Subject areaData and infrastructure
Also known asGNU/Linux
Linux is an operating system (the base program that makes a computer work and on which every other program runs) with open source code: anyone can read, modify and redistribute it.
Linus Torvalds, a Finnish student, announced it in 1991, almost quietly, through a newsgroup (a discussion forum on the network of the time), and that message started a project written by programmers all over the world. That is why Linux became a byword for global collaboration and bottom-up innovation, and it is the best-known case of open source.
The kernel written by Torvalds is combined with the tools of Richard Stallman's GNU project, which is why people also speak of GNU/Linux. On top of that kernel sit the distributions, the complete, ready-to-install versions such as Ubuntu, and desktop environments such as GNOME, which from 1997 brought a consistent and entirely free experience to the desktop. Today Linux runs a large share of the servers behind the web.
An example
A manufacturing company that runs its management software and website on Linux servers can choose its support provider among many, because the system's code is public and nobody holds exclusive rights over it.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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