History of Linux operating system

Difference (from prior major revision) (minor diff, author diff)

Changed: 1c1

The Linux operating system is an operating system build around the Linux kernel.

The Linux operating system is a computer operating system built around the Linux kernel.

Changed: 3c3

Complete operating systems built around the Linux kernel use the GNU System which provides a shell, utilities, libraries, compilers and tools, as well as miscellaneous programs such as the Emacs editor.

Most complete operating systems built around the Linux kernel use GNU software which provides a shell, utilities, libraries, compilers and tools, as well as miscellaneous programs such as the Emacs editor.

Changed: 5c5

Some people do; most do not.

Some people do; most simply call the system "Linux".

Changed: 9,35c9

Distributions

A complete Linux Operating System (a "Linux distribution") is a collection of free and sometimes non-free software created by individuals, groups and organizations from around the world and having the Linux kernel at its core. Companies such as Red Hat, SuSE, MandrakeSoft?, as well as the community Debian project, compile the software and provide it as a complete system ready to install and use.

Linux distributions started to enjoy limited popularity in the mid to late 1990s as a free alternative to the Microsoft Windows operating systems and MacOS on the desktop, mostly among people used to Unix from work or school. It has proven more popular in the server market, primarily for Web and database servers.

General Purpose Linux Distributions:

*Caldera?
*Conectiva
*Debian
*Mandrake Linux
*Red Hat Linux
*Slackware
*Sorcerer GNU/Linux
*SuSE

Some groups compile special purpose Linux distributions as turnkey firewalls, for embedded systems, and for other special purposes.

Special Purpose Linux Distributions:

*[Embedded Debian]?
*[Bootable Business Card]?
*[Sentry Firewall]?
*[The Linux Router Project]?

See the distribution list on [The Linux Weekly News].

Most users of the system do not configure their system completely from components, although some very skilled people choose that approach. Most users obtain a preconfigured system which bundles these components and sometimes thousands of additional application programs together into a Linux distribution.

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Linux users, who traditionally had to install and configure their own system, have been more technologically oriented than those of Microsoft Windows and MacOS, often revelling in the tag of "hacker" or "geek". With the adoption of Linux by several large PC manufacturers, computers with Linux distributions pre-installed have become available, and Linux has begun to make slow inroads in the wider desktop market.

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*[Linux Today]

Changed: 56c31

/Talk?

	Revision 5 . . (edit) December 20, 2001 4:23 am by (logged).21.87.xxx
	Revision 4 . . (edit) December 14, 2001 1:16 am by Lee Daniel Crocker [Copyedits]
	Revision 3 . . (edit) December 14, 2001 12:55 am by Dmerrill
	Revision 2 . . December 13, 2001 11:49 pm by Dmerrill [reorganizing material in this set of articles and expanding them]
	Revision 1 . . December 6, 2001 1:10 am by Dmerrill [reorganizing Linux kernel vs. Linux operating system -- this including both in one is unwieldy and will only become more so over time]