An operating system is the guts of any computer or microprocessor. It tells a computer how to do basic tasks such as save or share files, print documents, add users to a network, receive input from a keyboard, display information on a monitor and numerous other tasks. An operating system is the foundation on which useful applications are built to allow individuals and organizations to be more productive. Examples of applications include word processors, personal finance managers, enterprise resource planning packages and countless others. With the proliferation of computers and microprocessors, the operating system market has grown extremely large.
All microprocessors require an operating system and there are a lot of microprocessors in the world.
Remember, microprocessors include computers and also embedded systems contained in automobiles, cellular phones, elevators, personal digital assistants and millions of other appliances. Clearly, the operating system market is large and will continue to grow as the use of computers and embedded systems increases. Linux was developed in 1991 for an Intel driven platform by a Finnish student named Linus Torvalds. Linux's roots are firmly entrenched in UNIX which is a stable, robust operating system traditionally used by large organizations for enterprise applications and by government and academic institutions. Shortly after developing Linux, Torvalds made an important licensing decision that has rapidly accelerated Linux's acceptance within the developer community.