Linux (operating system) | Article about Linux (operating system) by The Free Dictionary Linux (operating system) | Article about Linux (operating system) by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Linux [′lin·əks] (computer science) A freely available, open-source Unix-like operating system kernel capable of running on many different types of computer hardware; first released in 1991. Linux (operating system) ("Linus Unix") /li'nuks/ (but see below) An implementation of the Unix kernel originally written from scratch with no proprietary code. The kernel runs on Intel and Alpha hardware in the general release, with SPARC , PowerPC , MIPS , ARM , Amiga , Atari , and SGI in active development. The SPARC, PowerPC, ARM, PowerMAC - OSF , and 68k ports all support shells, X and networking . The Intel and SPARC versions have reliable symmetric multiprocessing . Work on the kernel is coordinated by Linus Torvalds, who holds the copyright on a large part of it. The rest of the copyright is held by a large number of other contributors (or their employers).

Regardless of the copyright ownerships, the kernel as a whole is available under the GNU General Public License . The GNU project supports Linux as its kernel until the research Hurd kernel is completed. This kernel would be no use without application programs. The GNU project has provided large numbers of quality tools, and together with other public domain software it is a rich Unix environment. A compilation of the Linux kernel and these tools is known as a Linux distribution. Compatibility modules and/or emulators exist for dozens of other computing environments. The kernel version numbers are significant: the odd numbered series (e.g. 1.3.xx) is the development (or beta) kernel which evolves very quickly. Stable (or release) kernels have even major version numbers (e.g. 1.2.xx). There is a lot of commercial support for and use of Linux, both by hardware companies such as Digital , IBM , and Apple and numerous smaller network and integration specialists. There are many commercially supported distributions which are generally entirely under the GPL. At least one distribution vendor guarantees Posix compliance. Linux is particularly popular for Internet Service Providers, and there are ports to both parallel supercomputers and embedded microcontrollers. Debian is one popular open source distribution.

The pronunciation of "Linux" has been a matter of much debate. Many, including Torvalds, insist on the short I pronunciation /li'nuks/ because "Linus" has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's family is part of Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus considers English short /i/ to be closer to /ee/ than English long /i:/ dipthong. This is consistent with the short I in words like "linen". This doesn't stop others demanding a long I /li:'nuks/ following the english pronunciation of "Linus" and "minus". Others say /li'niks/ following Minix , which Torvalds was working on before Linux. More on pronunciation. LinuxHQ. slashdot. freshmeat. Woven Goods. Linux Gazette. funet Linux Archive, US mirror, UK Mirror. Linux A very popular open source operating system that runs on all major hardware platforms including x86, Itanium, PowerPC, ARM and IBM mainframes. Based on the design principles in the Unix operating system, and often called a "Unix clone", Linux is widely deployed as a server OS and as an embedded OS.

For example, Linux runs in most of the servers on the Internet and in countless appliances and consumer electronics (see embedded Linux ). In the desktop world, Linux has a small market share; however, Google's Chrome OS may change that status in the future (see Chromebook ). Linux is a multitasking, multiuser operating system that is known for its stability. Although modified by numerous people, its robustness stems from its Unix-like architecture that keeps applications isolated from the core operating system. Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), Linux is "the" flagship product of the open source community. Numerous groups work on their own flavor of Linux, modifying it for various purposes, and commercial organizations, such as Red Hat and Suse, "distribute" Linux for a fee (see Linux distribution ). Linux is also compliant with POSIX, the IEEE compatibility standard (see POSIX ). See open source and GNU General Public License . Not Just One User Interface Linux employs the X Window rendering system to create the basic window, but it relies on third-party user interfaces to display the borders, buttons, menus, icons and desktop that users manipulate. KDE and GNOME are two of the most popular user interfaces, and both may be included in a Linux distribution.

See X Window , KDE and GNOME . From Unix to Minix to Linux In 1990, Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel (the heart of the OS). He was inspired by Minix, a classroom teaching tool similar to Unix. Although Torvalds created the kernel, many of the supporting libraries, utilities and applications have come from the GNU Project, which is why Linux is often designated as GNU/Linux. Over the years, a huge number of programmers have contributed. Torvalds maintains the official Linux kernel, and Linux is his registered trademark. Linux Is Really "Lee-Nooks" In Finland, they say "lee-nooks" because Linus is pronounced "lee-noose." Since the English pronounce Linus as "line-iss," some call it "line-icks." More common is "lynn-icks." See embedded Linux , Minix , Ubuntu , SuSE Linux , UnitedLinux , CoreOS , OS virtualization , GNU , open source , Linux Foundation , Trinux , SCO and Red Hat . A Linux Desktop This is a Linux desktop PC from System76.

In 2005, System76 was first to offer packaged Linux systems that come with Ubuntu Linux and several popular applications (see Ubuntu). (Image courtesy of System76, Linux in Your TV MontaVista Linux provides the user interface in this Sony TV. Increasingly, people are finding a GPL open source license with the electronics they purchase, which covers the legal use of the software running in the device. See GNU General Public License. The Linux Logo The Linux mascot is a penguin, and it appeared on some early iPods running a version of Linux from the iPodLinux Project. (Image courtesy of the iPodLinux Project) Torvalds | Article about Torvalds by The Free Dictionary Torvalds | Article about Torvalds by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Wikipedia . Linux [′lin·əks] (computer science) A freely available, open-source Unix-like operating system kernel capable of running on many different types of computer hardware; first released in 1991. Linux (operating system) ("Linus Unix") /li'nuks/ (but see below) An implementation of the Unix kernel originally written from scratch with no proprietary code.

