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Linux

This article is about the family of operating systems. For the kernel, see Linux kernel. For other uses, see Linux (disambiguation).

Linux
Tux the penguin
Tux the penguin, the mascot of Linux[1]
DeveloperCommunity contributors,
Linus Torvalds
Written inC, assembly languages, Rust and others
OS familyUnix-like
Working stateCurrent
Source modelOpen source
Initial releaseSeptember 17, 1991 (1991-09-17)
Repositorygit.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/
github.com/torvalds/linux
Marketing targetCloud computing, embedded devices, mainframe computers, mobile devices, personal computers, servers, supercomputers
Available inMultilingual
PlatformsAlpha, ARC, ARM, C-Sky, Hexagon, LoongArch, m68k, Microblaze, MIPS, Nios II, OpenRISC, PA-RISC, PowerPC, RISC-V, s390, SuperH, SPARC, x86, Xtensa
Kernel typeMonolithic
Userlandutil-linux by standard[a], various alternatively, such as Busybox[b], GNU[c], Plan 9 from User Space[d] and Toybox[e]
Default
user interface
LicenseGPLv2[13][f]
Official websitekernel.org
Articles in the series
Linux kernel
Linux distribution

Linux (/ˈlɪnʊks/, LIN-uuks)[15] is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel,[16] an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds.[17][18][19] 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.

Popular Linux distributions[20][21][22] include Debian, Fedora Linux, Arch Linux, and Ubuntu; thousands of other distributions exist, many based directly or indirectly on other distributions.[23][24] The GNU General Public License means creating novel distributions is easier than it would be for an operating system such as MacOS or Microsoft Windows.[25][26][27] 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, KDE Plasma or Xfce. Distributions intended for servers may not have a graphical user interface at all or include a solution stack such as LAMP. 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.[28][29] Because Linux is freely redistributable, anyone may create a distribution for any purpose.[30]

Linux was originally developed for personal computers based on the Intel x86 architecture, but has since been ported to more platforms than any other operating system.[31] Because of the dominance of Linux-based Android on smartphones, Linux, including Android, has the largest installed base of all general-purpose operating systems as of May 2022.[32][33][34] Linux is, as of March 2024, used by around 4 percent of desktop computers.[35] The Chromebook, which runs the Linux kernel-based ChromeOS, dominates the US K–12 education market and represents nearly 20 percent of sub-$300 notebook sales in the US.[36] Linux is the leading operating system on servers (over 96.4% of the top one million web servers' operating systems are Linux),[37] leads other big iron systems such as mainframe computers, and is used on all of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers[g] (as of November 2017, having gradually displaced all competitors).[38][39][40]

Linux also runs on embedded systems, i.e., devices whose operating system is typically built into the firmware and is highly tailored to the system. This includes routers, automation controls, smart home devices, video game consoles, televisions (Samsung and LG smart TVs),[41][42][43] automobiles (Tesla, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, and Toyota),[44] and spacecraft (Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon crew capsule, and the Ingenuity Mars helicopter).[45][46]

Linux is one of the most prominent examples of free and open-source software collaboration. The source code may be used, modified, and distributed commercially or non-commercially by anyone under the terms of its respective licenses, such as the GNU General Public License (GPL). The Linux kernel, for example, is licensed under the GPLv2, with an exception for system calls that allows code that calls the kernel via system calls not to be licensed under the GPL.[47][48][30]

