Linux
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"GNU/Linux" redirects here. See also GNU/Linux naming controversy.
This article is about operating systems that use the Linux kernel. For the kernel itself, see Linux kernel. For other uses, see Linux (disambiguation).
 | |
|---|---|
| Company / developer | Linus Torvalds and many others |
| Programmed in | Assembly language, C |
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Free and open source software |
| Latest stable release | 2.6.35.7 (September 29, 2010)[1] [+/−] |
| Latest unstable release | 2.6.36-rc8 (October 14, 2010)[2] [+/−] |
| Marketing target | Desktops, servers, embedded devices |
| Available language(s) | Multi-lingual |
| Available programming languages(s) | Many |
| Supported platforms | IA-32, MIPS, x86-64, SPARC, DEC Alpha, Itanium, PowerPC, ARM, m68k, PA-RISC, s390, SuperH, M32R and more |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| Userland | GNU and others |
| Default user interface | Graphical (X Window System) and/or command-line interface |
| License | Various including GNU General Public License, BSD License, Apache License, MIT License, and others[3] |
| Official website | http://www.kernel.org/ |
Linux (commonly pronounced /ˈlɪnəks/ LIN-əks in American English,[4][5] also pronounced /ˈlɪnʊks/ LIN-ooks[6] in Europe and Canada) refers to the family of Unix-like computer operating systems using the Linux kernel. Linux can be installed on a wide variety of computer hardware, ranging from mobile phones, tablet computers and video game consoles, to mainframes and supercomputers.[7][8][9][10] Linux is the leading server OS, accounting for more than 50% of installations[citation needed]. Desktop use of Linux has increased in recent years, partly owing to the popular Ubuntu, Fedora, and openSUSE distributions[11] and the emergence of netbooks and smartphones running an embedded Linux.[12][13]
The development of Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed, both commercially and non-commercially, by anyone under licenses such as the GNU General Public License. Typically Linux is packaged in a format known as a Linux distributionutilities and libraries, the X Window System, the GNOME and KDE desktop environments, and the Apache HTTP Server. Commonly used applications with desktop Linux systems include the Mozilla Firefox web-browser, the OpenOffice.org office application suite and the GIMP image editor. for desktop and server use. Linux distributions include the Linux kernel and all of the supporting software required to run a complete system, such as
The name "Linux" comes from the Linux kernel, originally written in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The main supporting user space system tools and libraries from the GNU Project (announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman) are the basis for the Free Software Foundation's preferred name GNU/Linux.[14][15]
Contents[show] |
[edit] History
 |  | |
Richard Stallman, left, founder of the GNU project, and Linus Torvalds, right, principal author of the Linux kernel | ||
See also: History of Linux
[edit] Unix
The Unix operating system was conceived and implemented in 1969 at AT&T's Bell Laboratories in the United States by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna. It was first released in 1971 and was initially entirely written in assembly language, a common practice at the time. Later, in a key pioneering approach in 1973, Unix was re-written in the programming language C by Dennis Ritchie (with exceptions to the kernel and I/O). The availability of an operating system written in a high-level language allowed easier portability to different computer platforms. With a legal glitch forcing AT&T to license the operating system's source code,[clarification needed] Unix quickly grew and became widely adopted by academic institutions and businesses.
[edit] GNU
The GNU Project, started in 1983 by Richard Stallman, had the goal of creating a "complete Unix-compatible software system" composed entirely of free software. Work began in 1984.[16] Later, in 1985, Stallman started the Free Software Foundation and wrote the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) in 1989. By the early 1990s, many of the programs required in an operating system (such as libraries, compilers, text editors, a Unix shell, and a windowing system) were completed, although low-level elements such as device drivers, daemons, and the kernel were stalled and incomplete.[17] Linus Torvalds has said that if the GNU kernel had been available at the time (1991), he would not have decided to write his own.[18]
[edit] MINIX
MINIX is an inexpensive minimal Unix-like operating system, designed for education in computer science, written by Andrew S. Tanenbaum. Starting with version 3, MINIX is free and redesigned also for “serious” use.
In 1991 while attending the University of Helsinki, Torvalds, curious about the operating systems [19] and frustrated by the licensing of MINIX limiting it to educational use only (which prevented any commercial use), began to work on his own operating system which eventually became the Linux kernel.
Torvalds began the development of the Linux kernel on MINIX, and applications written for MINIX were also used on Linux. Later Linux matured and it became possible for Linux to be developed under itself.[20] Also GNU applications replaced all MINIX ones because, with code from the GNU system freely available, it was advantageous if this could be used with the fledgling operating system. Code licensed under the GNU GPL can be used in other projects, so long as they also are released under the same or a compatible license. In order to make the Linux available for commercial use, Torvalds initiated a switch from his original license (which prohibited commercial redistribution) to the GNU GPL.[21][17] Developers worked to integrate GNU components with Linux to make a fully functional and free operating system.