The kernel runs on Intel and Alpha hardware in the general release, with SPARC , PowerPC , MIPS , ARM , Amiga , Atari , and SGI in active development. The SPARC, PowerPC, ARM, PowerMAC - OSF , and 68k ports all support shells, X and networking . The Intel and SPARC versions have reliable symmetric multiprocessing . Work on the kernel is coordinated by Linus Torvalds, who holds the copyright on a large part of it. The rest of the copyright is held by a large number of other contributors (or their employers). Regardless of the copyright ownerships, the kernel as a whole is available under the GNU General Public License . The GNU project supports Linux as its kernel until the research Hurd kernel is completed. This kernel would be no use without application programs. The GNU project has provided large numbers of quality tools, and together with other public domain software it is a rich Unix environment. A compilation of the Linux kernel and these tools is known as a Linux distribution. Compatibility modules and/or emulators exist for dozens of other computing environments. The kernel version numbers are significant: the odd numbered series (e.g. 1.3.xx) is the development (or beta) kernel which evolves very quickly.

Stable (or release) kernels have even major version numbers (e.g. 1.2.xx). There is a lot of commercial support for and use of Linux, both by hardware companies such as Digital , IBM , and Apple and numerous smaller network and integration specialists. There are many commercially supported distributions which are generally entirely under the GPL. At least one distribution vendor guarantees Posix compliance. Linux is particularly popular for Internet Service Providers, and there are ports to both parallel supercomputers and embedded microcontrollers. Debian is one popular open source distribution. The pronunciation of "Linux" has been a matter of much debate. Many, including Torvalds, insist on the short I pronunciation /li'nuks/ because "Linus" has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's family is part of Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus considers English short /i/ to be closer to /ee/ than English long /i:/ dipthong. This is consistent with the short I in words like "linen". This doesn't stop others demanding a long I /li:'nuks/ following the english pronunciation of "Linus" and "minus".

Others say /li'niks/ following Minix , which Torvalds was working on before Linux. More on pronunciation. LinuxHQ. slashdot. freshmeat. Woven Goods. Linux Gazette. funet Linux Archive, US mirror, UK Mirror. Linux A very popular open source operating system that runs on all major hardware platforms including x86, Itanium, PowerPC, ARM and IBM mainframes. Based on the design principles in the Unix operating system, and often called a "Unix clone", Linux is widely deployed as a server OS and as an embedded OS. For example, Linux runs in most of the servers on the Internet and in countless appliances and consumer electronics (see embedded Linux ). In the desktop world, Linux has a small market share; however, Google's Chrome OS may change that status in the future (see Chromebook ). Linux is a multitasking, multiuser operating system that is known for its stability. Although modified by numerous people, its robustness stems from its Unix-like architecture that keeps applications isolated from the core operating system. Licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), Linux is "the" flagship product of the open source community.

Numerous groups work on their own flavor of Linux, modifying it for various purposes, and commercial organizations, such as Red Hat and Suse, "distribute" Linux for a fee (see Linux distribution ). Linux is also compliant with POSIX, the IEEE compatibility standard (see POSIX ). See open source and GNU General Public License . Not Just One User Interface Linux employs the X Window rendering system to create the basic window, but it relies on third-party user interfaces to display the borders, buttons, menus, icons and desktop that users manipulate. KDE and GNOME are two of the most popular user interfaces, and both may be included in a Linux distribution. See X Window , KDE and GNOME . From Unix to Minix to Linux In 1990, Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel (the heart of the OS). He was inspired by Minix, a classroom teaching tool similar to Unix. Although Torvalds created the kernel, many of the supporting libraries, utilities and applications have come from the GNU Project, which is why Linux is often designated as GNU/Linux. Over the years, a huge number of programmers have contributed. Torvalds maintains the official Linux kernel, and Linux is his registered trademark.

Linux Is Really "Lee-Nooks" In Finland, they say "lee-nooks" because Linus is pronounced "lee-noose." Since the English pronounce Linus as "line-iss," some call it "line-icks." More common is "lynn-icks." See embedded Linux , Minix , Ubuntu , SuSE Linux , UnitedLinux , CoreOS , OS virtualization , GNU , open source , Linux Foundation , Trinux , SCO and Red Hat . A Linux Desktop This is a Linux desktop PC from System76. In 2005, System76 was first to offer packaged Linux systems that come with Ubuntu Linux and several popular applications (see Ubuntu). (Image courtesy of System76, Linux in Your TV MontaVista Linux provides the user interface in this Sony TV. Increasingly, people are finding a GPL open source license with the electronics they purchase, which covers the legal use of the software running in the device. See GNU General Public License. The Linux Logo The Linux mascot is a penguin, and it appeared on some early iPods running a version of Linux from the iPodLinux Project.

