Linux
 | This article needs to be updated. (May 2025) |
 | |
| Developer | Community |
|---|---|
| Written in | Primarily C and assembly |
| OS family | Unix-like |
| Working state | Current |
| Source model | Mainly open source, proprietary software also available |
| Initial release | 1991 |
| Repository | git |
| Marketing target | Personal computers, mobile devices, embedded devices, servers, mainframes, supercomputers |
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Kernel type | Monolithic (Linux kernel) |
| Default user interface | Many |
| License | GPLv2[2] and other free and open-source licenses, except for the "Linux" trademark[a] |
Linux or GNU/Linux is a family of Unix-like operating system for computers. The Linux kernel (the basis of the operating system) is free software, meaning people can use it, see how it works, change it, or share it. Most people mean the operating system when they say "Linux".
There is a lot of software for Linux and a lot of it is free software.
The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel,[4][5][6] an operating system kernel that Linus Torvalds developed, at first alone.[7][8][9] Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short). Distributions also include supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project.
Popular Linux distributions[10][11][12] include Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu. Commercial distributions are for companies to use in their computers, and include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server. Some commercial Linux distributions are paid. Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system such as X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma. Distributions intended for servers may omit graphics altogether, and include a solution stack such as LAMP. Anyone may make a distribution for any purpose.
Linux was originally developed for personal computers. Linux is the leading operating system (OS) on servers such as mainframe computers, and the only OS used on supercomputers[13] (at least on the TOP500 list, since November 2017). It is used by around 3.16% of desktop computers.[14] The Chromebook, which runs Chrome OS based on the Linux kernel, dominates the US K–12 education market and represents nearly 20% of sub-$300 notebook sales in the U.S.
Linux also runs on embedded systems, which are devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system; this includes mobile phones (especially smartphones),[15] tablet computers, network routers, facility automation controls, televisions,[16][17] digital video recorders, video game consoles and smartwatches.[18] In fact, the Android operating system, a mobile operating system built on top of the Linux kernel, has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems.[19] In March 2017, it was reported that there were more users on Android than on Microsoft Windows, which is not based on Linux.[20]
Linux is an example of free and open-source software collaboration. The source code may be used, modified and distributed—commercially or non-commercially—by anyone under the terms of its respective licenses, such as the GNU General Public License.
How Linux was made
[change | change source]In the 1980s, many people liked to use an operating system called Unix. But because it restricted the user from sharing and improving the system, some people made a new operating system that would work like Unix but which anybody could share or improve. MINIX, similar to Unix, was used as a teaching tool for university students to learn how operating systems worked. MINIX also restricted its sharing and improvement by its users.
A group of people called the GNU Project wrote different parts of a new operating system called GNU, but it did not have all the parts an operating system needs to work. In 1991 Linus Torvalds began to work on a replacement for MINIX that would be free to use, and which would not cost anything. Linus started the project when he was attending the University of Helsinki.[21][22] This eventually became the Linux kernel.
Linus Torvalds shared the Linux kernel on some internet groups for MINIX users. Linus first called the operating system "Freax". The name Freax came from joining up the English words "free" and "freak", and adding an X to the name because Unix has an X in its name. Ari Lemmke, who worked with Linus at the university, was responsible for the servers that Freax was stored on. Ari did not think Freax was a good name, so he called the project "Linux" without asking Linus. Later, Linus agreed that Linux was a better name for his project.
Linux relied on software code from MINIX at first. But, with code from the GNU system available for free, he decided it would be good for Linux if it could use that code, instead of code from MINIX, because MINIX did not let people share or change it how they wanted. The GNU General Public License is a software license that lets people change any part of the code they want to, as long as they share any changes they make with the people they give their software to and allow them to redistribute it for free or for a price . The software from GNU was all licensed under the GNU General Public License, so Linus and the other people who worked on Linux could use it.
To make the Linux kernel suitable for use with the code from the GNU Project, Linus Torvalds started a switch from his original license (which did not allow people to sell it) to the GNU GPL.[23] Linux and GNU developers worked together to integrate GNU code with Linux to make a free operating system.
Since 1991, thousands of programmers and companies have worked on Linux, including Google.
Tux the penguin
[change | change source]The mascot of Linux is a cartoon penguin named "Tux". When a person sees the penguin on software and hardware, it means that it will work with Linux, and sometimes all systems that are like Unix.
The idea of the penguin came from the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds. The image was made by a man named Larry Ewing in a competition to make a logo. The image, Tux, did not win, but it was picked as a mascot later.
Tux has now become a symbol for Linux, and sometimes even for open source. He can be seen in many different places and often, when people refer to Linux, they often think about Tux. Tux has even been included in many video games, such as Super Tux (parody of Super Mario Bros.), Tux Racer (where players race Tux down an icy hill) and Pingus (like Lemmings).
Uses
[change | change source]Desktop use
[change | change source]Although there are only a few Linux versions for some Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows programs in areas like desktop publishing[24] and professional audio and video[25][26][27] there are programs that are comparatively similar in quality compared to those available for Mac and Windows.[28]
Many free software programs that are popular on Windows, such as Pidgin, Mozilla Firefox, LibreOffice, Chromium, VLC and GIMP, are available for Linux. A growing amount of proprietary desktop software can also be used under Linux, such as[29] Steam, Spotify and Skype. CrossOver is a proprietary solution based on the open source Wine project that supports running Windows applications such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop under Linux.
Servers and supercomputers
[change | change source]
Linux has mainly been used as a server operating system, and has risen to be known by a lot of people in that area; Netcraft reported in February 2008 that five of the ten best internet hosting companies run Linux on their web servers.[30] This is because of its stability and uptime, and the fact that desktop software with a graphical user interface for servers is often unneeded.
Linux is commonly used as an operating system for supercomputers. As of November 2017, all of the top 500 fastest supercomputers run Linux.[31]
Pronunciation
[change | change source]In 1992, Torvalds explained how he pronounces the word Linux:
| “ | 'li' is pronounced with a short [ee] sound: compare prInt, mInImal etc. 'nux' is also short, non-diphthong, like in pUt. It's partly due to minix: linux was just my working name for the thing, and as I wrote it to replace minix on my system, the result is what it is... linus' minix became linux. | ” |
Torvalds has made available an audio sample which indicates his own pronunciation, in English and Swedish.[32][33]
Some English speakers pronounce the name as lee-narks or lee-nix or lie-nix. According to Torvalds, that is incorrect pronunciation. [source?]
Code size
[change | change source]A 2001 study of Red Hat Linux 7.1 found this distribution had 30 million lines of code. The study showed that Red Hat 7.1 required about 8,000 years of time to develop. The study also said that if all this software had been made by