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<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>Linux from FOLDOC</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Security-Policy" content="default-src 'unsafe-inline' http: https:"> <meta name="verify-v1" content="siAI0ZOMn41hao0E/T76D1I2L3MtFjzE48P3ctCjRNU="> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="msapplication-TileColor" content="#da532c"> <meta name="theme-color" content="#ffffff"> <meta name="google-translate-customization" content="828219db36930e1e-c51d915bf2ea717c-g9b503f9a85d5b5a7-a">  <script src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=UA-9715943-1"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'UA-9715943-1'); </script>  <link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Duru+Sans%7CBelgrano%7CInconsolata%7CAlef%7CArmata" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/layout.css?2">  <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="152x152" href="/im/apple-touch-icon.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="32x32" href="/im/favicon-32x32.png"> <link rel="icon" type="image/png" sizes="16x16" href="/im/favicon-16x16.png"> <link rel="manifest" href="/im/site.webmanifest"> <link rel="mask-icon" href="/im/safari-pinned-tab.svg" color="#5bbad5"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://foldoc.org/Linux"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="FOLDOC" href="/rss.xml"> <link rel="search" title="FOLDOC" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="//foldoc.org/search.xml">  <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5521724329338202" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>  </head> <body> <div id="fb-root"></div> <script> (function (d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_GB/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); </script> <div id="container"> <div id="left"> <a href="/"> <img src="/foldoc.gif" width="300" height="98" alt="Free On-line Dictionary of Computing" class="logo"> </a> <div id="nav"> <a href="/contents.html" class="button">Contents</a> <a href="/help.html" class="button">Help</a> <a href="/random-entry" class="button">Random</a> </div> <form action="/"> <input type="text" name="query" id="query" autofocus="autofocus"> <input type="submit" name="action" value="Search" class="button"> </form> <div id="content"> <h2>Linux</h2> <p></p> <p><<i><a href="contents/operating-system.html">operating system</a></i>></p> <p> ("Linus Unix") /li'nuks/ (but see below) An implementation of the <a href="/Unix">Unix</a> <a href="/kernel">kernel</a> originally written from scratch with no proprietary code. <p></p> The kernel runs on <a href="/Intel">Intel</a> and <a href="/Alpha">Alpha</a> hardware in the general release, with <a href="/SPARC">SPARC</a>, <a href="/PowerPC">PowerPC</a>, <a href="/MIPS">MIPS</a>, <a href="/ARM">ARM</a>, <a href="/Amiga">Amiga</a>, <a href="/Atari">Atari</a>, and <a href="/SGI">SGI</a> in active development. The SPARC, PowerPC, ARM, <a href="/PowerMAC">PowerMAC</a> - <a href="/OSF">OSF</a>, and 68k ports all support <a href="/shells">shells</a>, <a href="/X">X</a> and <a href="/networking">networking</a>. The Intel and SPARC versions have reliable <a href="/symmetric+multiprocessing">symmetric multiprocessing</a>. <p></p> Work on the kernel is coordinated by Linus Torvalds, who holds the copyright on a large part of it. The rest of the copyright is held by a large number of other contributors (or their employers). Regardless of the copyright ownerships, the kernel as a whole is available under the <a href="/GNU">GNU</a> <a href="/General+Public+License">General Public License</a>. The GNU project supports Linux as its kernel until the research <a href="/Hurd">Hurd</a> kernel is completed. <p></p> This kernel would be no use without <a href="/application+programs">application programs</a>. The GNU project has provided large numbers of quality tools, and together with other <a href="/public+domain">public domain</a> software it is a rich Unix environment. A compilation of the Linux kernel and these tools is known as a Linux distribution. Compatibility modules and/or <a href="/emulators">emulators</a> exist for dozens of other computing environments. <p></p> The kernel version numbers are significant: the odd numbered series (e.g. 1.3.xx) is the development (or beta) kernel which evolves very quickly. Stable (or release) kernels have even major version numbers (e.g. 1.2.xx). <p></p> There is a lot of commercial support for and use of Linux, both by hardware companies such as <a href="/Digital">Digital</a>, <a href="/IBM">IBM</a>, and <a href="/Apple">Apple</a> and numerous smaller network and integration specialists. There are many commercially supported distributions which are generally entirely under the GPL. At least one distribution vendor guarantees <a href="/Posix">Posix</a> compliance. Linux is particularly popular for <a href="/Internet+Service+Providers">Internet Service Providers</a>, and there are ports to both parallel supercomputers and <a href="/embedded">embedded</a> <a href="/microcontrollers">microcontrollers</a>. <a href="/Debian">Debian</a> is one popular <a href="/open+source">open source</a> distribution. <p></p> The pronunciation of "Linux" has been a matter of much debate. Many, including Torvalds, insist on the short I pronunciation /li'nuks/ because "Linus" has an /ee/ sound in Swedish (Linus's family is part of Finland's 6% ethnic-Swedish minority) and Linus considers English short /i/ to be closer to /ee/ than English long /i:/ dipthong. This is consistent with the short I in words like "linen". This doesn't stop others demanding a long I /li:'nuks/ following the english pronunciation of "Linus" and "minus". Others say /li'niks/ following <a href="/Minix">Minix</a>, which Torvalds was working on before Linux. <p></p> <em><a href="/pub/misc/linux-pronunciation">More on pronunciation</a></em>. <p></p> <em><a href="http://linuxhq.com/">LinuxHQ</a></em>. <em><a href="http://slashdot.org/">slashdot</a></em>. <em><a href="http://freshmeat.net/">freshmeat</a></em>. <em><a href="http://fokus.gmd.de/linux/">Woven Goods</a></em>. <em><a href="http://ssc.com/lg">Linux Gazette</a></em>. <p></p> <em><a href="ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/Linux">funet Linux Archive</a></em>, <em><a href="ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/">US mirror</a></em>, <em><a href="ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/packages/Linux/">UK Mirror</a></em>. <p></p> <p class="updated">Last updated: <a href="/new.html">2000-06-09</a></p> <p></p> <p class="vertical-space"></p><h3>Nearby terms:</h3> <p class="neighbours"> <a href="/LINPACK">LINPACK</a> &diams; <a href="/lint">lint</a> &diams; <b><a href="/Linux">Linux</a></b> &diams; <a href="/Linux+Documentation+Project">Linux Documentation Project</a> &diams; <a href="/Linux+Loader">Linux Loader</a> </p> <p> Try this search on <a href="https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Linux">Wikipedia</a>, <a href="https://www.wiktionary.org/wiki/Linux">Wiktionary</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=define:Linux">Google</a>, <a href="https://www.onelook.com/?w=Linux">OneLook</a>. </p> <p class="vertical-space"></p> <hr> <div></div> <hr>  <div id="HCB_comment_box">Loading</div> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="//www.htmlcommentbox.com/static/skins/bootstrap/twitter-bootstrap.css?v=0"> <script language="javascript" id="hcb"> hcb_user = { PAGE: 'https://foldoc.org/Linux', comments_header: ' ', no_comments_msg: ' ', err_comment_empty: 'Your comment was not posted because it was empty!', rss: '', }; var s = document.createElement("script"); s.setAttribute("type", "text/javascript"); s.setAttribute("src", "//www.htmlcommentbox.com/jread?page=" + escape(hcb_user.PAGE).replace(/\+/g, "%2B") + "&mod=%241%24wq1rdBcg%24.0y2uzvjA2bsnhzpXVq9F." + "&opts=17374&num=10"); // No e-mail field: 16846 if (typeof s != "undefined") document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(s); </script> <script> setTimeout(function () { document.getElementById('hcb_form_content').rows = 1 }, 1000); </script> <hr>  </div>  </div>  <div id="right"> <div id="google_translate_element"> <script> function googleTranslateElementInit() { new google.translate.TranslateElement({ pageLanguage: 'en' }, 'google_translate_element'); } </script> <script src="https://translate.google.com/translate_a/element.js?cb=googleTranslateElementInit"></script> </div> <p><br></p> <hr> <div id="social"> <div class="fb-like" data-href="http://foldoc.org/" data-layout="button_count" data-action="like" data-show-faces="false" data-share="true"> </div> <a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-via="foldoc"> Tweet </a> <script> if (!document.getElementById('twitter-wjs')) { var fjs = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0], js = document.createElement('script'); js.id = 'twitter-wjs'; js.src = 'https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); } </script> </div> <hr> <div> <p></p> </div> <p> <a href="/rss.xml"> <img src="/orangerss.gif" width="14" height="14" alt="RSS feed of new items"> </a>   <a href="/new.html">Recent Updates</a>     |     <a href="/missing.html">Missing Terms</a> </p> <p>Updated: Sun, 06 Oct 2024 20:18:24 GMT</p> <p>15274 entries</p> <p><em><a href="/Free+On-line+Dictionary">Copyright Denis Howe 1985</a></em></p> </div>  </div>   <script type="text/javascript"> window._qevents = window._qevents || []; (function() { var elem = document.createElement('script'); elem.src = 'https://secure.quantserve.com/quant.js'; elem.async = true; elem.type = 'text/javascript'; var scpt = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; scpt.parentNode.insertBefore(elem, scpt); })(); window._qevents.push({ qacct: 'p-48Rosdvs3EiOc', uid: '__INSERT_EMAIL_HERE__' }); </script> <noscript> <div style="display:none;"> <img src="https//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-48Rosdvs3EiOc.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" alt="Quantcast"/> </div> </noscript>  </body> </html>