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Linux Turns 30: How A Hobby Project Conquered the World
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Nic
Sep 17, 2021, 12:21:40 PM9/17/21
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https://www.howtogeek.com/754345/linux-turns-30-how-a-hobby-project-conquered-the-world/
Benj Edwards <https://www.howtogeek.com/author/benjedwards/>@benjedwards
<https://twitter.com/benjedwards>
Sep 17, 2021, 7:00 am EDT | 5 min read
Over Linux’s 30-year history, there have been many important milestones,
achievements, releases, and company foundings. Here are just a few of
the highlights.
* *August 24, 1991:* Linus Torvalds announces Linux on the
comp.os.minix Usenet newsgroup.
* *September 17, 1991:* Torvalds releases Linux kernel v0.01, the
first-ever Linux release.
* *February 1, 1992:* Linux officially becomes open source
<https://web.archive.org/web/20110721105526/https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/Historic/old-versions/RELNOTES-0.12>
with a GNU software license.
* *March 1992:* Linux Kernel 0.95 becomes the first version of Linux
capable of running the X Window System GUI
<https://linuxhint.com/history-linux-kernel/>, giving Linux a
desktop graphical interface for the first time.
* *July 17, 1993:* Patrick Volkerding releases
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.linux/c/Jl_s4yKkvGk/m/8dZXz_tbJGoJ>
Slackware Linux for the first time—an important early Linux distro
and the oldest still maintained today.
* *March 26, 1993:* Red Hat is founded
<https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/25-things-you-should-know-about-red-hat-0>
by Bob Young and Marc Ewing. Red Hat would go one to become one of
the most successful commercial Linux software vendors.
* *March 14, 1994:* Torvalds releases Linux 1.0.0
<https://livinginternet.com/i/iw_unix_gnulinux.htm>, the first
production version of the kernel.
* *August 16, 1993:* Ian Murdock founds
<https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/project-history.en.pdf>
The Debian Project, which soon releases a popular Linux distribution.
* *1996*: Larry Ewing creates the mascot for Linux, Tux the penguin
<https://isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/index.html>.
* *February 22, 2000:* Red Hat releases Red Hat Enterprise Linux
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux>, an
important step toward the large-scale adoption of Linux among
businesses.
* *December 12, 2000:* IBM announces
<https://money.cnn.com/2000/12/12/technology/ibm_linux/> it is
investing $1 Billion into Linux development.
* *October 20, 2004:* Canonical releases
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_version_history> Ubuntu 4.10
(Warty Warthog), the first release of the Ubuntu Linux distribution.
* *November 5, 2007:* Google announces
<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2007/11/its-official-google-announces-open-source-mobile-phone-os-android/>
Android, a mobile OS running a modified Linux kernel. Android would
go on to be used in over 3 billion active devices
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/18/22440813/android-devices-active-number-smartphones-google-2021>
around the world in May 2021.
* *July 7, 2009:* Google announces
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentoo_Linux> Chrome OS, a
lightweight OS focusing on web-based apps, derived from Gentoo Linux.
* *October 20, 2014:* Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says “Microsoft
loves Linux,”
<https://www.theregister.com/2014/10/20/microsoft_cloud_event/>
contradicting previous Microsoft executives like Steve Ballmer who
called Linux a “cancer.”
<https://www.theregister.com/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/>
* *July 3, 2019:* IBM acquires Red Hat
<https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/ibm-closes-landmark-acquisition-red-hat-34-billion-defines-open-hybrid-cloud-future>
for $34 billion.
* *February 18, 2021:* Linux lands on Mars
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity>
as part of the Ingenuity helicopter on the Perseverance rover.
Linux Is Everywhere
In 2021, it seems like Linux is everywhere you look—on earth and in
space. Elements of Linux power millions of embedded smart devices
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_on_embedded_systems>, smart
fridges, tablets, game consoles
<https://www.howtogeek.com/741534/what-is-the-steam-deck-and-should-you-buy-one/>,
smartphones, web servers, supercomputers
<https://itsfoss.com/linux-runs-top-supercomputers/>, and more. NASA
even runs Linux on the International Space Station
<https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155392-international-space-station-switches-from-windows-to-linux-for-improved-reliability>.
Speaking of space, certain satellites
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/spacex-weve-launched-32000-linux-computers-into-space-for-starlink-internet/>
(tens of thousands made by SpaceX in particular) and planetary probes
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity>
run Linux as well.
