The September 17, 1991 Linux saw the light, with a code that is written mostly in C. This is undoubtedly done in a kernel that has permeated general computing with more than 30 years old. Although, for many people, Linux is seen as something complicated or that it is only intended for computer “geeks”, but this is something totally false.
In this article we are going to collect the main curiosities that have derived from this kernel after 30 years of history. Many of them you may not know, and they make you see this one with very different eyes than you previously believed.
The curious facts that Linux has
- Although it may seem incredible, Linux is not a complete operating system as Windows or Mac can be. In this case we are talking about a whole family of OS of the UNIX type of kernel code that they have in their Linux kernel.
- Linux was originally created in 1991, by Linus Torvalds I was just a computer science student at the time. In the end, this project was launched with only 10,000 lines of code, which may seem really little, although it has evolved little by little until millions of lines have been written.
- In relation to the latter, the creator only wrote 2% of this code. The rest has been the community that has joined later contributing their own distributions, which has finally formed Linux as we know it right now, being a software that has given many wings to programmers.
- Currently there are many operating systems that are based on Linux beyond Android. But the truth is that many mobiles have systems adapted for them, such as Firefox OS, Ubuntu Mobile, Sailfish OS or Mobline.
- Linux has always been very present in high performance computing. By this we refer specifically to the supercomputers in the world, since the vast majority have Linux installed in order to function. This is something that has been achieved thanks to how easy it is to administer, security or compatibility.
- When we all think of Linux, it automatically comes to mind. a penguin that we relate to be the Linux logo, but the truth is that from the beginning it has tried to be the mascot and not its logo. This one is called Tux, and he beat many other animals like foxes, sharks, hawks… thanks to the fact that he was always in the mind of his creator.
- It should be noted that although Linux is seen as an incomprehensible and little-used system, the truth is that it is present all around us. Without going any further, there are many the governments in their armies those who bet on Linux in their computer systems, such as the United States Department of Defense, the New York Stock Exchange and even the air control towers of major airports such as San Francisco.
- As we said before, Linux is not an operating system as such, but Ubuntu is considered as such and is based on Linux. Currently this has become the most popular Linux-based OS in the world, with 20 million users and a market share of around 3%.
- NASA or SpaceX have placed their trust in Linux to be able to develop software that is capable of literally transporting rockets into space. Dozens of successful operations have been reported with a Linux system, such as in Falcon 9 rockets.
- Such was the talent of the creator of Linux, that Steve Jobs himself invited him to abandon his project and choose to work inside Apple’s offices. But faced with this offer, Linus rejected it and continued on his way.
- Although it may seem that there is great competition in the computing market, the truth is that there are contributions to the Linux kernel that They can surprise anyone. Companies such as Google, Intel, Samsung, Red Hat, Facebook or Google are considered the main contributors to the kernel.
- Apple was forced to use the Linux kernel to build apps that offer better security on macOS for your users. This was the main reason to be able to bring Linus as we have mentioned before, but in the end it was completely rejected.