What Is Linux

Linux Is Not An Operating System

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Some say they use the Linux operating system.
Others say that Linux isn't an OS.

You may argue. You may disagree.
The truth is somewhere in between.

Modern Linux distributions are called an "operating system".

But what do they consist of? What makes them an OS?

The Linux Kernel

Linus Torvalds created the Linux kernel.

  • On August 25, 1991, Torvalds announced his project on a Usenet newsgroup.
  • Linux 0.11 came out on December 8, 1991.
  • The 1.0 version was released on March 14, 1994.

The kernel - it's the core of an operating system.

It's the foundation:

  • it controls the hardware
  • it's responsible for scheduling

The kernel alone is not an operating system.
It's the core.

The GNU Project

The GNU project started as an entire operating system.

Various tools like

  • GNU C compiler
  • GNU Emacs
  • The userspace tooling

were ready in time.

The GNU Hurd's development was slower and more complicated than expected.
Most of the system was ready, but the kernel was still missing.

This is where the Linux kernel filled the gap.

GNU/Linux

Linus Torvalds and a growing community of developers worked on the Linux kernel.
The GNU Project had a functional userspace ecosystem without a kernel.

Thanks to many other projects and individual developers - an entire OS surfaced.
The mix of these elements enabled the creation of the GNU/Linux distributions.

Final Whisper

Today the Linux kernel is a community project.
Linus Torvalds, many individuals and companies write the code.
The Linux kernel project provides the core.
Other projects and tools provide additional elements to build an operating system from them.

DeadSwitch | The Silent Architect
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