(Image courtesy of the iPodLinux Project) Best Linux Web Hosting Choices of 2017 VISIT HOST What is Linux? Linux is the most popular operating system (OS) used by Web hosting providers. This versatile and powerful alternative to Microsoft Windows is available in a variety of free, “freemium” and commercial iterations. Many hosts - particularly shared hosting providers - default to Linux for hosting packages, so it's by far the market leader . It's also the operating system used by Google to run its vast banks of servers: more than 15,000 and counting. The History of Linux The Linux operating system was forked from UNIX in 1991. Finnish system engineer Linus Torvalds worked on his creation as part of his computer science degree, and was named after him - albeit by someone else. Over the next few years, Torvalds' Linux became incredibly popular among the developer community. In 1996, it gained its famous penguin logo in homage to a penguin that bit Torvalds at Australia's National Zoo.

Over the years, Linux has been split, merged, reinvented, repackaged and forked again and again, and it owes its success to a massive user community that maintains and improves it continually. There are various Linux distributions, and many of them are free, so you might see Linux referred to as CentOS, Fedora, Ubuntu, RedHat Linux and so on. This proves its huge following, but not everyone is a fan. Microsoft's Steve Ballmer notably referred to it as having "characteristics of communism" at a Seattle event in 2000. Companies can adopt Linux and develop their own operating systems from it. Google's Chrome OS is effectively a version of Linux, and Android owes a lot to it too. Microsoft has softened its views and now uses Linux on its X range of Nokia phones. Dell now sells laptops with Ubuntu pre-installed. Caconical - owners of Ubuntu - are marketing a Linux smartphone . Why Choose Linux for Hosting? Many people buy web hosting without giving much thought to the technical details. If you have a low cost shared hosting plan, chances are it's provisioned on servers running Linux.

You benefit because: It's secure, assuming it's kept updated, so you have fewer hacks to worry about You can use industry standard web hosting software, such as the popular cPanel control panel, so moving host is less disruptive It keeps costs down for the host, which allows them to pass on savings to you The way things work is pretty standard from host to host In modern web hosting, Linux is configured according to the LAMP standard. LAMP stands for: Linux, the operating system Apache, the web server application MySQL, the Structured Query Language database application PHP (PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor), a programming language that enables the development of dynamic web content This standard gives you everything you need to run a perfectly acceptable, modern website. You need to learn about things like Linux file permissions , but there are plenty of guides on the internet to help. Why Do Hosts Choose Linux? Hosts like Linux because: It's supported by a large user community It can be used on old servers It can be customised by the host Control panels like cPanel hide the OS from the customer, so they don't mess things up quite so often Additionally, many web hosting companies have invested heavily in Linux, making Linux administration a desirable skill for developers and technicians to have.

There are certifications, like the RedHat Certified Engineer program , that prove the candidate's Linux ability, and hosts can focus efforts (like technical support) on just one platform that everyone in the company recognises. Linux vs Windows Not all popular scripts and languages require Linux. WordPress can be installed on a Windows server, as can Perl (via Strawberry Perl) and PHP. However, they aren't so well supported and may not be as stable in practice. Here's some information about WordPress on Windows vs Linux . On the flip side, Linux servers don't support ASP, .NET and IIS, so that's a very good reason to choose Windows. Additionally, Windows is a good all-rounder, running most applications reasonably well and making it a practical alternative. Linux Hosting Frequently Asked Questions What is Linux? Linux is a family of Free and Open Source operating systems. Linux is very popular in web hosting servers. What is an operating system? The operating system is the underlying software that runs a computer. If you use a Mac, you have the Mac OSX operating system; if you are on a PC, you have a Windows operating system. Your phone might run on the Android operating system (which is based on Linux) or iOS if it’s an iPhone.

The operating system defines how the software works on a computer and how it interacts with hardware. What does it mean that Linux is Free? Linux is available at no cost (gratis) and is also available without restriction (libre). You can use it for anything you need. What does it mean that Linux is Open Source? The source code for Linux is available for inspection and modification. Additionally, it is developed in the open by a community of programmers. What does it mean that Linux is a family of operating systems? The defining characteristic of Linux is the “kernel,” a small core piece of code that manages input/output between the application layer and the machine layer of the computer. But a full-fledged operating system needs a lot of other features besides this: device drivers, language compilers, file systems, graphical user interface, and so forth. Linux is available in “distributions” that each provide a set of these additional core operating system features. What are some popular Linux distributions? CentOS, Debian, Fedora, Red Hat, Ubuntu. Does it matter which Linux distribution I have on my web hosting plan? Almost certainly not.

The typical things done on a web hosting server — run Apache, build databases, deploy PHP applications — these all work the same way on all Linux distributions used by web hosting companies. To the average user, the biggest noticeable difference between on Linux distribution and another is the graphical user interface (GUI) on a desktop, but you never see this in web hosting; you interact with the server remotely via a web control panel or SSH. Why is Linux so popular for web servers? There are several reasons. First of all, the cost (free). Next, Linux is a good fit for servers because it doesn’t need to be powered down on a regular basis. Have you ever noticed how the longer you leave your computer running, the slower it seems to get? That doesn’t tend to happen with Linux. Another reason is the extreme flexibility, which makes it a good choice for hosting companies that need to create special environments for hosting plans to work properly. I tried Linux on my desktop once and it was really hard. Should I avoid Linux for web hosting? Not at all. The experience of using Linux as a desktop operating system is not at all like using it for a server.

