Some basic facts about Linux:
Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds
with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License
, the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone.
Linux is available in several formats, called distributions. Each distribution has
its own set of features and functionality that makes it unique -- some distributions
are available for download at no charge, others are provided on CD or floppy disk and
have a (usually) nominal charge associated with them.
Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds,
at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided
to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02
and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. The kernel, at the heart of
all Linux systems, is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely
available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is
developed.
There are now literally hundreds, maybe thousands of companies and organizations and an equal number of individuals
that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel.
Apart from the fact that it's freely distributed, Linux's functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made
it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other
giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. More than a decade
after its initial release, Linux is being adopted worldwide as a server platform primarily. Its use as a
home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating system can also be incorporated
directly into microchips in a process called "embedding" and is increasingly being used this way in appliances
and devices.
Throughout most of the 1990's, tech pundits, largely unaware of Linux's potential, dismissed it as a computer
hobbyist project, unsuitable for the general public's computing needs. Through the efforts of developers of
desktop management systems such as KDE and GNOME, office suite project OpenOffice.org and the Mozilla web
browser project, to name only a few, there are now a wide range of applications that run on Linux and it can
be used by anyone regardless of his/her knowledge of computers.
Those curious to see the capabilities of Linuxcan download a live CD version called Knoppix . It comes with
everything you might need to carry out day-to-day tasks on the computer and it needs no installation.
It will run from a CD in a computer capable of booting from the CD drive. It's also wery useful on
troubleshooting and robus on device detection. Those choosing to continue using Linux can find a variety of
versions or "distributions" of Linux that are easy to install, configure and use. Information on
these products is available in our distribution section and can be found by selecting the
mainstream/general public category.
If you're interested in learning about Linux, need help with some aspect of its use or are enthusiastic about
it and want to help foster its adoption, you may want to get in touch with a Linux User Group in your area.
There are groups in practically every country, region and city in the world, so there is likely to be one near
you.
Linux has an official mascot, Tux, the Linux penguin, which was selected by Linus Torvalds to represent the
image he associates with the operating system. Tux was created by Larry Ewing and Larry has generously given
it to the community to be freely used to promote Linux.
Many people are not sure of the pronunciation of the word Linux. Although many variations of the word exist,
often due to native language factors, it is normally pronounced with a short " i " and with the first syllable
stressed, as in LIH-nucks. You can hear how Linux creator Linus Torvalds pronounces the word in Swedish and in
English .
Freely adapted from:
http://www.linux.org