Since its birth, Linux has been loved and paid attention to by outstanding programmers all over the world. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Linux. Let’s follow me to learn about the history of Linux development!
In early 1991, Linus Torvalds of the Computer Science Department of the University of Helsinki in Finland spent $3,500 to DIY a computer with a plain appearance but powerful performance in a husband-and-wife computer store. He paid $1,200 first and the rest needed to be paid off within three years. Later, he spent another $169 on a Minix version of the Unix operating system for the new computer.Linus planned to use the terminal emulation program that came with the Minix system to hack into the school's more powerful computers to read the news or do programming. At that time, home dial-up Internet access was slow and expensive, but using the school computer to access the Internet was free and fast. Therefore, hacking into the school computer was both cool and affordable, and it almost became a compulsory course for Linus . However, after some operation, Linus found that the Minix system was not easy to use at all, especially the terminal emulation program that he had high hopes for, which was extremely difficult to use.The school needed a computer, and since the Minxi system was not easy to use, why not start from the bare metal (starting with the BIOS system) and rewrite one? Anyway, in Finland in winter, I couldn't go anywhere, so I had plenty of time and a powerful 386 personal computer as a development tool.When developing the file system driver, Linus almost gave up because he felt it was too strenuous. But he found that if he gave up the operating system development, his life would become boring again. The university courses were not challenging, and the only extracurricular activity was the Spectrum Club party every Wednesday night. Since he had no girlfriend, the party seemed boring. So, Linus gradually became addicted to OS and couldn't extricate himself.Linus planned to call Linux Freax, a combination of "fread", "free" and "x" (referring to Unix). In the first six months of developing the system, he stored files with the file name "Freax". Linus considered the name Linux, but gave up because he felt it was too self-centered.
To facilitate development, he uploaded the files to the FTP server of the Helsinki University of Technology (ftp.funet.fi). Ari Lemmke, a colleague who was in charge of managing that server, thought that the name "Freax" was not very good, so he changed the name of the project to "Linux" without consulting Linus. But later, Linus also agreed with the name "Linux": "After many discussions, he admitted that the name Linux was better. The name 'Freax' was still used in the makefile of the source code of version 0.01 of Linux, and the name 'Linux' was used later. Therefore, the name Linux was not premeditated, but it was widely accepted, and a legendary prelude was opened from then on.Since computer memory was limited at the time, if the running program was larger than the memory, it would easily cause the computer to crash. The Linux system has the function of paging to disk, which solves this problem very well. So the first shot caused quite a stir, causing many Minix users to switch to the Linux camp. This also led to a war of words between the two sides over microkernels and macrokernels.After the joint efforts of hackers around the world, on March 14, 1994, version 1.0 of the Linux system was released at Linus' alma mater, the University of Helsinki. At that time, its code volume had exceeded 170,000 lines and its users exceeded 100,000.Compared to Windows, which was in its heyday at the time, Linux was completely free and fully compatible with the POSIX1.0 standard, which meant that it could run DOS and Windows programs through an emulator, support multi-user and multi-tasking (stronger than Windows at the time), and had both a character interface and a graphical interface. These distinctive features gave Linux a strong vitality, allowing it to tear open a gap when Windows began to dominate the global operating system.More importantly, because Linux supports multiple platforms, it can be installed in various computer hardware devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, routers, video game consoles, desktop computers, mainframes and supercomputers. In terms of cross-platform adaptability, it is far ahead of Windows, which also laid the foundation for the rise of Android.Simply put, Windows is equivalent to Intel's CPU, and Linux is equivalent to ARM's chip.The success of Linux not only helped Linus pay off the debt of his DIY personal computer, but also brought him love - a girl named Tove sent him an email to invite him on a date. I don't know if Linus knew when he went on the date that the girl who invited him had won the Finnish karate championship six times. "Tove was the first woman who approached me through the Internet, and I simply married her." Many years later, Linus recalled this experience and was still very proud.