This is part of the reason that Linux powers the vast majority of web servers, but only 1% of the world’s desktop computers. Additionally, in most cases you won’t be interacting with the Operating System of your hosting account very much. Most web hosting account management is done through a web control panel (and the better ones only work on Linux), or through FTP and SSH (which are also both easier with Linux). I use a Windows PC for my work or personal computer. Shouldn’t I use a Windows server? No, that is not needed. You can connect to a Linux server (via SSH and/or FTP) or access the host through a web control panel from a Windows PC with no problem. The only place where you might run into a problem (and this is very minor) — if you connect via SSH and access your hosting server from a command line interface (CLI), the commands are a bit different for Linux than they are at the Windows DOS prompt. (But you probably don’t use the DOS prompt that much anyway, do you?) At any rate, it is much easier to find CLI command help online for Linux than for Windows. I use a Mac for my personal computer. Should I use a Linux server?

It really doesn’t matter whether your desktop and web server run the same operating system. There is no specific advantage to it. However, Mac users will be pleased to find that Linux command-line usage and other aspects of the Linux operating system are familiar to them. I want the best server available, not some free thing. I’m willing to pay for Windows. Was that a question? Linux is a serious, enterprise-level software. It is used by supercomputers, giant mainframes, embedded devices, and the vast majority of mobile phones on the planet. Free and Open Source does not mean sub-standard. What are the alternatives to Linux? In a web hosting environment, the only serious competitor is Windows Server. Why should I use Linux instead of Windows? The only reason to use Windows is if you have some specific need for it, in particular. Linux is the “default” choice for web hosting. What are the reasons I would need to use Windows instead of Linux? If you need to use the .NET or ASP development platforms, these require Windows instead of Linux. However, this brings up another question — why should you use .NET or ASP instead of open source technologies like Ruby, Python, PHP, or Node.js?

This is beyond the scope of this article, but you might want to think about whether vendor lock-in is worth whatever benefit you are getting from those tools. Linux vs. Windows. Which is better? For web hosting? Linux. Mac, Windows And Now, Linux - The New York Times The New York Times Technology |Mac, Windows And Now, Linux Search Continue reading the main story SINCE it was first developed in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, a student at the University of Helsinki, the operating system called Linux has engendered strong -- some might say fanatical -- loyalty among a growing community of users. To be a Linux devotee today is a bit like being one of the early users of the Internet, when using it required a solid technical grounding. As it inches its way into the computing mainstream, Linux is beginning to enjoy more widespread acceptance. Last month, Intel and Netscape, along with venture capital firms, invested in Red Hat Software, a company that sells a packaged version of Linux together with applications. And rumors abound that Intel is planning investments in other Linux companies as well. Other well-established computer companies -- Oracle, Informix, Computer Associates, Corel Computer and I.B.M.

-- have announced plans to make products available for Linux. But the question remains: Is Linux for you? Not if you're a beginner or technically faint of heart. If the words ''device driver'' make you nervous, you should probably stick to Windows or Macintosh. But if you like to tinker, if the canned computer with bells and whistles that everyone has seems too mundane and you want to be impossibly hip in your choice of computing platforms, you might be ready for a small adventure. Continue reading the main story Linux (rhymes with ''cynics'') is a simpler clone of the Unix operating system, which started out in the engineering and scientific communities in the 1970's, then migrated to large corporations. Until recently, Linux found its primary users among Internet service providers, software developers, Web sites and universities. But in the past year or so, Linux has been showing up in some large corporations, and it's beginning to spread, ever so slowly, to home computers, especially for running home-based Web sites. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Part of Linux's appeal is emotional.

''If you don't want Microsoft running your life, then you should try Linux,'' said James Love, director of the Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, a nonprofit consumer advocacy group, founded by Ralph Nader, that focuses on high-technology issues. The dominance that Mr. Nader's group would like to combat began with the first I.B.M. PC in 1981, a machine that used MS-DOS, the Microsoft Disk Operating System. Now 97 percent of all PC's run under some flavor of operating system created by Microsoft, said Rob Enderle, an analyst with Giga Information Group in Santa Clara, Calif. Unix was developed by computer scientists at AT&T's Bell Laboratories in 1969, the year Mr. Torvalds, now 28, was born. Linux, of course, came much later, when Mr. Torvalds set out to develop a simpler version of Unix that could run on a PC. The sheer fun and challenge also attracted Mr. Torvalds. ''He did it for the hack value,'' said Eric Raymond, a programmer who is a well-known Linux evangelist.

The grass-roots spread of Linux emerged through Internet-based newsgroups and mailing lists around the world. Linux adherents say their operating system is simply better than Windows. It is, they point out, powerful, fast, stable and -- best of all -- free. Although most new computers come bundled with Windows, upgrading to Windows 98 from Windows 95 costs around $100. Even better, all the information surrounding it is completely open, even its source code, the technical blueprint for an operating system. That means that anyone can tinker with it to customize or improve the system and can disseminate their variations. ''One of the reasons people like Linux is a lot like why they find the Internet so cool,'' Mr. Love said. ''There's no owner, no Bill Gates and no AT&T. It's owned by the community of people who use it.'' And it is getting easier to use. ''When it first came into existence, the only person who knew how to use it was Linus,'' said Larry Augustin, president of VA Research, a computer supplier in Mountain View, Calif., that sells machines with Linux installed. ''He posted it, and there were five other people in the world who could figure it out.

