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Linux began in 1991 as a kernel project associated with Linus Torvalds. It became part of a complete free operating system when it was combined with the GNU system, whose development had begun years earlier. Today, Linux remains a kernel maintained through a public, collaborative process; distributions package it with the other software people need to use a computer.
What is Linux?
Linux is the kernel: the core software that manages a computer’s hardware and provides essential services to other programs. By itself, it is not the complete system most people mean when they say they want to use Linux. The Linux kernel project recommends choosing a distribution for that purpose. A distribution combines the kernel with the rest of a usable operating system, including system tools and applications.
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Linux | The kernel project, which develops the operating-system core. |
| Linux distribution | A package of the Linux kernel and the other software needed to form a usable system. |
| GNU/Linux | A name used by the GNU Project for a complete system formed by combining Linux with the largely complete GNU system. |
The kernel project describes Linux as a Unix clone written from scratch by Torvalds with help from a distributed group of developers. That description identifies its technical lineage and origins; it does not mean Linux is the entire operating system. Linux kernel project: About Linux Kernel
How did Linux start?
GNU’s work came first
In 1983, Richard Stallman announced the GNU Project: an effort to create a free Unix-like system. GNU’s account matters to Linux’s history because it places work on a free operating system years before Torvalds began the Linux kernel. The announcement is a primary document from the project’s beginning. GNU Project: Initial Announcement of the GNU Project
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Torvalds began the kernel project in 1991
Linux began as a separate kernel project in 1991, associated with Linus Torvalds. The kernel project describes it as written from scratch by Torvalds, with assistance from a loosely connected network of developers. Linux was not created as a GNU Project component; the projects had distinct origins. Linux kernel project: About Linux Kernel
Free software and the combination with GNU
The GNU Project’s history says Torvalds made Linux free software in 1992. In the GNU Project’s framing, Linux filled an important gap in the GNU system: combining the kernel with GNU’s largely complete system produced a complete free operating system. This is GNU’s account of the relationship, not a claim that GNU created the Linux kernel. GNU Project: About the GNU Project and GNU Project: Linux and GNU
What is the difference between Linux and GNU/Linux?
The terms point to different scopes. “Linux” properly names the kernel project. “GNU/Linux” emphasizes a complete operating system made by combining Linux with GNU software. In everyday use, people often say “Linux” to mean a whole distribution, but the kernel and the packaged system are not the same thing.
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The distinction also clarifies the history: the GNU Project set out to build a free Unix-like system in 1983, while Torvalds began the Linux kernel in 1991. GNU’s account describes the combination as completing the system; Linux’s independent origin remains part of the story.
How does Linux development work today?
A collaborative project
Linux is now maintained by a large, distributed community. The kernel documentation describes the codebase as exceeding 8 million lines and says more than 1,000 contributors take part in each release. These are the documentation’s current figures, not fixed counts that apply to every release forever. Linux kernel documentation: Introduction
A public release cycle
Kernel development proceeds through a public process of changes, review, integration and releases. The project documentation describes a typical cycle of roughly two or three months, including merge and release-candidate stages. That is a typical cadence, not a guarantee that every release follows an identical calendar. Linux kernel documentation: How the development process works
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why Linux’s history matters
Linux’s story is not simply the story of one kernel or one creator. Torvalds started the kernel project, while GNU’s earlier effort supplied much of the system that, in the GNU Project’s account, could be completed by combining it with Linux. Distributions then made that combination practical for everyday users by packaging the kernel with the rest of a working system.
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For a focused account of the early history, the University of Oxford Department of Statistics handout points readers to Linus Torvalds and David Diamond’s Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary. University of Oxford: Who makes Linux?
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