It is said that Linus was bitten by a penguin in Australia . When choosing a mascot , Linus' wife Tove helped him think of a penguin . So in 1996 , Linus chose a penguin as the mascot for Linux. Larry Ewing provided a draft of the mascot. The famous mascot currently in use is based on this draft. James Hughes named it Tux based on "Torvalds's Unix".
The current situation and development of Linux
The Linux operating system is developing rapidly. According to the data released by the world's top 500 supercomputers, 89.2% of supercomputers run on the Linux operating system. Although the market share of desktop operating systems is not high, it is also expanding year by year. International major companies such as Intel, Google, and IBM are increasing their R&D investment in the Linux operating system, which brings sufficient stamina for the long-term development of the Linux operating system. Domestic operating system R&D organizations and manufacturers have also increased their investment accordingly to narrow the gap between the technology of international Linux manufacturers. However, the development of Linux still faces problems such as poor compatibility, lack of software, and the fragmentation of the Linux operating system due to the large number of versions. It is imperative to master core technologies and solve the key development problems currently facing Linux.
1. Current Status of the Development of Linux Operating System in ChinaIn addition to schools and R&D institutions, the main Linux distributions currently involved in the research and development of Linux operating systems in China include Hongqi, Zhongbiao, Gongchuang, Xinhua, and Turbolinux, all of which have both desktop and server versions. All domestic distributions are developed based on international community versions and have done some work on interface customization based on the achievements of the international community. They have not mastered the core technology and there is a certain technical gap between them and international Linux operating system distributions. They lack technical accumulation and face problems such as insufficient Linux development momentum. 2. Current status of foreign Linux operating system development The main foreign distributions include redhat, ubuntu, Suse, etc., all of which provide two different versions: desktop and server. The Linux operating system is relatively mature in the server field, the desktop development is relatively slow, and the embedded field is developing rapidly.From the 0.01 version of the kernel, the Linux kernel has been continuously iterated and matured, growing from the initial 10,000 lines of code to today's 10 million lines of code. To date, famous distributions include Debian, Ubuntu, RedHat EnterpriseLinux and Fedora. The following is a brief list of some "major events" in the development of Linux:The first version of Linux was released in 1991
The Linux 0.01 version has about 8,000 lines of code and runs on the X86 platform. It completes the main components of Linux: kernel, file system, is compatible with the POSIX interface, has ported bash (1.08), and can run init and fork processes.1992 Linux ushered in its first debate
Andrew Tannenbaum, the master of operating systems and the author of Minix, an educational version of the Unix operating system, posted online: Linux is outdated and the macro kernel has no future, which immediately attracted countless people and triggered the most famous operating system debate in history. In this debate, Linus made a comment about the prospects of Linux, which is still correct to this day: If the GNU kernel had been ready last spring, I wouldn't even bother to start the project. However, the fact is that it didn't, and it still doesn't. Linux has already won a big advantage in terms of current availability.1993 Slackware Linux released
Linux is just a kernel, and generally works in command line mode. In order to be accepted by the general public, it also needs an operational graphical interface, supporting office software, and minesweeper games. Patrick Volkerding's Slackware is the first widely successful Linux distribution, and it is still being updated and used today. Illustration: Slackware Linux book published in 2001.
1993 Debian Linux is born
Debian Linux is a very popular Linux community version, free, and can be redeveloped and released at will. Ubuntu and Mint are both redeveloped and released based on Debian.
Marc Ewing created Red Hat Linux, and Bob Young acquired Ewing's company, merged it with his own, and formed Red Hat, which is the most successful Linux company to date.
1995 The first Linux Expo opens
In 1995, Linux held its first expo, Linux Expo, and many more followed. Today, there are more than a dozen major regional and national Linux trade shows in the United States alone.1996 The first Linux desktop: KDE is born
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Professor at Beihang University, dedicated to promoting microcontrollers and embedded systems for over 20 years. 
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