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.
Linux is
developed under the GNU General Public License and its source code
is freely available to everyone. Linux may be used for a wide variety
of purposes including networking, software development, and as an
end-user platform.
Linux is
often considered an excellent, low-cost alternative to other more
expensive operating systems. Due to the very nature of Linux's functionality
and availability, it has become quite popular worldwide and a vast
number of software programmers have taken Linux's source code and
adapted it to meet their individual needs.
At this
time, there are dozens of ongoing projects for porting Linux to
various hardware configurations and purposes. |