The Evolution of Linux
April 21, 2013 Vincent Tran No Comments
Conception and childhood
Linux was created in 1991 by Linus Torvalds as a free and open source operating system. This
was unlike the extremely successful and booming competitor of the time, Windows. From the
beginning the Linux source code has been publically available. It has constantly been subject to
criticism. This additionally has allowed for community bug-fixes and continual updates. Linux
was originally developed for the Intel_x86 processor. It also derived it’s architecture from the
UNIX model consisting of a low-level lightweight kernel, device drivers and userland commands/
binaries.
The teenage years
As Linux approached it’s teenage years, the community of Linux became very large. Given the
large community various groups wished to take the project in different directions. This led to
many variants including the four main distributions: Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux,
Mandriva and Arch. Debian went on to become the most popular distribution largely due to
Ubuntu.
Linux found it’s place in the computing world as a great development platform due to it’s
customizability and active community. It also arose as the main choice of operating system for
servers, mainframe computers and supercomputers. Linux was chosen because it was open
source, has a heavy emphasis on security and supported of dozens of programming languages.
Adulthood
Linux has made great leaps forward in terms of its popularity and usage. In 2012, Gabe Newell
began support for his Steam network to work on Linux with emphasis on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
This was in retaliation to Microsoft’s decision to force their app store to be heavily filtered down
by what Microsoft deems appropriate, which Newell didn’t agree with. Games such as Team
Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 are now available on Linux and it has been stated that the future
of gaming is with Linux.
ALT:
Linux has made great leaps forward in terms of its popularity and usage. In 2012, mainstream
games began to make appearances on Linux through the Steam network as Valve sought to move
into a platform that was far less restrictive compared to Microsoft’s app store. Games such as
Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 are now available and it has been stated that the future of
gaming is with Linux.
By the beginning of 2013, Linux through Ubuntu, has been deployed in the tablet and
smartphone markets. Google even based the Android kernel on the Linux kernel.
Where will the operating system will be seen in the future? Only time, and community
ingenuity will tell.