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History of Linux Who was the creator of this OS, what is its origin and its chronology?

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For programming lovers, Linux it’s been a long time the most reliable platform to work on. This has always been the case thanks to the fact that, to a great extent, it is inspired by an operating system intended for work use.

The GNU/Linux project has been on the market for years, and has only grown in popularity and scope since its foundation and, like any great project, it has gone through many phases, obstacles and upgrades to become what it is.

On this note, We will take a tour of the history of the GNU/Linux project. We will see how it was founded, how it started and we will show you the stages it has had to go through to become the solid and secure operating system that it is today.

History of Linux When was it created and how has this operating system evolved?

One of the first versions of Linux



Linux is, today, one of the greatest exponents of free software. It is an operating system kernel that is licensed GPL, and its main developers are collaborators located around the world. This project has many elements that make up its trajectory, which is why we will make some brief reviews about the most outstanding facts of this nucleus, so that we can get to know you better.

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Who was the creator of the Linux operating system and when did he do it?

Linus Tovalds is the creator of Linux

Linux, in the most basic definition of the term, It is the Kernel or central nucleus of the operating system on which the other components are integrated.that is, it is an incomplete operating system. This core was designed in 1991 by Linus Tovaldsthen a Finnish computer engineering student, in an effort to obtain an operating system kernel with functionalities similar to Unix that would work with Intel 80386 microprocessors.

Very quickly, Linus obtained the support of several developers, who contributed the codes of other free software projects to integrate them into the new operating system, thus providing a set of software that work together with the Kernel to form what is known as a distribution Linux.

What is the Linux penguin called?

Versions of Tux on Linux

If at any time you have searched for information of any kind about Linux on the internet, Surely you have come across the image of a comical-looking penguin that appears on a very recurring basis. This penguin does, in fact, have a name. His name is Tux, and he has been the official Linux mascot since 1996.when it was designed by Larry Erwing, in a contest held to choose a logo for the project.

Tux is a cartoonish and smiling penguinpainted in a three-color scheme: white, black and yellow. However, this appearance may varysince in the same way as the Kernel itself, Tux’s image is free to use and can be modified. In fact, many very popular distributions, such as Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian and Suse They have their own version of Tux.

Who is currently developing Linux and where to see the roadmap?

Softlanding Linux System Interface

The first Linux distribution to be distributed and used more broadly it was Softlanding Linux Systemwhich was developed in the year 1992 by Peter MacDonald. Since then, a huge number of distributions with different developers have come to light.

each distribution, from Debian to Ubuntu, they are supported by their respective communities. Volunteers committed to the development of free software who program the data packages and strengthen the defenses of their distributions, getting better and better for users.

Linux Timeline What have been the most important events since its creation until now?

Throughout his career, Linux has been through many phases, events and modifications that have made it the popular group of operating systems that it is today. Its development as a kernel began in 1991, but other factors that greatly contributed to the creation of Linux happened several years before.

We will now see a brief review of the chronology of Linux events, from its creation, to more contemporary times:

From 1983 to 1990

Free Software Foundation website

In 1983, a project began that would end up becoming one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. We talk about the GNU project, founded by Richard Stallman, who aimed to create a UNIX-like operating system. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) was created in the year 1985, and was developed GNU General Public License, or GNU GPL.

This license would allow retaining the intellectual property of the software components developed by GNU. In turn, it granted the public free permission for use and distribution. For the year 1990, the project was so popular that it already had a large number of developed software components, to the point where they had enough to put together their own operating system. Nevertheless, they didn’t have a core for this.

From 1991 to 1999

Plasma desktop one of the projects in KDE

In Helsinki in 1991, a computer engineering student named Linus Tovalds developed a terminal emulator that could be used independently of an operating system. Before long, Tovalds realized that had designed the kernel of a functional operating systemand on August 25 of that same year he announced the sending of this kernel to the Usenet network.



When Tovalds published his core, he did so under his own license. Nevertheless, in December 92, it is licensed again under the GNU GPL, the first distributions were created Linuxand for 1993, more than 100 users had started working on the Linux kernel. Similarly, in 1993, the development of the Wine project began, in which the Slackware distribution was created, the oldest Linux distro still in operation. And shortly after, in that year, the Debian Project is established.

By 1994, after careful consideration, Linus concludes that all components of the Linux kernel are ready, and releases Linux version 1.0 to the public. which has internet connection and a Graphical User Interface (GUI). In the year of 1996, Linux presents its version 2.0, which is already available for several platforms, and can serve multiple processors simultaneouslybecoming an attractive option for work use.

