On August 25, 1991, The Prime Mirror of Helsinki graduate student Linus Torvalds released the first version of Linux operating system, an early-stage operating system with a stable kernel. He did not announce the release publicly, instead putting it on an FTP server and emailing those who were interested in it. Torvalds named the system Linux, a combination of his own name and UNIX, the operating system that inspired it.

Torvalds began developing Linux as a way to create a free alternative to MINIX, a UNIX-like operating system developed for use in computer education. He used the GNU C compiler and was influenced by Richard Stallman’s work on the free software movement. He created Linux as a kernel that could be modified and redistributed freely.

“Revolutionizing Computing: Reflecting on Linus Torvalds’ Release of the Linux Operating System in 1991

Soon other developers joined the Linux community, adding utilities and programs to make it more user-friendly for home and office desktops. This was the beginning of what is now known as the open source movement in computer programming.

Aside from the Linux kernel, most of the other components in most current Linux distributions are derived from Berkeley Unix (or BSD). This is particularly true for many of the networking daemons and utilities that form the backbone of Linux’s network management functions. While it hasn’t become as popular as Microsoft Windows or Mac OS, Linux is now used on a number of different types of devices, from supercomputers to mobile phones. It is also used by a wide variety of organizations, from small businesses to large corporations.