Linux Alive
Linux
KindOperating system
Appeared1991
StatusAlive
CreatorLinus Torvalds / kernel community
FamilyLinux
Platformx86 → everywhere
Sourcewww.kernel.org ↗
A student's Minix-free kernel announcement grew into the most-deployed operating system on Earth — servers, phones, cars, and the Atlas's own host.
1960198020002020
Written in C
Created by Linus Torvalds
Torvalds's 1991 hobby kernel — 'just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu' — became the most-used kernel on Earth. GPLv2 licensed, written for his 386 because Minix cost too much.\n\nThe 1994 1.0 release, the distribution explosion (Slackware, Debian, Red Hat), the server takeover, Android — Linux now runs the cloud, the web, the phone in your pocket, and most of the world's compute. The Tanenbaum flamewar is the founding document.
→ Read the full article on the ALB Wiki
Timeline
| 1991 | 0.01 posted to comp.os.minix |
| 1994 | 1.0 |
| 2024 | 6.x — runs most of the world |