Linux is an open-source operating system kernel. While Linux is only a kernel, i.e. an essential part for building a complete operating system, whole operating systems are very often incorrectly called Linux as well – such systems are typically GNU operating systems and should be called GNU/Linux.
Most of Linux if free (as in freedom) software licensed under GPLv2, however since its code contains proprietary binary blobs (device drivers), it cannot be considered free software in its entirety. Linux-libre is a project that removes these binary blobs and so creates a completely free as in freedom operating system kernel.
The development of Linux was started by a Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds as a hobbyist project when he was attending University in 1991.
This page was last edited on 2026-09-25 02:04:49.
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