When Linux came around it was already built with multi-user and multi-tasking in mind. While Windows and MS-DOS started from a “what you have is what you work on” kind of philosophy, Linux was designed more like a shared, modular system — a place where many people could connect, run processes, and work in parallel.
That philosophy shows up in three core pillars:
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Users
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Processes
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Terminals
Users: Identity and Security by Default
On Linux, everything belongs to a user. Every file, every directory, and every process has an owner. And to get into the system, you must have an account.
Back in the Windows 95–98 era, “user accounts” were little more than a cosmetic feature. You could create users, assign passwords, but the login screen was more of a suggestion than a rule. Entering a random name often still got you into the system. Security wasn’t baked into the core.
Linux, on the other hand, took a stricter stance. From the very beginning, multi-user support was a non-negotiable requirement. On boot, you had to enter a username and password. No valid credentials? Tough luck — you didn’t get in. No files, no programs, no access.
There wasn’t a built-in mechanism to bypass it. You had to set up accounts, and you had to authenticate. This foundation made Linux secure from the start, especially in environments where multiple people used the same computer or where remote connections were common.
Multi-tasking: More Than One Thing at a Time
The second foundation was multi-tasking.
In MS-DOS, computing was single-track. You typed a command, the computer did that one thing, and you couldn’t do anything else until it finished. If you launched a long process, you had to wait — your screen was locked until it ended.
Linux introduced a different model. Even in the era of text-only terminals, you could:
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Start a process.
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Send it to the background.
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Keep using the same terminal for another command.
That was a game-changer. You could download files, compile code, and edit documents all at once — not by jumping between windows (like later versions of Windows allowed) but directly in the terminal itself.
Over time, this foundation grew into features like process management (ps, top, kill) and job control (&, jobs, fg, bg). The operating system wasn’t just executing instructions in order; it was orchestrating multiple tasks for multiple users at the same time.
Terminals: Windows Before Windows
And then there were terminals.
Originally, a Linux system could have several terminal sessions running simultaneously. Each one was like a separate workspace with its own processes, users, and context. On physical servers, these were often actual terminals connected by serial cables; on desktops today, they show up as virtual terminals you can switch to with shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+F1 through F6.
This meant you didn’t just share a screen with others — you could actually share a computer without stepping on each other’s toes. One user could be editing text, another could be compiling code, a third could be running background scripts — all on the same machine.
Why It Matters Today
These design choices may feel invisible today, but they’re why Linux remains rock-solid on everything from your Raspberry Pi to the world’s largest supercomputers.
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Multi-user made Linux inherently secure and prepared it for the internet age.
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Multi-tasking made it efficient and powerful for developers and system admins.
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Terminals created the foundation for remote access, scripting, and automation.
While Windows and DOS had to bolt on these features later, Linux was born with them. That’s why even decades later, Linux is the backbone of servers, cloud infrastructure, and modern computing.