Unix, Linux, and variant history

Linux (lee'nuhks/ or /li'nuks/,_not_/li:'nuhks) is a free and open-source operating system first developed by Linus Torvalds and friends that was first announced August 25, 1991. The Linux kernelruns on numerous different platforms including the Intel and Alpha platform and is available under the GNU General Public License.

The system can be distributed, used, and expanded free of charge. In this way, developers have access to all the source codes, thus being able to integrate new functions or to find and eliminate programming bugs quickly. Thereby drivers for new adapters (SCSI controller, graphics cards, etc.) can be integrated very rapidly.

Where is Linux used?

Presently, Linux is successfully being used by several millions of users worldwide. The composition of users varies from private users, training companies, universities, research centers, and companies. Below are some examples of where Linux is used today.

• Android phones and tablets - Android phones and tablets use a form of Linux.
• Servers - A vast majority of the web servers that run many web pages (including this one) are using Linux.
• TV, Cameras, DVD players, etc. - Most of the appliances that use some form of a computer use Linux.
• Amazon - Many of the computers that help run Amazon use Linux.
• Google - Computers that help run Google and Google search results use Linux.
• Planes - Airplanes computers and screens you watch on the plane use Linux.
• U.S. Postal service - The computers and servers that help run systems to sort and manage mail in the U.S.
• NYSE - The New York Stock Exchange uses Linux to help run its exchange.
• LHC - The Large Hadron Collider is using Linux.
• OLPC - The One Laptop Per Child program used Linux on all of its computers

Who makes Linux now?

Thousands of organizations, corporations, and individuals help develop Linux and each of its various distributions. For more information, visit LinuxFoundation.org. You can read what's happening right now in Linux development at LKML.org, the Linux kernel mailing list.

Linux distributions, flavors, and variants

Linux may be obtained in two different ways. All the necessary components can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet, which means an operating system can be assembled for almost nothing. An alternative is to use a so-called distribution, which is a Linux variation offered by many companies. They include a broad range of applications and full programs that significantly simplify the installation of Linux.

There are hundreds of different distributions of Linux that have been released. Below are just a few that we currently have listed on our site. A great site that lists almost every distribution, as well as rankings is DistroWatch.

1957 Bell Labs found they needed an operating system for their computer center that at the time was running various batch jobs. The BESYS operating system was created at Bell Labs to deal with these needs.

1965 Bell Labs was adopting third generation computer equipment and decided to join forces with General Electric and MIT to create Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service)

1969By April 1969, AT&T made a decision to withdraw Multics and go with GECOS. When Multics was withdrawn Ken Thompson and Dennis Ritchie needed to rewrite an operating system to play space travel on another smaller machine (a DEC PDP-7 [Programmed Data Processor 4 K memory for user programs). The result was a system that a punning colleague called UNICS (UNiplexed Information and Computing Service)--an 'emasculated Multics'

1969 Summer 1969 Unix was developed.

1969 Linus Torvalds is born.

1971 First edition of Unix released 11/03/1971. The first edition of the "Unix PROGRAMMER'S MANUAL [by] K. Thompson [and] D. M. Ritchie." It includes over 60 commands like: b (compile B program); boot (reboot system); cat (concatenate files); chdir (change working directory); chmod (change access mode); chown (change owner); cp (copy file); ls (list directory contents); mv (move or rename file); roff (run off text); wc (get word count); who (who is one the system). The main thing missing was pipes.

1991 Linux is introduced by Linus Torvalds, a student in Finland

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