Linux (operating system)
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| Linux |
|
| The GNOME desktop on Ubuntu Linux 6.10 |
| Website: http://www.linux.org (unofficial) |
| Developer: The Open Source community |
| OS family: Unix-like |
| Source model: Open source |
| Supported platforms: x86, x86-64, ia64, DEC Alpha, Motorola 68k, SUN Sparc, ARM, PowerPC |
| Kernel type: Modular monolithic |
| Default user interface (most distros): GUI |
| License: GNU General Public License |
| Working state: Current |
Tux the penguin, the Linux mascot
Linux is an open source operating system. By strict definition, it is rarely seen by the user, because its job is to be a layer between the user environment and the hardware.
Linux started in 1991 by a Finnish college student named Linus Torvalds. At the time, the majority of Unix systems were very expensive. The only affordable workstation environment was a proprietary system called Minix. Although the source code was included with this system, the license fee was still a bit pricey, and it was not as good as the systems the workstations in the universities were running.