Linux Ham FTP Sites
Ibiblio Debian Ham Unstable SuSE Hamsoft
Last Updated by KF8GR May 15, 2004
This webpage is about how Amateur Radio and Linux work together. All info on this page is available from other places, so I do not claim it asintellectual property You may feel free to use any information on this site (or not) as you see fit. That is the concept of GNU and Linux, and it works. My hope is to get other hams using Linux. I don't want your money, and you will not see any annoying pop-up ads on this site. That is also a GNU and Linux tradition. If that annoys you, then you are in the wrong place.
Well, first of all, the AX.25 is integrated right into the kernel. It is not the easiest thing to set up, but, it can be TCP/IP addressed, lan networked and is more versatile than any other operating system type. Linux is a Un*x type system with over 30 years of stability. Linux itself is only about a decade old, so the coding structure is newer than Un*x, but, it is still in the same family. Many of these programs can be converted to run on Solaris, *BSD, Darwin or OS X. Linux is also an "open source" operating system, which means the users have the right to the source code, and the ability to adapt a program for their own purposes. (You can guess how well that idea is loved in the commercial software world).
But, more directly, you want to know if Linux has programs for Hams. Yes. In some cases there are fewer, but, I have NEVER found them to be inferior.