Happy birthday Linux! It was thirty years ago today that Linux got it’s start. It started with a post to an internet newsgroup called comp.os.minix from Linus Torvalds and now Linux is everywhere and even in places you might not think. What started out as a hobby is mainstream.
Don Watkins writes in Opensource 11 surprising ways you use Linux every day.
- NASA runs on Linux
- eReaders run on Linux
- TV runs on Linux
- Smartwatches and laptops run on Linux
- Cars run on Linux
- Gaming runs on Linux
- Social media runs on Linux
- Businesses and governments run on Linux
- Retail runs on Linux
- Apple runs on Linux
- Routers run on Linux
and I will add a couple of my own as an update to that list.
- Cloud providers run on Linux
- Supercomputers run on Linux
The power of Linux is its thousands of contributors from around the world, working for free and coming together to build a stable platform.
According to Rob Gibbon on the Ubuntu Blog:
By adopting the GPL license, a free software license that essentially commits participating developers to grant their contributions to the Linux project into the public domain, the Linux operating system was able to successfully build up a complete, if at times discoherent platform. The Linux platform offers, for many users, power and flexibility with comparable or better features than proprietary solutions. Indeed, many other operating systems owe a great deal of their inspiration if not their codebase to the GNU/Linux project.
Relying on a vast army of volunteer contributors from across the world, from the ranks of commerce, research, academia and government, Linux has grown to sit at the top table of computing over the past thirty years. It has arguably become an iconic emblem for human achievement.
By gifting a mature, comprehensive, freely available and freely adaptable software base to the world, Linus and his project have granted us all a powerful and resilient resource for the future, regardless of what the future may bring.
If you want to learn more about Linux Torvalds and the start of Linux, check out the book Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary. You will find it an informative and enjoyable read.
Do you use Linux? Did you know that Linux is only 30 years old? Do you have a special way of using Linux? Let me know on Twitter and thanks for reading!