And two months later, there were 25 people in the world who could figure it out.'' Today, according to industry estimates, some seven million people worldwide use Linux, and that number is doubling every year. Advertisement Continue reading the main story The spread of Linux is often likened to the evolution of the Internet. Throughout the 1970's and 80's, the Internet was navigable only through arcane commands, all text, filled with exclamation marks and abbreviations. Then came the World Wide Web and its visual point-and-click browsers, its graphical user interfaces. Much the same is happening with Linux. Graphical user interfaces for Linux are springing up everywhere, with each new one easier to use than the last. One obstacle to any wider acceptance of Linux is the relative scarcity of commercial applications like word processors, checkbook programs and so on. By contrast, there are more than 100,000 applications available for Windows. And, perhaps not surprisingly, Microsoft has no plans to develop applications for Linux, said Jon DeVaan, vice president for Microsoft's desktop applications division. For years, the only software available for Linux was freeware, programs and applications written by Linux enthusiasts and distributed for little or no charge.

The commercial sector has only recently begun developing Linux software, and the number of commercial programs is beginning to grow. ''We're beginning to see an explosion of innovation in the Linux platform,'' Mr. Love said. Linux-based word-processing programs and spreadsheets, and even a photo manipulation program, are available. Netscape makes a Linux version of its Web browser. Corel plans to begin selling Wordperfect 8.0 for Linux soon; it says the price will be somewhere between $59 and $99. ''If you're doing word processing, writing letters, sending E-mail or cruising the Internet, you can do it perfectly easily in a Linux environment,'' said Geof Myers, a software engineer and Linux fan in Woodstock, Ga. ''Not only that, you can do it on a cheaper machine.'' The reason for that, Mr. Myers said, is that the operating system requires less powerful hardware than Windows 98. Linux can be installed on older computers, including those with a 486 processor, for example. Mr. Myers recently installed Linux on a machine he bought for his mother-in-law to use for E-mail and word processing. He built the computer for $75. Mr.

Myers said she used the computer without difficulty. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy The dearth of games for Linux is perhaps more of a problem. With a handful of notable exceptions -- Doom, Quake, several versions of Solitaire and a few others -- the number of commercial games for Linux remains small. Mr. Raymond pointed out that Linux had hundreds of free games of its own, ranging from arcade-style shoot-'em-ups to complex multiplayer strategy games. ''They're not as slick as the commercial ones, but they're often more interesting,'' he said. But Linux's speed is attracting teen-age gamers who play Doom on the Net. ''Fourteen-year-olds playing multiplayer Doom are upgrading to Linux to compete better,'' said Bob Young, president of Red Hat, in Durham, N.C. An increasing number of specialized computer suppliers offer machines with Linux installed. VA Research's machines range in price from $1,200 to $40,000. Mr. Augustin said that 10 percent of the orders were from home users. The rest are corporate and academic customers.

Advertisement Continue reading the main story By and large, however, you have to go out of your way to buy a computer running Linux. It would not be possible, for instance, to walk into CompUSA, slap down a credit card and buy a Dell Computer loaded with Linux. To test computer manufacturers' willingness to sell a PC installed with Linux, Mr. Love and Mr. Nader sent a letter in September to Dell, asking if they might buy two computers configured with Linux. The computer manufacturer replied that they would need to purchase a minimum of 50 such machines. Mr. Young believes that companies like Dell will soon begin offering Linux as an option. ''I'm reasonably comfortable assuring you that you'll be able to get one within the next three months,'' Mr. Young said. For its part, Apple says it has no plans to sell computers preconfigured with Linux. But you can walk into many computer and consumer electronics stores now and walk out with a $49 CD-ROM for installing Linux on a PC. ALTHOUGH the operating system itself is free, the CD-ROM, sold by Red Hat, also contains a collection of applications, Netscape's browser for Linux, a graphical user interface and several games.

Red Hat throws in a 300-page printed manual and 90 days' of technical support as well. Caldera Systems, a software company in Orem, Utah, sells a Linux CD-ROM similar to Red Hat's, also for $49. It is also possible to download a panoply of Linux software, including the operating system itself, directly off the Net. Linux can be made to run on a PC in lieu of Windows. It can also be installed so the computer runs in ''dual boot'' mode, which means that when the computer starts up, the user is given the option of running Windows or Linux. Macintosh users can also install Linux. But installation can be a challenge, requiring some knowledge of the workings of a computer. ''I wouldn't recommend that my mom install Linux,'' said Ben Drasin, a programmer in Cary, N.C., who uses Linux. ''While you're installing, it will ask you things like what kind of video card you have, and what resolution your video card is displaying.

