Linux (operating system)

Linux (operating system)
Larry Ewing, Simon Budig, Garrett LeSage · CC0 · source
Name	Linux
Developer	Linus Torvalds; GNU Project; contributors from Red Hat, Canonical, SUSE, IBM, Intel, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Debian Project, Arch Linux, Gentoo, Fedora Project, KDE, GNOME Foundation, XFCE Development Team
Released	1991
Kernel type	Monolithic (modular)
Written in	C, Assembly
Working state	Active
Supported platforms	x86, x86-64, ARM, ARM64, PowerPC, RISC-V, SPARC, MIPS
License	GPLv2 and others

Linux (operating system) Linux is a family of free and open-source operating systems based on the Linux kernel, originally created by Linus Torvalds. It is used across servers, desktops, embedded systems, mobile devices, scientific infrastructure, and cloud platforms, with major contributions from organizations such as Red Hat, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Intel, and communities like the Debian Project and Arch Linux.

Overview

Linux centers on the Linux kernel, developed by Linus Torvalds and hundreds of contributors from corporations including Red Hat, Canonical, SUSE, IBM, Google, Oracle, and communities such as the Debian Project, Fedora Project, Arch Linux, Gentoo, and Slackware. The ecosystem integrates userland software from projects like the GNU Project, systemd, Wayland, X.Org, KDE, GNOME Foundation, LXDE, XFCE Development Team, and BusyBox to form distributions packaged by vendors including Canonical, Red Hat, SUSE, IBM, Oracle, Amazon Web Services, and community maintainers like the Debian Project and Arch Linux. Linux powers infrastructure used by Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft Azure, Netflix, Twitter, NASA, CERN, European Space Agency, and supercomputers overseen by organizations such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

History

Linux began with Linus Torvalds releasing the initial kernel in 1991 while affiliated with the University of Helsinki. Early development intersected with the GNU Project initiated by Richard Stallman, and pivotal adopters included distributions like Slackware, Debian, Red Hat, and SUSE. The expansion of Linux correlated with contributions from corporations including IBM, which announced major support in the early 2000s, and later entrants such as Google incorporating Linux into Android and server infrastructure. Landmark events include the growth of desktop environments pioneered by KDE and GNOME Foundation, the emergence of package management systems from RPM and dpkg/APT, and the migration of enterprise workloads to Linux on platforms provided by Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and IBM Cloud.

Architecture

The Linux architecture is built around the monolithic Linux kernel, modular loadable kernel modules, and user space components from the GNU Project. Core subsystems include process management inspired by UNIX work in Bell Labs, memory management evolved alongside architectures like x86 and ARM, the Virtual File System incorporating standards like POSIX, and networking stacks interoperable with protocols standardized by the IETF. Device drivers support hardware from suppliers such as Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, Broadcom, and Qualcomm. Windowing and graphics are handled by X.Org and Wayland compositors, with toolkits from GTK and Qt underpinning environments such as GNOME Foundation and KDE. Virtualization and containerization integrate projects like KVM, Xen, Docker, Kubernetes, and orchestration tools used by enterprises including Red Hat OpenShift.

Distributions and Packaging

Distributions bundle the kernel with userland from projects such as the GNU Project, complemented by package systems like RPM/RPM-based used by Red Hat, Fedora Project, and SUSE, and dpkg/APT used by Debian Project and Ubuntu. Popular distributions include Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, CentOS, Alpine Linux, Arch Linux, Gentoo, Slackware, Linux Mint, Elementary OS, and Kali Linux. Packaging formats and installers like Flatpak, Snap, AppImage, RPM, dpkg, and container images used by Docker and OCI facilitate software distribution across desktop, server, and embedded deployments.

Development and Community

Development is coordinated via repositories hosted on platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, and direct mailings like the Linux Kernel Mailing List. Contributions come from corporations including Red Hat, Canonical, SUSE, Intel, IBM, Google, Microsoft, Oracle, and independent developers affiliated with projects like the Debian Project, KDE, GNOME Foundation, Arch Linux, Gentoo, and Fedora Project. Governance spans the benevolent dictatorship model around Linus Torvalds for the kernel, project governance in Debian Project, corporate stewardship in Red Hat, and foundations such as the Linux Foundation which hosts collaborative initiatives involving Microsoft, IBM, Intel, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and academic institutions including MIT and Stanford University.

Usage and Applications

Linux is dominant in server markets used by Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft Azure, Netflix, and Twitter for web, database, and cloud services. It is the basis of Android on mobile devices from Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, and others, and is embedded in devices by Cisco, Qualcomm, Broadcom, Intel, and ARM. Scientific and research deployments include projects at CERN, NASA, European Space Agency, and national laboratories like Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Desktop and workstation use is supported by vendors and projects such as Dell, System76, Canonical, KDE, GNOME Foundation, Blender Foundation, and creative tools ported by communities like GIMP and LibreOffice. Containers and orchestration built on Linux power platforms like Kubernetes and cloud-native applications standardized by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.

Security and Licensing

Security in Linux involves kernel hardening, grsecurity-style patches, and features like SELinux from NSA contributions via Red Hat integrations, AppArmor from Canonical, and namespaces/cgroups used by container runtimes in projects like Docker and LXC. Vulnerability handling follows processes employed by vendors such as Debian Project, Red Hat, Canonical, SUSE, and cloud providers like Amazon and Google. Licensing is principally under the GPLv2 for the kernel, with userland software under licenses from the GNU Project and various permissive or copyleft licenses managed by projects such as Free Software Foundation and overseen in community compliance efforts by organizations like the Linux Foundation and legal entities including the Software Freedom Conservancy.

Category:Free and open-source software