Linux is 20 years old today

The Enquirer ^ | Thu Aug 25 2011, 00:09 | Egan Orion

[allmost]

ONE MIDSUMMER'S NIGHT, a student at the University of Helsinki posted a query to the newsgroup comp.os.minix asking, "What would you like to see most in minix?" The student's name was Linus Torvalds, and that Usenet post was the beginning of the Linux operating system (OS). The date was 25 August 1991, exactly 20 years ago today.

Pictured-used-and-licensed-under-the-GNU-Free-Distribution-License-by-linuxmag-com-Martin-StreicherIn 1991 Unix had existed for about 20 years since the early 1970s, Apple had come out with its Mac OS in 1984, and Microsoft had been flogging Windows since 1985. Torvalds' ambitions for his "new (free) operating system" were modest. It was to be "just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu"

[allmost]

This is via Slashdot.org.

[Paladin2]

Don’t trust anyone under 30.

[Baynative]

... and ?

[allmost]

And I respond to you through it. Apache.

[andyk]

Linux is the kernel - GNU is the rest.

p.s., thank you GNU and Linus.

[Astronaut]

2011...the year of Linux on the desktop! LOL

[RayChuang88]

We already have “UNIX on the desktop” that’s widely used—it’s called MacOS X, which uses a UNIX variant with the Mach kernel. Indeed, Apple’s iOS is also based on UNIX with a Mach kernel.

[allmost]

I've used Ubuntu to recover Windows passwords for others. It works. Like I stated previously it works well enough for FR to use it. It is a little more important than Jobs quitting(again) imo.

[scripter]

Ping

[Moonman62]

It makes a nice rescue disk and maybe a good server, but for a personal desktop it still stinks. I used Linux as a desktop for a couple of years, but eventually had to go to Windows XP for compatibility and ease of use. Every year I go back and try a few distros. This year I got all sorts of application crashes, locked up the kernel playing a Youtube video, all sorts of trouble using all the buttons on a Logitech mouse, and worst of all, a keylogger in a Fedora spin distro stole my ID and password and tried to break into one of my email accounts.

The Linux community is its own worst enemy.

[allmost]

You are registering my response via Apache. Never touched Fedora, sounds like you don’t recommend it. The desktop interfaces are crappy, but you stated it makes a good rescue disk. I agree.

[newzjunkey]

The Linux community is its own worst enemy.

Indisputably.

[re_nortex]

2011...the year of Linux on the desktop! LOL

Total world domination! (and fast) -- Linus

[Linux user since 1992 (kernel 0.99p12) and JAPH, impatient and loaded with hubris]

[re_nortex]

p.s., thank you GNU and Linus.

How long do you think GNU's Richard Stallman would last here on FR before he was zotted? :-)

(I've always got to separate his abrasive personality, philosophy and politics from the nice code he's hacked out over the years).

[pyx]

I started using Linux in 1992. I think I started when it was kernel Version 0.16 or Version 0.17. I know I downloaded and examined earlier versions; I think version 0.11d or 0.11e before actually getting it to work on my 386. I seem to recall there was a hard disk change and driver problems about then and involved MFM hard disks. I don't recall much about the details. I've been using it consistently since 1992, along with several other operating systems. I have deployed Linux in several professional networking and personal usage environments with a lot of success. After I got it working, I also recall that after I got Linux running, I used it instead of using minix. I can even recall Linus giving Tannenbalm the verbal bird in a reply email a few years after Linux was up and running. LOL !

Distributions became popular quite soon. One of the earlier distros was Yyagrasil and there was one by Pat Volkerding that eventually evolved into Slackware.

All in all, its been quite an enjoyable learning opportunity. Thank you, Linus.

[pyx]

I think I mis-spelled ... It should be Yggdrasil. They had a distro near the end of 1992. But I didn't start using their distro (for a short time) until around mid 1993 or so.

[pyx]

How odd. There doesn't seem to be a kernel version 0.16 or 0.17 available. None-the-less, I do recall using very early versions after the MFM drivers were available and then downloading them by ftp from funet in Finland.

[re_nortex]

How odd. There doesn't seem to be a kernel version 0.16 or 0.17 available.

You probably are referring to the patch level for those numbers. Kernel 0.99 was around in 1992 and the numeric version was suffixed with p12, p13, p14 and so on.

The distros you cited of that era also included the early TAMU package from Aggieland - Texas A&M ("Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!").

[pyx]

It may have been a patch, but I was using Linux much much earlier than v 0.99. Like I said, I was actually using Linux in 1992. v 0.99 was not around until more than one year or possibly two years later in very late 1993 or early 1994.

[PieterCasparzen]

CentOS, I watch videos, everything I need. openoffice for apps. I pared down the install from the outset, have nothing extra running (if you know what i mean) other than what i use for sec reasons.

no problems.

i also installed it on one of those tiny dell notebooks. use a 3g verizon cell modem. everything works great. memory sticks work fine to move files.

i can’t imagine running m$ for my personal stuff, totally unacceptable.