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The Beginning
Linus Torvalds begins work on the code for the Linux kernel in 1991, as an alternative to the operating system MINIX. The system was free, fully customizable, and open-source, which was new for the time. The History of Linux from Linus's perspective can be read here: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~awb/linux.history.html -
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Linux Vers. 1
V.1 - The very first stable set of releases for the Linux kernel, creating the largest bases for the robust amount of Linux releases we have today -
Softlanding Linux
One of the very first Linux Distributions was Softlanding, a DOS-esque system released in 1992 by Peter MacDonald. It was considered highly buggy, so the version was abandoned in preference to Linux titans Debian and Slackware -
Slackware
Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding in 1993. Slackware is considered an advanced user option and is designed to be the most 'UNIX-like' version (UNIX being the framework for the very system Linus Torvalds got inspiration from). Notably, the translation of Slackware code into German facilitated the development of SUSE Linux a year later. -
Vers 1.0
Linus and his development team released version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel in 1994, allowing developers to access the software -
SUSE Linux
Suse Linux was one of the first systems to use the Linux kernel as a base, developed in Germany. The first version, 1.0, was distributed in 1994, though it would not be until version 4.2, released in 1996 that SUSE Linux would be born. -
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Red Hat Linux
Red Hat began testing Linux integration with their systems in the mid-1990's, finally releasing the software in the late 90's to early 2000's. The dates are relatively unclear. -
Debian Linux
Debian Linux was developed by Ian Murdock in 1993, with its first stable version, 1.1, being released in 1996. It served as the basis for one of Linux's most famous Distros, Ubuntu. It was even sponsored by the Free Software Foundation from Nov. 1994-1995 for its adherence to GNU Project principles, a moral code for the development of free software. -
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Linux Vers. 2
V.2 - Linux version 2 was released in 1996, and would be the longest used kernel, only being replaced with Kernel 3 or the 20th anniversary -
Fedora Linux
Fedora Linux began with Warren Togami, a University of Hawaii student, in 2002. It was intended to become a software repository, sponsored by Red Hat. It ended up becoming a community Distro in 2003 -
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is a very robust Debian Linux base OS. Begun in 2004 by British group Canonical, the OS has been equipped with long-term support, with new releases every year (notably, with cute animal-themed names), -
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Linux's Growth
As Linux grew in popularity, more and more systems integrated the Linux programming, such as tech titans Apple and Dell. -
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Linux Vers. 3
V.3 - Linux V.3 would gain more and more traction, receiving funding and backing from thousands of companies and independent developers. It would also be the shortest lived. -
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Linux Vers. 4
V.4 - This version would serve to be the biggest one yet, clocking in nearly 20 million lines in total from 1991 to today, but thousands upon thousands of independent developers. -
30 Years In Business
After 30 years, Linux released a new version to celebrate. This new version was met with fanfare from a huge developing community. Linux has developed a huge following from its release in 1991, with a magazine, fandom wiki, and more! -
Linux Today
Today, there are over 600 Linux Distros or Linux-based systems. these include the ever-prevailing Red Hat Linux, Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, and Debian.