Throughout 1997, several proprietary programs for Linux were released, and by ’98, big names in the IT and technology industry, such as IBM and Oracle, announce support for Linux. In addition, also in 1998, the development of the KDE-GUIby a private group of developers. This interface was the first of its kind for Linuxand its central objective was to provide greater ease of use for the user.

In 1999 version 2.2 of Linux appeared with enhanced and optimized features such as network codes and SPM support. Simultaneously, development of the GNOME graphical environment beginswhich would happen to be the largest summary KDE in terms of ease of use for the user

From 2000 to 2010

First versions of StarOffice

The beginning of the 21st century was marked with a big step for free software, precisely, in the year 2000, the StarOffice office suite is offered to the public in accordance with the specifications of the GNU GPL. This would be the first free advanced virtual office for Linux. In January 2001 version 2.4 of Linux is released, an increase in its RAM memory support. For the following year, version 1.0 of Open Office, the office suite by the homonymous community, is offered to the public.

By the end of 2003, version 2.6 of Linux is released. The kernel is used very extensively in embedded systems. By 2004, the disintegration of the XFree86 group, together with the creation of X.Org, considerably accelerated the creation of the X server for Linux. In 2005 the development of the free OpenSUSE distribution began., by the Novell community, and version 2.0 of OpenOffice is released in October. In addition, for the year 2006 Oracle published its own distribution in the hands of RedHat.

For the year 2007the computer company DELL becomes the first to sell a computer with the Ubuntu distribution installed. And during 2008, version 2.6.28 is released, optimized to allow the development of open source drivers. The years 2009 and 2010 belonged to the Mandriva distribution. For 2009 the final version of this distro was announced, which was completely composed of free software, without a single proprietary driver.

In 2010, the Mandriva Linux 2010 Spring distro was released. This new distribution was made based on the Linux kernel in its version 2.6.33, and is equipped with the GNOME 2.30.1 and KDE 4.4.3 desktop environments

From 2011 to 2020

OpenMandriva interface on Linux

In 2011, version 3.0 of the Linux kernel was released. By the end of this year in the middle of 2012, Linux had already surpassed Unix’s market revenue, thanks to the aggregate profits from its server marketplace. For the year 2013, Android, the mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel, becomes the most widely distributed in terms of phones soldreaching 75% of the Smartphone market.

In 2014, it is launched “Scion”, code name of the OpenMandriva Lx 2014.2 distribution It has better performance of computer programs through the KDE 4.14 desktop environment. Arriving in 2015, in the course of the year, Linux kernel version 4.0 releasedand the Ubuntu operating system becomes the most widely used of the entire GNU/Linux project, with a figure of more than 20 million users.

2017 was one of the best years for Linux in terms of extension, since this was the year in which it presented a greater expansion between desktops and laptops. For the year 2019, version 5.0 of the Linux Kernel is published, with increased support and improved stability for operating system softwares. And in the year 2020 it is updated to 5.6, with more than 33 million lines of code.

Versions and distributions of Linux What are they and which are the most influential in its history?

Debian Linux distro website

A Linux distribution, popularly known as a distro, is nothing more than a set of software built on top of the Linux kernel to form a complete operating system. There are many distributions that are very useful and widespread thanks to their ease of use and popularity. Y there are some that are simply iconic.

The best distributions that have emerged throughout the history of Linux are the following:

  • Debian: was created in 1993, had in mind the goal of creating an operating system based on the Linux kernel. It was developed by the Debian project with the goal of creating a separation into its free and non-free software versions. One of its main innovations was the multiplatform support that allowed it to work with various architectures.
  • Ubuntu: It is a variant of the code base of the Debian project, created in 2004, which is focused on the use of free software. It was created with a strong bias towards user experience and ease of use, quickly becoming one of the most popular distributions.
  • Linux Mint: It was one of the first Ubuntu-based distributions to come to light, released in 2006. In its first version, called “Ada”, it included the KDE desktop environment and Drapper as the base ATP.
  • fedora: was a project created by its community with the aim of replacing the discontinued RedHat operating system. Although Red Hat Enterprise Linux is still in use, Fedora was the solution for average users, who required a workable operating system with simple compression and a friendly interface.
  • CentOS: is a free operating system developed by CentOS Development Team through free software, and released in 2004. It was created with the idea of ​​offering the user a business-class operating system that was secure, understandable, and easy to install and use.

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