Chapter 1. Welcome to Linux

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IN THIS CHAPTER

The GNU–Linux Connection

2

The Linux 2.6 Kernel

5

The Heritage of Linux: UNIX

5

What Is So Good About Linux?

6

Overview of Linux

10

Additional Features of Linux

14

Conventions Used in This Book

17

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The Linux kernel was developed by Finnish undergraduate student Linus Torvalds, who used the Internet to make the source code immediately available to others for free. Torvalds released Linux version 0.01 in September 1991.

The new operating system came together through a lot of hard work. Programmers around the world were quick to extend the kernel and develop other tools, adding functionality to match that already found in both BSD UNIX and System V UNIX (SVR4) as well as new functionality.

The Linux ...

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