If that's troubling to you, then installing Linux is not something you'll be very happy with.'' Advertisement Continue reading the main story Once the system is up and running, it is likely to suffer far fewer crashes than Windows, its users say. Linux fans send reports to one another of machines that run continuously for months, even years, without crashing. Stuart Hysom, a graduate student at Emory University in Atlanta who is gradually converting to Linux, said he would recommend that people use a dual boot machine until they felt comfortable enough with Linux as their sole platform. ''With pretty much any OS, the more you use it, the more you get used to it, and the easier it becomes,'' he said. As Linux becomes easier to use, it continues to seed the user community in important ways. College students, for example, are taking to Linux in increasing numbers. ''Linux is everywhere on campuses these days,'' said Mr. Raymond. ''You can't go anywhere with a significant computer science department and not trip over a lot of Linux users.'' When they graduate, those young users will take Linux out into the world with them. Last month, Linux fans at Emory University held a Linux install-a-thon, with installations for anyone who wanted them.

The purpose, Mr. Hysom said, was to generate interest on the campus for students who wanted to use Linux but didn't feel comfortable installing it themselves. All things considered, it's probably best for most home computer users to wait a bit, perhaps nine months to a year, before taking the Linux plunge. By then, computers with Linux installed will be easier to find, the system will be easier to install and use, and software to run on it will be more plentiful. ''It's getting better faster than Windows is,'' Mr. Love said. ''The graphical user interfaces are getting better faster, and some of us are thinking that a year from now, they will be way better.'' Linus Torvalds biography by The Linux Information Project Subject: What would you like to see most in minix? Summary: small poll for my new operating system Hello everybody out there using minix- 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-sytem due to practical reasons)among other things. I've currently ported bash (1.08) an gcc (1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that i'll get something practical within a few months, and I'd like to know what features most people want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-) Linus Torvalds torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi On September 17 of the same year, after a period of self-imposed isolation and intense concentration, he completed a crude version (0.01) of his new operating system. Shortly thereafter, on October 5, he announced version 0.02, the first official version. It featured the ability to run both the bash shell (a program that provides the traditional, text-only user interface for Unix-like operating systems) and the GCC (the GNU C Compiler), two key system utilities. This now famous announcement launched the biggest collaborative project the world has ever known.

It began: Do you pine for the nice days of minix-1.1, when men were men and wrote their own device drivers? Are you without a nice project and just dying to cut your teeth on a OS you can try to modify for your needs? Are you finding it frustrating when everything works on minix? No more all-nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this post might be just for you :-) As I mentioned a month(?) ago, I'm working on a free version of a minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers. It has finally reached the stage where it's even usable (though may not be depending on what you want), and I am willing to put out the sources for wider distribution. It is just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I've successfully run bash/gcc/gnu-make/gnu-sed/compress etc under it. Sources for this pet project of mine can be found at nic.funet.fi (128.214.6.100) in the directory /pub/OS/Linux.

The directory also contains some README-file and a couple of binaries to work under linux (bash, update and gcc, what more can you ask for :-). Full kernel source is provided, as no minix code has been used. Library sources are only partially free, so that cannot be distributed currently. The system is able to compile "as-is" and has been known to work. Heh. . . . Ari Lemmke, Torvalds' friend and the administrator for ftp.funet.fi, a provider of FTP (file transfer protocol) services in Finland, encouraged him to upload his source code to a network so it would be readily available for study and refinement by other programmers, a common practice then as it is now. Torvalds originally gave his new operating system the working name Linux (from Linus' MINIX). However, he thought the name was too egotistical and thus planned to call it Freax (a combination of free, freak and MINIX). However, Lemmke created a directory for it called linux on his FTP (file transfer protocol) server , and thus Linux became the name of the system.

In what Torvalds now admits was one of his best decisions, he decided to release Linux under the GPL (GNU General Public License) rather than under the more restrictive license that he had earlier planned. Developed by Richard Stallman, a notable programmer and a leading advocate of free software , this most popular of the free software licenses allows anyone to study, use, modify, extend and redistribute the software as long as they make the source code freely available for any modified versions that they create and then redistribute. In large part a consequence of this very liberal licensing, many programmers from around the world quickly became enthusiastic about helping Torvalds develop his still embryonic operating system. As a result, its performance began improving at a rapid rate. Torvalds' efforts focused on developing a kernel, which is only part of what is necessary to make a usable operating system. Fortunately, Stallman and his Free Software Foundation (FSF) had been developing a number of free programs for use in a free version of UNIX, and such programs (e.g., bash, GCC and GNU binutils) thus became major components of virtually all Linux distributions . A distribution is a complete operating system centered around a kernel and also containing numerous utilities, device drivers and application programs.

Other parts of Linux distributions came from the Berkeley UNIX Distribution (BSD), a version of UNIX that was developed at the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) and which later evolved into the highly regarded BSD operating systems. And the X Window System, which is the dominant system for managing GUIs (graphical user interfaces) on Linux and other Unix-like operating systems, came from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Linux Takes Off The performance of the Linux kernel and Linux distributions continued to improve as more and more developers, initially individual and later corporate as well, joined the project and contributed their enthusiasm, effort and programming skills. This was paralleled by a swift growth in the number of users. For example, in 1994 a usable ext2 filesystem (i.e., a system for organizing data on computer disks), which featured a large increase in speed over its predecessor, the ext, was added to the kernel. And its initially weak networking capability was improved substantially. This was also the year in which Torvalds began promoting the porting of Linux to additional processors. One early complaint about Linux was that it could run only on computers with x86 (Intel-compatible) processors.

