'Just a hobby, won't be big': Linus Torvalds introduced Linux 35 years ago - and almost called it Freax
It's been 35 years since Finnish graduate student Linus Torvalds drafted a brief note saying he was starting a hobby operating system. The world will never be the same.
In August 1991, Finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds began working on a free operating system for x86 computers, describing it as "just a hobby, won't be big and professional like GNU." Torvalds initially named the project "Freax," a combination of "free," "freak," and "x" to represent a Unix-like system. However, his friend Ari Lemmke, who set up the servers for the project, disliked the name "Freax" and renamed the directory "Linux," which stuck.
The first person to install the new operating system was Torvalds' colleague, Lars Wirzenius. From its inception, Linux quickly gained traction, with a small group of volunteers contributing to its development. The turning point came when Torvalds embraced and encouraged outside changes, treating the kernel as a common resource for others to extend.
By the end of 1991, Linux had surpassed the GNU Hurd and Minix projects, and by summer 1992, it was running the X window system, marking a significant milestone in its development.
Written by urgent.news from ZDNet's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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