Blog 11 What is Linux and who would use it?

Linux is an operating system. It was developed by a university student, Linus Torvalds of Finland in 1991. In 1994, Linux Kernel 1.0 was released and is the base around which a Linux operating system is developed. The source code is freely available to everyone. Many individuals and companies have developed their own operating systems using the Linux Kernel. Some are very specific to the needs of the individual or company and some can be used by many users. Linux distributions are copies of the many developed OS's that are available to the general public to use. Big companies such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard have devoted a lot of time and money in the development and support of Linux Operating Systems. Linux is primarily a server platform but is finding its way into home and office desktops. It can also be "embedded" directly into microchips to be used in appliances and devices. Linux's functionality and adaptability has made it a main alternative to the proprietary operating systems of Unix and Microsoft.
If you are interested in trying a Linux operating system for yourself, you can request a free download that was developed by a Linux consultant, Klaus Knopper, called Knoppix. You download it to a CD and you run the operating system from your CD drive. There is no reason to load it to your hard drive.
I would try it to see for myself what capabilities the OS has compared to the Microsoft OS that I am use to. I believe the wave of the future will lean towards a public domain of technological creation that will take us to the next level. Bill Gates is a pioneer of our current computing world but I believe a product like Linux that gives the foundation to the whole world is a powerful tool because there are people with really great ideas who need a starting point. Once these OS's are built and improved upon by many, who knows, the sky's the limit.