The first of the new processors was the Alpha, which was used in Digital Equipment Corporation's (DEC's) workstations. This was greatly facilitated by DEC's investment of both money and engineering talent, and it was soon followed by porting to the SPARC and MIPS processors. As a result of his skills and accomplishments, Torvalds was appointed to the post of instructor at the University of Helsinki, a position which allowed him to simultaneously continue his development of Linux. The first homework assignment for an introductory computer class that he taught in 1993 was for each student to send him an e-mail. One of the students, Tove Minni, a Finnish karate champion, complied by sending him an e-mail asking him out on a date. He accepted, and three years later the first of their three daughters was born. Although the arrival of his first daughter coincided with minor disruptions in the development of the Linux kernel, he was able to release version 2.0 by December 1996. This milestone version represented a major improvement in performance through its addition of support for additional processors and for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), which lets multiple processors access and be equally close to all RAM locations.

The use of Linux continued to grow rapidly as a result of these and numerous other advances as well as due to its spreading fame. By 1997, conservative estimates were placing worldwide Linux installations at more than three million computers. Two years later this had soared to in excess of seven million. Despite the relentless successes of Linux and the great popularity of Torvalds, his activities were not entirely without controversy, even within the free software community. For example, Professor Tanenbaum, the developer of MINIX on which Linux was originally partially based, was convinced that microkernels (a minimalist type of kernel) were the wave of the future, and he expressed strong opposition to the monolithic approach of the Linux kernel in his now famous 1992 Usenet posting titled LINUX is obsolete . Also, Richard Stallman has continued to insist that Linux's name is inappropriate and that the operating system should instead be renamed GNU/Linux because Stallman's numerous GNU utilities are used together with the Linux kernel. Move to California After spending nearly a decade as a student, researcher and instructor at the University of Helsinki, Torvalds decided that it was time for a change -- a big one that included both a change of scenery and a real job.

Needless to say, there was no shortage of opportunities available to him. Thus, in 1997 he moved to sunny Santa Clara in California's fabled Silicon Valley to accept a position with Transmeta Corporation. His job there was to help develop commercial software to facilitate communication between operating systems and that company's microprocessors. Linux devotees were initially concerned not only about his move to a for-profit business but also about the fact that it was funded in part by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. For Torvalds, however, the decision was not difficult. Not only was it an opportunity for a change and to experience a much improved climate (from the long, cold and dark Finnish winters), but Silicon Valley was the ultimate destination for almost everyone in the computer field, even him. Moreover, he now had a growing family to support. His choice of company was also affected by the fact that Transmeta was not involved with Linux, as he was reluctant to favor one Linux business over another. Torvalds' arrangement with Transmeta permitted him to devote part of his time to his Linux activities.

This was, in fact, a clever publicity move on the part of Transmeta, which benefited not only by receiving the services of an extremely talented and motivated engineer but also by having someone on their staff who brought them exceptional media attention. Torvalds arrived in Silicon Valley when Microsoft was decimating Netscape in the browser war and when many people in the U.S. and elsewhere were hoping for a new, and more robust , challenger to the Microsoft monopoly . Frequent comparisons were made between Torvalds and Bill Gates, but the main similarities were that both were fanatical computer programmers, both wore glasses and both were about the same height. Gates had become fabulously wealthy, whereas Torvalds was making close to nothing from his free software. He was subsisting only on an average programmer's salary, and he and his family were living in a modest duplex in an ordinary neighborhood. Actually, Torvalds was never really interested in accumulating wealth or power, and he has contended all along that what counts most for the best programmers is the joy of programming and being creative.

In his own words, he did it all "just for fun." Nevertheless, he was subsequently rewarded with both wealth and power, and he has not been reluctant to admit that money has its advantages. Torvalds' financial situation changed dramatically in 1999. Red Hat and VA Linux (now VA Software), both leading developers of Linux-based software packages for large enterprises, had presented him with stock options in gratitude for his creation. Torvalds suddenly became a millionaire when Red Hat went public, and his net worth temporarily soared to roughly $20 million when VA Linux went public later that year. Corporate Acceptance of Linux Linux got another big boost in the late 1990s when competitors of Microsoft began taking it seriously. Oracle, Intel, Netscape, Corel and others announced plans to support Linux as an inexpensive alternative to Microsoft Windows. Major corporations soon realized the potential of Linux, and they quickly adopted it for their Internet servers and networks. Contributing to this surge in popularity was the fact that Apache, the extremely successful free web server (which now hosts more than 64 percent of websites worldwide) was first written for Linux.

Perhaps the biggest force for Linux's adoption in the corporate world has been IBM's official blessing and massive support. This included a 2001 announcement of a commitment of a billion dollars for Linux research, development and promotion. IBM's support was not merely an act of charity. The company was faced with the growing burden of having to support its own collection of proprietary (i.e., owned by an individual or a company) operating systems, including AIX, OS/2 and z/OS, as well as Microsoft Windows and others. It realized that despite Linux's obvious shortcomings at that time, such as a very limited ability to run heavy-duty server applications and a lack of quality GUI applications, Linux had strong technical underpinnings and great potential for improvement. The massive investment has been paying off very handsomely for IBM (and others), and its Linux-related business now exceeds two billion dollars annually, making IBM by far the world's largest vendor of Linux-related products and services. Linux use has grown rapidly not only in terms of the total number of installations but also in terms of the diversity of the systems on which it is operated. Particularly impressive has been its growing share in the market for servers, the centralized computers that power corporate networks and the Internet.

