Linux kernel

What it is

Unix-like operating system kernel written by a student and developed collaboratively over the internet under the GPL licence. It now runs most of the world's servers, supercomputers and phones (Android).

What it led to

• The open-source infrastructure of the internet and the cloud
• Android and the ubiquity of Linux in embedded devices
• The distributed development model (Git was born for Linux)

Built on

• Unix operating system1969
• C programming language1972
• GNU Project and free software (GPL)1983-1985
• Minix

Made possible

• MySQL1995
• x86 virtualization (VMware)1998-1999
• Git distributed version control2005
• Cloud computing (AWS S3 and EC2)2006
• Android operating system2008
• Raspberry Pi single-board computer2012
• Docker containers and Kubernetes2013

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