  1. ^ Linux Online (2008). "Linux Logos and Mascots". Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2009.
  2. ^ "The util-linux code repository". GitHub. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  3. ^ "The Busybox about page". busybox.net. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  4. ^ "The Alpine Linux about page". alpinelinux.org. Archived from the original on May 8, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "GNU Userland". Archived from the original on March 8, 2016.
  6. ^ "Unix Fundamentals — System Administration for Cyborgs". Archived from the original on October 5, 2016.
  7. ^ "Operating Systems — Introduction to Information and Communication Technology". Archived from the original on February 21, 2016.
  8. ^ "The X Window System". Archived from the original on January 20, 2016.
  9. ^ "PCLinuxOS Magazine – HTML". Archived from the original on May 15, 2013.
  10. ^ "Plan 9 from User Space". Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Plan 9 from User Space code repository". GitHub. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Landley, Robert. "What is ToyBox?". Toybox project website. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "The Linux Kernel Archives: Frequently asked questions". kernel.org. September 2, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  14. ^ "U.S. Reg No: 1916230". United States Patent and Trademark Office. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2006.
  15. ^ "Re: How to pronounce Linux?". Newsgroup: comp.os.linux. April 23, 1992. Usenet: [email protected]. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
  16. ^ Eckert, Jason W. (2012). Linux+ Guide to Linux Certification (Third ed.). Boston, Massachusetts: Cengage Learning. p. 33. ISBN 978-1111541538. Archived from the original on May 9, 2013. Retrieved April 14, 2013. The shared commonality of the kernel is what defines a system's membership in the Linux family; the differing OSS applications that can interact with the common kernel are what differentiate Linux distributions.
  17. ^ "Twenty Years of Linux according to Linus Torvalds". ZDNet. April 13, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  18. ^ Linus Benedict Torvalds (October 5, 1991). "Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT". Newsgroup: comp.os.minix. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2011.
  19. ^ "What Is Linux: An Overview of the Linux Operating System". Medium. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  20. ^ DistroWatch. "DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD". distrowatch.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  21. ^ himanshu, Swapnil. "Best Linux distros of 2016: Something for everyone". CIO. Archived from the original on December 31, 2016. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  22. ^ "10 Top Most Popular Linux Distributions of 2016". www.tecmint.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2016. Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Major Distributions An overview of major Linux distributions and FreeBSD". Distrowatch.
  24. ^ Andrus, Brian (July 8, 2024). "Top 12 Most Popular Linux Distros". DreamHost Blog. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  25. ^ "Various Licenses and Comments about Them - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation". www.gnu.org. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  26. ^ "GNU General Public License". GNU.org.
  27. ^ Casad, Joe. "Copyleft » Linux Magazine". Linux Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
  28. ^ Cite error: The named reference gnu_linux_faq was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  29. ^ "Linux and the GNU System". Gnu.org. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2013.
  30. ^ a b "What is Linux?". Opensource.com. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  31. ^ Barry Levine (August 26, 2013). "Linux' 22th [sic] Birthday Is Commemorated - Subtly - by Creator". Simpler Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2015. Originally developed for Intel x86-based PCs, Torvalds' "hobby" has now been released for more hardware platforms than any other OS in history.
  32. ^ "Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  33. ^ McPherson, Amanda (December 13, 2012). "What a Year for Linux: Please Join us in Celebration". Linux Foundation. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  34. ^ Linux Devices (November 28, 2006). "Trolltech rolls "complete" Linux smartphone stack". Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  35. ^ "Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide". StatCounter Global Stats. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  36. ^ Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. "Chromebook shipments leap by 67 percent". ZDNet. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  37. ^ "OS Market Share and Usage Trends". W3Cook.com. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015.
  38. ^ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J. (2017). "Linux totally dominates supercomputers". ZDNet (published November 14, 2017). Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  39. ^ Thibodeau, Patrick (2009). "IBM's newest mainframe is all Linux". Computerworld (published December 9, 2009). Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
  40. ^ Lyons, Daniel (March 15, 2005). "Linux rules supercomputers". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 24, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2007.
  41. ^ Eric Brown (March 29, 2019). "Linux continues advance in smart TV market". linuxgizmos.com. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  42. ^ "Sony Open Source Code Distribution Service". Sony Electronics. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  43. ^ "Sharp Liquid Crystal Television Instruction Manual" (PDF). Sharp Electronics. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 11, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
  44. ^ Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols (January 4, 2019). "It's a Linux-powered car world". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  45. ^ "From Earth to orbit with Linux and SpaceX". ZDNet. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  46. ^ "Linux on Mars!". IT PRO. August 18, 2021. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  47. ^ "Linux kernel licensing rules". Linux kernel documentation. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  48. ^ Linux-syscall-note on GitHub


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