Unix ABCs
Unix, which is not an acronym, was developed in the late 1960's by many of the same people who helped create the C programming language. Today, however, Unix is not just the work of a couple of programmers. Other organizations, institutes, and individuals contributed significant additions to the modern Unix system.
- See our Unix definition for additional related information.
Linux ABCs
Linux (pronounced "lee'nuhks" or li'nuks, but not li'nuhks) is the kernel of a free, open source operating system. The Linux kernel was developed by Linus Torvalds and released in 1991. It provided the underlying foundations for an operating system, but it lacked the user-level tools to make it complete.
The GNU project, begun in 1984 by Richard Stallman, had similar aims, creating a set of open source tools and utilities modeled on the closed-source Unix operating system. The GNU project lacked an underlying kernel, however. After the Linux kernel was released, contributors ported GNU tools to the Linux kernel, and the GNU/Linux operating system was born.
There is significant controversy (even today) over whether to refer to this combined operating system as "GNU/Linux" or "Linux." However, the general populace has gravitated to the name "Linux," and this name has largely stuck. The contributions of the GNU project must not be overlooked, however. Whenever you run an essential command in Linux, you are using a tool painstakingly created by members of the GNU project.
Over the years, Linux kernel development has grown to a group of over 10,000 developers all over the world. It is released under General Public License (GPL): it can be distributed, used, and expanded free of charge, and developers have access to all the source code.
MS-DOS vs. Linux and Unix
If you can navigate a computer using MS-DOS or the Windows command line, you should be able to quickly pick up on the navigation of Linux and Unix. In the below chart is a listing of common MS-DOS commands with their Linux and Unix counterpart.