Linux

Family of Unix-like operating systems
This article is about the family of operating systems. For the kernel, see Linux kernel.
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Linux
Tux the penguin, mascot of Linux
A desktop running a Linux distribution
DeveloperCommunity contributors, Linus Torvalds
Written inC, assembly languages and others
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial releaseSeptember 17, 1991; 34 years ago
Available inMultilingual
Package managerVaries by distribution
Platforms
  • Alpha
  • ARC
  • ARM
  • C6x
  • C-SKY
  • H8/300
  • Hexagon
  • IA-64
  • LoongArch
  • m68k
  • Microblaze
  • MIPS
  • NDS32
  • Nios II
  • OpenRISC
  • PA-RISC
  • PowerPC
  • RISC-V
  • s390
  • SuperH
  • SPARC
  • x86
  • Xtensa
Kernel typeMonolithic
LicenseGPLv2 and others
Official websitelinux.org

Linux is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution (distro), which includes the kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project.

Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses and recommends the name "GNU/Linux" to emphasize the use and importance of GNU software in many distributions, causing some controversy.

Linus Torvalds, principal author of the Linux kernel, at a conference in 2014.

Popular Linux distributions include Debian, Fedora Linux, Linux Mint, Arch Linux, and Ubuntu. Commercial distributions include Red Hat Enterprise Linux and SUSE Linux Enterprise. Desktop Linux distributions include a windowing system such as X11 or Wayland, and a desktop environment such as GNOME or KDE Plasma.

History

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The Unix operating system was conceived and implemented in 1969, at AT&T's Bell Labs, by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna. First released in 1971, Unix was written entirely in assembly language, as was common practice at the time.

Creation

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In 1991, while attending the University of Helsinki, Torvalds became curious about operating systems. Frustrated by the licensing of MINIX, which at the time limited it to educational use only, he began to work on his own operating system kernel, which eventually became the Linux kernel.

Design

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A Linux-based system is a modular Unix-like operating system, deriving much of its basic design from principles established in Unix during the 1970s and 1980s. Such a system uses a monolithic kernel which handles process control, networking, access to the peripherals, and file systems.

Market share of desktop operating systems
YearWindowsmacOSLinux
201590.2%7.4%1.5%
202077.7%17.0%1.9%
202570.6%16.0%4.0%
[edit]
  • GNOME desktop
  • KDE Plasma desktop
  • Tux the penguin

References

[edit]
  1. "Linux kernel release 6.x". kernel.org. Retrieved 2025-03-01.
  2. Torvalds, Linus (1991). "What would you like to see most in minix?". comp.os.minix.
  3. Stallman, Richard. "Linux and the GNU System". gnu.org. Retrieved 2024-11-14.
  4. "Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter. Retrieved 2025-07-02.
Linux
Kernel
Distributions
Adoption