GPLv2 and other free and open-source licenses, except for the "Linux" trademark
Linux or GNU/Linux is a family of Unix-likeoperating system for computers. The Linux kernel (the heart of an operating system) is free software, meaning people can use it, see how it works, change it, or share it. Most people mean a complete operating system like Fedora when they say "Linux".
There is a lot of software for Linux and a lot of it is free software.
Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora, and Ubuntu. Commercial distributions that are used for business servers or computers like Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) usually dont cost money for the linux distributions itself. RHEL for example only costs money because it allows businesses to get extra tech support from red hat and very stable updates. Desktop Linux distributions include a graphical environment like X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma. Distributions that are used for servers usually dont need graphical environments and instead use a text console. Servers can use a setup like LAMP for a server that only uses open source software. Anyone may make a distribution for any purpose.
Linux was originally developed for personal computers. Linux is the leading operating system (OS) on servers like mainframe computers, and the only OS used on the top 500 supercomputers (since November 2017). It is used by around 3.16% of desktop computers. The Chromebook is a kind of netbook (very weak laptops used for browsing or writing documents), 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), tablet computers, network routers, facility automation controls, televisions, digital video recorders, video game consoles and smartwatches. 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. In March 2017, it was reported that there were more users on Android than on Microsoft Windows, which is not based on Linux.
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. 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. Linux and GNU developers worked together to integrate GNU code with Linux to make a free operating system.
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
Desktop use
Although there are only a few Linux versions for some Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows programs in areas like desktop publishing and professional audio and video there are programs that are comparatively similar in quality compared to those available for Mac and Windows.
Roadrunner, the world's fastest supercomputer (as of 2009), which runs Linux
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. 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.
Pronunciation
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.
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
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 proprietary means, it would have cost about $1.08 billion to make in the United States. As of March 7, 2011, Linux kernel would cost about $3 billion.
Version 3.10 of the Linux kernel, released in June 2013, has 15 million lines of code, while the version 4.1, released in June 2015, has grown to over 19.5 million lines of code by almost 14,000 programmers.
Different versions of Linux are called "distributions", or "distros". A Linux distro has the Linux kernel, GNU software, and some extra programs that might not be a part of GNU Different versions include different extra programs. People can download Linux distros from a website on the internet, buy them from a store, or even get them on discs that come with magazines. Some popular linux distros are:
People might pay some money for a version, so they can have a CD-ROM or DVD and to help the company to make their versions better. Usually when someone pays, it is so the company will help the user after they install it, which is called "support".
The GCCcompiler for making software with the C programming language.
Licensing, trademark, and naming
The Linux kernel and most GNU software are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). The GPL requires that anyone who distributes the Linux kernel must make the source code (and any modifications) available to the recipient under the same terms. In 1997, Linus Torvalds said, "Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did". Other key components of a Linux system may use other licenses; many libraries use the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), a type of the GPL that is less restricted, and the X Window System uses the MIT License. "Linux" is a trademark of Linus Torvalds.
↑Eckert, Jason W. (2012). Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification (Thirded.). Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning. p.33. ISBN978-1111541538. Retrieved April 14, 2013. The shared commonality of the kernel is what defines Linux; the differing OSS applications that can interact with the common kernel are what differentiate Linux distributions.
↑Torvalds, Linus (January 5, 1992). "RELEASE NOTES FOR LINUX v0.12". Linux Kernel Archives. Retrieved July 23, 2007. The Linux copyright will change: I've had a couple of requests to make it compatible with the GNU copyleft, removing the "you may not distribute it for money" condition. I agree. I propose that the copyright be changed so that it confirms to GNU ─ pending approval of the persons who have helped write code. I assume this is going to be no problem for anybody: If you have grievances ("I wrote that code assuming the copyright would stay the same") mail me. Otherwise The GNU copyleft takes effect as of the first of February. If you do not know the gist of the GNU copyright ─ read it.
↑Advani, Prakash (October 27, 2000). "Microsoft Office for Linux?". FreeOS. FreeOS Technologies (I) Pvt. Ltd. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
↑Smith-Heisters, Ian (October 11, 2005). "Editing audio in Linux". Ars Technica. Ars Technica, LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2008.