Many industry experts are convinced that it is only a matter of just a few years before Linux replaces the proprietary UNIXs as the dominant operating system in the world's largest corporate data centers. Equally impressive has been the growth at the opposite end of the applications spectrum, i.e., for use in embedded systems. These are single chips (or circuit boards) which contain simplified versions of Linux and which are incorporated into everything from mobile phones to industrial robots. Among the advantages of using Linux in embedded systems are portability (i.e., ability to run on almost any type of processor), flexibility (i.e., ease of configuring), low cost (i.e., no licensing fees) and the availability of efficient and low cost development tools. Moreover, Linux is finally reaching the point where it is suitable for use as a low cost alternative on the desktop and notebook computers of ordinary people who have little understanding of (or interest in) computers but who need them for their work and/or leisure activities. This phenomenal success is undoubtedly due in very large part to Torvalds' brilliance and dedication.

Also important is the fact that he made a series of wise strategic decisions, not only about the technical aspects of the operating system but also about how it would be developed and licensed, including that very early decision to make Linux free software. Moreover, his personality has been ideally suited for his role as spiritual leader of the Linux movement, including his combination of self-deprecating humor and his far-from-unique philosophy that "life is simply about having a good time" rather than merely about accumulating vast wealth. But as has so often been the case with highly creative and influential people throughout history, Torvalds' success was also due to the fact that he was the right person at the right time. The conditions in the early 1990s were ripe for the emergence of a free, high performance operating system such as Linux: namely, (1) the increasing affordability and power of personal computers, (2) the lack of a truly stable and powerful operating system for such computers (and the considerable dissatisfaction with the then dominant MS-DOS) and (3) the arrival of the Internet for instantaneous and free communication among programmers scattered around the planet.

In fact, it is highly unlikely that Linux would have come into being, much less threaten to revolutionize the entire computer industry, without the existence of all three of these conditions. Torvalds Today Torvalds is now working on the Linux kernel full-time for Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), which is based in Beaverton, Oregon. Founded in 2000 and supported by a global consortium of computer companies, including IBM, OSDL describes its mission as "becoming the recognized center of gravity for Linux and the central body dedicated to accelerating the use of Linux for enterprise computing." Only about two percent of the current Linux kernel has actually been written by Torvalds himself, which is quite understandable given its great size and complexity (e.g., the full source code for the current 2.6 kernel is roughly 80MB). However, he makes the final decisions regarding which of the many proposed modifications and additions will be incorporated into it. His criteria for adding code are that it be (1) of high quality and clean, (2) easy to maintain and (3) beneficial to a wide range of users rather than to just a single corporate user or to any other narrow agenda.

Torvalds also owns the Linux trademark and monitors its use (and occasional abuse). The hundreds of other programs that are generally included in distributions together with the kernel (e.g., GCC, bash, the vi text editor , the X Window System and the KDE desktop environment) are developed and maintained by other groups, but there is considerable coordination with Torvalds and other developers of the kernel. In contrast to many leading advocates of open source software, Torvalds maintains a low profile and attempts to avoid debates that are not closely related to the Linux kernel, and he generally avoids commenting on competing software products. In fact, his public stance is so neutral that it has even been criticized by other free software advocates. Yet, Torvalds has occasionally reacted with strong responses to anti-Linux (and anti-free software) tactics employed by some proprietary software companies. Although Torvalds grew up in a highly political environment, he claims to have absolutely no interest in politics. His views appear to be quite mainstream for Europe, although they might be considered leftist in the U.S. Despite his parents' background, Torvalds is not opposed to capitalism.

In fact, because Linux is licensed under the GPL, everybody is automatically permitted to sell it for a profit and even become wealthy from doing so. Torvalds originally began his work with the OSDL by commuting from his home in sunny Silicon Valley. However, in June 2004 he revealed that he would finally be moving with his family to Portland (of which Beaverton is a suburb) to oversee the OSDL. He told an Oregon newspaper: "We want to be somewhere calmer and saner. Silicon Valley is a bit crazy." Perhaps he should have also mentioned that Portland would be a bit more like his native Helsinki: i.e., a very pleasant and livable city with abundant parks and a growing tram network, and one that has less sunshine and somewhat longer, colder and darker winters than Silicon Valley. Regardless of how long Torvalds stays in Portland, he will likely continue in his roles as the head of Linux kernel development and the spiritual leader of the Linux movement for years to come, as he has shown no signs of tiring of them and wanting to take his life in a new direction. Linux is still young and poised for its greatest growth, and it still needs him.

Created August 28, 2004. Updated January 24, 2006. Copyright © 2004 - 2006 The Linux Information Project. All Rights Reserved.

Question: Which popular, free computer operating system owes its existence to Linus Torvalds?
Answer: Linux