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Linux kernel

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Linux kernel
NameLinux kernel
DeveloperLinus Torvalds and thousands of contributors worldwide
Source modelOpen source
Released05 October 1991
Latest release version6.12
Latest release date23 June 2024
Programming languageC (with some assembly)
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel
LicenseGPLv2 only
Websitehttps://kernel.org

Linux kernel. It is a free, open-source, monolithic kernel for Unix-like operating systems, originally created by Linus Torvalds in 1991. As the core component of Linux distributions, it manages system resources, facilitates communication between hardware and software, and is a foundational element of the broader Free and open-source software ecosystem. Its development is one of the largest and most prominent collaborative projects in the history of software, involving thousands of individual developers and major corporations.

History

The project began as a personal endeavor by Linus Torvalds, then a student at the University of Helsinki, who announced his creation on the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.minix. Inspired by MINIX and the desire for a free system kernel, the initial release was version 0.01. Rapid adoption and contributions from developers worldwide, notably aided by the licensing under the GNU General Public License, fueled its explosive growth. Key milestones include the adoption by major projects like the GNU Project, which sought a free kernel for its operating system, and its pivotal role in the rise of the Open-source software movement. The kernel's success is also intertwined with the so-called Linux kernel mailing list, which became the primary forum for its collaborative development model.

Architecture

It employs a Monolithic kernel design, where all core services—such as process management, memory management, device drivers, and system calls—run in a privileged kernel space. However, it incorporates design principles from Microkernel architectures through the use of loadable kernel modules, allowing for dynamic extension of functionality. The architecture is highly modular, supporting a vast array of architectures from embedded systems to supercomputers. Critical subsystems include the Virtual File System layer, the scheduler, and the networking stack, all designed for portability and performance across diverse hardware platforms.

Development

Development follows a rigorous, decentralized model coordinated by Linus Torvalds and a hierarchy of trusted subsystem maintainers, such as Andrew Morton and Greg Kroah-Hartman. The process is managed via Git, a version control system created by Torvalds for this purpose, with the main source tree hosted on kernel.org. Contributions flow from developers through maintainers and are ultimately merged by Torvalds for official releases, which follow a time-based schedule. Major corporate contributors include IBM, Intel, Google, Red Hat, and Samsung, who invest heavily in its advancement. The development community is governed by a Code of conduct and technical discussions primarily occur on the Linux kernel mailing list.

Features

It provides a comprehensive set of modern operating system features, including preemptive multitasking, protected memory, virtual memory, and symmetric multiprocessing support. Advanced capabilities encompass extensive networking protocols, robust security models like SELinux and AppArmor, and sophisticated file systems such as ext4, Btrfs, and XFS. It supports containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes through features including cgroups and namespaces, and is integral to Cloud computing infrastructure on platforms like Amazon Web Services and the Google Cloud Platform.

Licensing

It is exclusively licensed under version 2 of the GNU General Public License (GPLv2), a Copyleft license that guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. This licensing was a strategic choice by Torvalds that aligned the kernel with the GNU Project and ensured its proliferation as free software. The strict copyleft nature has led to significant legal discussions and enforcement actions, notably by organizations like the Software Freedom Law Center. The license mandates that derivative works must also be distributed under the GPLv2, a principle that has shaped the commercial ecosystem around it.

Distributions and variants

The kernel itself is not a complete operating system; it is distributed as part of comprehensive Linux distributions which bundle it with system software and application packages. Prominent distributions include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, and the commercial Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Specialized variants exist for specific use cases, such as the Android kernel for mobile devices, real-time kernels like PREEMPT_RT for industrial applications, and minimal kernels for embedded systems. These distributions and variants are often developed and maintained by large communities or corporations, including the Linux Foundation.

Category:Free software Category:Linux kernel Category:1991 software