The Proliferation of Linux

For a basic overview of Linux commands, click here.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux]

Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system. Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development: typically all underlying source code can be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone.

The name “Linux” comes from the Linux kernel, started in 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The system’s utilities and libraries usually come from the GNU operating system, announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman. The GNU contribution is the basis for the alternative name GNU/Linux.

Predominantly known for its use in servers, Linux is supported by corporations such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Novell, Oracle Corporation, Red Hat, and Sun Microsystems. It is used as an operating system for a wide variety of computer hardware, including desktop computers, supercomputers, video game systems, such as the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, several arcade games, and embedded devices such as mobile phones and routers.

Bibliographic details for “Linux”

• Page name: Linux
• Author: Wikipedia contributors
• Publisher: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
• Date of last revision: 20 May 2008 13:59 UTC
• Date retrieved: 20 May 2008 16:11 UTC
• Permanent link: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Linux&oldid=213701162
• Page Version ID: 213701162