Exclusive | Article Index |
|---|
| What Is Linux: An Overview of the Linux Operating System |
| The Future of Linux |
| The Birth of Linux |
| The Code |
| Licensing, Community, and Development |
| The Business of Linux |
| All Pages |
The Birth of Linux
On August 25, 1991, a Finn computer science student named Linus Torvalds made the following announcement to the Usenet group comp.os.minux:
I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby,
won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486)
AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is
starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things
people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it
somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system
(due to practical reasons) (among other things).
The “Minix” Torvalds referred to is a variant of the UNIX operating system, used as a guideline for his the free operating system he wanted to run on the x86-based consumer PCs of the day. “gnu” refers to the set of GNU (GNU Is Not Unix) tools first put together by Richard Stallman in 1983. UNIX, the operating system that started it all, had its origins in the old Bell Labs back in the early 60s.
Torvalds built the core of the Linux operating system, known as the kernel. A kernel alone does not make an operating system, but Stallman's GNU tools were from a project to create an operating system as well--a project that was missing a kernel to make Stallman's operating system complete. Torvalds' matching of GNU tools with the Linux kernel marked the beginning of the Linux operating system as it is known today.
Linux is in many ways still only at the beginning of its potential, even though it has enjoyed tremendous success since Torvalds' first request for help in 1991.
Linux has gained strong popularity amongst UNIX developers, who like it for its portability to many platforms, its similarity to UNIX, and its free software license. Around the turn of the century, several commercial developers began to distribute Linux, including VA Linux, TurboLinux, Mandrakelinux, Red Hat, and SuSE GMbH. IBM's 2000 decision to invest $2 billion in Linux development and sales was a significant positive event to the growth of Linux.
Today, Linux is a multi-billion dollar industry, with companies and governments around the world taking advantage of the operating system's security and flexibility. Thousands of companies use Linux for day-to-day use, attracted by the lower licensing and support costs. Governments around the world are deploying Linux to save money and time, with some governments commissioning their own versions of Linux.
The analyst group IDC has projected Linux will be a $49 billion business by 2011, and there are many indications in the market that this figure will be achieved.
Comments
Subscribe to Comments Feedphanikumar Said:
it is a nice matter
zoya Said:
really it helped me a lot
RAJU.R.K Said:
dis is a very important to made up use the people and hence i think its a superb operating system of a computer........ Thank u......
sujit Said:
what cloud computing?
AlagZ Said:
Cloud computing is nothing but storing the data in a central pool where multiple users can store and retrieve their data through the internet. This system is useful to store confidential data and also to reduce the space used in the personal system .
Abhishek Said:
Hi I am confused for totaly for linux. and what is future of linux
choji F.D. Said:
Wow! linux. What an amazing OS!
rohit soni Said:
Chutiya hai........
surya Said:
how to operate it?
chris adkins Said:
ask lil b, lil b is all knowing and is based as fuck and knows the based god, ask him...
KOBI Said:
LINUX IS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Roberto Pizano Said:
Linux may be good but, is not so easy to understand at the beginning, be honest is not a piece of cake.
Junior. Ombi Said:
I want to know the procedures to install ,Configure and Use it
Alve Said:
How can i get Linux operating system
jayant Said:
tooooooooo short.................
HARSHALA Said:
hmmm.........gud ya
ammrin Said:
cloud computing doesn't relate to the content published above but fr the sake of knowledge , it is a service provided 2 u through internet based on pay as u go paradigm
Don 1 Said:
Hmmmm dis people wll kill as wth their Technology oo
b Said:
yes interesting
Zoix Said:
Zoix: It is nice that you include examples on where to use Linux OS.
johnny Said:
Will have to try this Linux out, sounds like you have more control of your device or PC, maybe I could get to enjoy PCs again, so fed up with that other system.
deenachandra kshetri Said:
ITZ 2 SHOT.................. I WAN MORE DETAILS
pamodya Said:
good
supun sudarsha batuwaththa Said:
boruwadA GANDA APA
ali raza Said:
it is general os
me Said:
"In THE simplest terms" it is an operating system kernel, the most important component of an OS. But it isn't a whole operating system yet.
amit Said:
Its a nice operating system to work on....
