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Linux is an operating
system that was created as a hobby by a student, Linus Torvalds, at the
University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small
UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix
standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and
worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was
released. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and
released under the GNUand its source code is freely available to everyone.
It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system
is developed. There are now literally hundreds of companies and
organizations and an equal number of individuals that have released their
own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel.
Apart from the fact that it's freely distributed, Linux's
functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative
for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard
and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its
ongoing development. More than a decade after its initial release, Linux is
being adopted worldwide as a server platform primarily. Its use as a home
and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating
system can also be incorporated directly into microchips in a process called
"embedding" and is increasingly being used this way in appliances and
devices.
Last updated
03/07/2004
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