Linux Celebrates its 20th Birthday

On August 25, 1991, computer programmer Linus Torvalds posted a message to a Usenet group stating that he had begun work on a MINIX replacement, one that was just meant to be a “hobby”. He said he was to be free, and said that it’d likely never support anything other than AT hard disks – as that’s all he had at the time.

Fast-forward to today, Linux’s 20th birthday, and it’s quite impressive to see what emerged from such a simple message. Today, Linux can be found everywhere, from ATMs, point-of-sale machines, servers, media players, smartphones, desktops and notebooks – and billions of other devices. You might not think you use Linux, but chances are you come across it daily.

There’s been quite a bit of media coverage leading up to this point, but for those interested in perusing the history of Linux, I recommend checking out an Ars Technica article that does just that. It’s well worth the read for Linux fans, or those who are considering checking Linux out and are interested in exploring its roots before taking the plunge.

Happy birthday, Linux!