Benj Edwards <https://www.howtogeek.com/author/benjedwards/>@benjedwards
<https://twitter.com/benjedwards>
Sep 17, 2021, 7:00 am EDT | 5 min read
Over Linux’s 30-year history, there have been many important milestones,
achievements, releases, and company foundings. Here are just a few of
the highlights.
* *August 24, 1991:* Linus Torvalds announces Linux on the
comp.os.minix Usenet newsgroup.
* *September 17, 1991:* Torvalds releases Linux kernel v0.01, the
first-ever Linux release.
* *February 1, 1992:* Linux officially becomes open source
<https://web.archive.org/web/20110721105526/https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/Historic/old-versions/RELNOTES-0.12>
with a GNU software license.
* *March 1992:* Linux Kernel 0.95 becomes the first version of Linux
capable of running the X Window System GUI
<https://linuxhint.com/history-linux-kernel/>, giving Linux a
desktop graphical interface for the first time.
* *July 17, 1993:* Patrick Volkerding releases
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.os.linux/c/Jl_s4yKkvGk/m/8dZXz_tbJGoJ>
Slackware Linux for the first time—an important early Linux distro
and the oldest still maintained today.
* *March 26, 1993:* Red Hat is founded
<https://www.redhat.com/en/blog/25-things-you-should-know-about-red-hat-0>
by Bob Young and Marc Ewing. Red Hat would go one to become one of
the most successful commercial Linux software vendors.
* *March 14, 1994:* Torvalds releases Linux 1.0.0
<https://livinginternet.com/i/iw_unix_gnulinux.htm>, the first
production version of the kernel.
* *August 16, 1993:* Ian Murdock founds
<https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/project-history/project-history.en.pdf>
The Debian Project, which soon releases a popular Linux distribution.
* *1996*: Larry Ewing creates the mascot for Linux, Tux the penguin
<https://isc.tamu.edu/~lewing/linux/index.html>.
* *February 22, 2000:* Red Hat releases Red Hat Enterprise Linux
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Hat_Enterprise_Linux>, an
important step toward the large-scale adoption of Linux among
businesses.
* *December 12, 2000:* IBM announces
<https://money.cnn.com/2000/12/12/technology/ibm_linux/> it is
investing $1 Billion into Linux development.
* *October 20, 2004:* Canonical releases
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_version_history> Ubuntu 4.10
(Warty Warthog), the first release of the Ubuntu Linux distribution.
* *November 5, 2007:* Google announces
<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2007/11/its-official-google-announces-open-source-mobile-phone-os-android/>
Android, a mobile OS running a modified Linux kernel. Android would
go on to be used in over 3 billion active devices
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/5/18/22440813/android-devices-active-number-smartphones-google-2021>
around the world in May 2021.
* *July 7, 2009:* Google announces
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentoo_Linux> Chrome OS, a
lightweight OS focusing on web-based apps, derived from Gentoo Linux.
* *October 20, 2014:* Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says “Microsoft
loves Linux,”
<https://www.theregister.com/2014/10/20/microsoft_cloud_event/>
contradicting previous Microsoft executives like Steve Ballmer who
called Linux a “cancer.”
<https://www.theregister.com/2001/06/02/ballmer_linux_is_a_cancer/>
* *July 3, 2019:* IBM acquires Red Hat
<https://www.redhat.com/en/about/press-releases/ibm-closes-landmark-acquisition-red-hat-34-billion-defines-open-hybrid-cloud-future>
for $34 billion.
* *February 18, 2021:* Linux lands on Mars
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity>
as part of the Ingenuity helicopter on the Perseverance rover.
Linux Is Everywhere
In 2021, it seems like Linux is everywhere you look—on earth and in
space. Elements of Linux power millions of embedded smart devices
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux_on_embedded_systems>, smart
fridges, tablets, game consoles
<https://www.howtogeek.com/741534/what-is-the-steam-deck-and-should-you-buy-one/>,
smartphones, web servers, supercomputers
<https://itsfoss.com/linux-runs-top-supercomputers/>, and more. NASA
even runs Linux on the International Space Station
<https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155392-international-space-station-switches-from-windows-to-linux-for-improved-reliability>.
Speaking of space, certain satellites
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/spacex-weve-launched-32000-linux-computers-into-space-for-starlink-internet/>
(tens of thousands made by SpaceX in particular) and planetary probes
<https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/19/22291324/linux-perseverance-mars-curiosity-ingenuity>
run Linux as well.
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