Lesson 1.1: The Origins of Linux

Let's travel back to 1991, when a young Finnish student named Linus Torvalds started a project that would change computing forever.

Fun Fact: Linux was originally named "Freax" (a combination of "free," "freak," and "Unix") but the person who hosted the first files renamed it to "Linux" without Linus's knowledge!

The Computing Landscape in 1991

To understand why Linux was so revolutionary, we need to look at what was available before it:

Unix: Powerful but expensive and proprietary
MS-DOS: Limited and single-user
Windows: Still in its early stages (Windows 3.0)
Minix: Educational Unix-like system, but not designed for real work

Enter Linus Torvalds

Linus was a computer science student at the University of Helsinki. He had bought a new Intel 386 processor and wanted to explore its capabilities. But he ran into a problem:

"I was interested in operating systems and wanted to learn how they worked. The available options were either too expensive or too limited."

The Famous Announcement

On August 25, 1991, Linus posted this message to the comp.os.minix newsgroup:

From: torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi (Linus Benedict Torvalds) Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT Subject: What would you like to see most in minix? Hello everybody out there using minix - I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat...

Historical Irony: Linus said his OS "won't be big and professional" - today Linux powers everything from smartphones to supercomputers!

The GNU Connection

Linux wasn't created in a vacuum. Richard Stallman's GNU Project had already been working on a free Unix-like operating system since 1983. They had most of the tools but were missing a working kernel.

When Linus released his kernel under the GNU General Public License (GPL), it was the perfect match. GNU provided the userland tools, and Linux provided the kernel.

Why Linux Succeeded

Several factors contributed to Linux's success:

Free and Open Source: Anyone could use, modify, and distribute it
Internet Timing: Released just as the internet was becoming mainstream
Technical Excellence: Well-designed from the start
Community: Attracted talented developers worldwide
Modular Design: Easy to customize and extend

Key Milestones

Here are some important dates in Linux history:

1991: Linux 0.01 released (about 10,000 lines of code)
1992: Linux licensed under GPL
1994: Linux 1.0 released (about 176,000 lines of code)
1996: Tux the penguin chosen as mascot
2003: Linux 2.6 released (about 5.9 million lines of code)
2011: Linux 3.0 released (about 15 million lines of code)

Linux Today

From that humble beginning, Linux has grown to power:

96.3% of the world's top 1 million servers
71% of all smartphones (via Android)
All of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers
Most embedded systems and IoT devices
Countless desktop computers and laptops

Remember: Linux refers specifically to the kernel. When people say "Linux" as an operating system, they usually mean a Linux distribution (like Ubuntu) that includes the Linux kernel plus GNU tools and other software.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned:

Linux was created by Linus Torvalds in 1991
It was inspired by Minix but designed to be more capable
The GNU Project provided essential tools that complemented the Linux kernel
Open source licensing and internet timing were key to its success
Linux has grown from a hobby project to power most of the world's computing infrastructure