One of the greatest things about Linux is the wealth of useful optional features that are available in the kernel, especially related to networking. For example, you can configure a kernel that will allow your entire home network to access the Internet by way of your Linux modem -- this is called IP Masquerading, or IP NAT.

Additionally, the Linux kernel can be configured to export or mount network-based NFS file systems, allowing for other UNIX machines on your LAN to easily share data with your Linux system. There are a lot of goodies in the kernel, as you'll learn once you begin exploring the Linux kernel's many configuration options.