HITESH BANASURE Said:
Excellent pltform for network......
Darshan Ram Said:
The problem with linux is they have too many version unlike windows.They also need to brighten up by advertising or something.Create something that windows or mac doesnt have and for sure it will be a sucess.
aditi singh Said:
whats the difference between linux and unix..?
Bazza Said:
Is Linux an operating system? I thought it is the KERNEL.
Aizenmyou Said:
@Bazza Stallman likes to confuse people. Linux is by definition the operating system layer. GNU's programs are the userland or application layer.
Jimmy Said:
Differencies between linux and unix
andraexs Said:
live freedom with linux.. i love it
mani Said:
gud1
Deepak Bawa Said:
Ubuntu E-mail this Term A community-developed Linux-based operating system that can be used on desktops, laptops and servers. The operating system includes a variety of applications including those for word processing, e-mail applications, Web server software and also programming tools. Ubuntu is free of charge, including enterprise releases and security updates. It also comes with full commercial support from Canonical. Ubuntu is available in both a desktop and server edition. here's the link http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/7739177/
hitesh vora Said:
thek have....maja no aavi.....
Akanksha Kalla Said:
I found some more relevant questions with their appropriate answers on linux. http://blog.oureducation.in/linux-os/ this site is really helpful. I suggest you all to just check this site once.
lori38 Said:
First of all I have a Samsung Tablet 8.1 and alot of applications that I'd like to download just wont happen. I click on the "download" button, but when I go to open the app./file it tells me "cannot open file". My first question is WHY? Why will it not open, cause i know it downloaded cause when I go into my account before the download it shows me my data usage and after the download is complete I recheck my data usage and its exactly the amount of the app. more. Second ques. I went to download a tool bar from swagbucks and at the top of the page it says "wont work on Linux". What does this mean? I've tried downoading toolbars when I first got my tablet but they just never took. I never could figure out why. Maybe someone out there can help me with my dilema. Plz and Tk U.
abzgal'z Said:
I want more about LINUX for my report. about their capacity, and how many application can apply or install... thank you!
Ratiranjan nayak Said:
LInux is very good . I like linux very much............ I want to know much more about u.......................
sonu Said:
linux is very good
LEIGH BARTON Said:
LINUX is what an operating system is supposed to be, bootable from a live operating system disk, easily installed, the newer versions have graphical user interfaces that make them manageable for unaccustomed users like me, that were taught on basic dos systems. The inclusion of the technically minded in the development approach may hopefully lead to the standardization of operating system function to permit normal people the opportunity to improve the potential of their own computers, and by extension the capability of personal computers in general, unlike Windows, which seems bent on making it impossible for even the best technicians to keep the boat-anchors from sinking. I've already used the live operating system disk to repair failed windows systems for people that would otherwise not have been able to afford the necessary technical support. Windows keeps failing more frequently, and getting progressively more expensive to service. LINUX seems to be the TIMEX of operating systems, ("takes a licking and keeps on ticking") and seems to be the next step in the chain if people like me are going to be able to keep using computers without a million dollar bankroll. It's a premium technical asset, and it seems a lot of catching-up is on my own plate in order to learn how to use it properly. To the creators of LINUX, well done, that's one small step for man, and one giant leap for mankind. compliments.
granpa Said:
Dear leight, will you be so kind and explaine ,,I have OS windows 7 can i dowloded OS. Linux and whot I can got? Thanks. Trgards.Andrew
TechTr Said:
Since when linux is a OS? even though this is for newbies but you should not mislead people. Linux is only the kernel, the other things which makes up the OS is not linux!
durjan rathore barmer Said:
explain the concept of linux its components ?
haddey.hms Said:
oh my god am totally confused..,1 wat z the purposes of linux
Aizenmyou Said:
As I said above, Stallman likes to confuse people. Linux is by definition the operating system layer. GNU's programs are the userland or application layer. Anyone who is not a newb knows this. (People with actual computer science degrees)
Spanzy Said:
I am kinda confused down here
fast1 Said:
Linux is great...I've just bought a 10inch tablet running Linux. 64bit. SW