstall Internet Explorer; well, you can't. Yes, Internet Explorer is an application that has one of the largest security footprints of any common application. Yes, Internet Explorer has system-level access. Yes Toto, this is a problem, which we will exploit later in this book, but for this chapter let's focus on desktop environments.

Linux truly is modular in design. Linux's father is Unix, and Unix's whole design concept was small interactive programs that could be chained together to perform larger tasks. Linux is also designed this way. Actually, Linux is just the kernel of the operating system invented by one man, Linus Torvalds. Almost everything else is a collection of small applications bolted together to make the boy go. A large and constant component set that helps the kernel interact with the hardware is encompassed by the name GNU toolset. Most of these tools were ported from Unix, or rewritten to avoid copyright complications, but still use the same inputs and outputs.

So, with this design structure, the GUI is just another module that can be changed or completely removed from the operating system without any effect on the lower working parts. This gives Linux the ability to do anything from being a Smart Watch to running the Hadron Collider or... be a hacking machine.