Linux in the 90s: from hobby to server giant – Computerworld.nl

Normally, we look at Computerworld every Friday to go back to the last century, but because of the Linux jubilee we do that this week one day earlier. So today we go back to August 25, 1991. No, more actually. In 1983 began the rise of open software and applications were built where the distributions ultimately using it and actually is the true beginning of Linux

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GNU and MINIX

Linux operating system started actually largely with GNU founder Richard Stallman and his GNU open applications. He is therefore that people call it GNU / Linux. “There is no system but GNU and Linux is one of its kernels,” jokes RMS like

GNU was developed a kernel -. Which incidentally is still not finished – but in 1991, GNU was mostly a collection of compilers, libraries and other software. The slow development of the GNU kernel has become the punchline of various jokes.

Another relevant development that preceded the advent of Linux was MINIX, a microkernel version of Unix. The software was primarily intended for educational purposes and originally had a proprietary license. The code could not be adapted to the frustration of developers as the then 21-year-old Linus Torvalds. He wanted an alternative to the kernel it were openly and freely inspired by a speech about free software Richard Stallman at his university.

First kernel and first distro

Today exactly 25 years ago, Linus Torvalds asked by a MINIX newsgroup on Usenet users what they would like to see in the operating system that he was writing. “It’s just a hobby and will not be big and professional like gnu,” he wrote. This is seen as the start of Linux and August 25 is for this reason celebrated as the birth of Linux, not the release of the first stocks in September 1991.

Freax or Linux

Linus Torvalds wanted the OS actually call Freax because he previously invented name ‘Linux’ it was very smug. A friend at the University of Helsinki, Ari Lemmke that name Freax did not like and then he uploaded the first version, Lemmke used originally called “Linux”.

Those first versions in september 1991 published via FTP server were distributed from the university of Helsinki, where Torvalds studied. The system fitted on two diskettes (PDF). One was a boot disk with the kernel and the other was a slice showing the file system and some GNU applications

The first distribution -. Functioned a package as complete operating system and was based on Linux – appeared in in February 1992, came from the university of Manchester and was called MCC Interim. It distinguished itself with an installer that was missing in the first version of 1991

On the next page:. SLS was the first distribution with a wider appeal and this led to Debian. Linux then gained momentum.