Linux

53358 readers

508 users here now

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).

Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.

Rules

Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
No misinformation
No NSFW content
No hate speech, bigotry, etc

Related Communities

Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

197

What was Linux like in the 90s (lemmy.dbzer0.com)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

180 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I really wish that I was born early so I've could witness the early years of Linux. What was it like being there when a kernel was released that would power multiple OSes and, best of all, for free?

I want know about everything: software, hardware, games, early community, etc.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

The absolute best thing about it was that after suffering under Microsoft's shitty operating systems for years, you were running a Unix-like on your own hardware. That part was amazing.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Having grown up with Acorn Atoms. BBC Micro, MS and DRDOS, Gem, Xerox something, Windows 1, don't remember 2, 3.0 to 3.11, NT. I didn't realise how nice early (2004) Linux was until I used it in a Windows server hosted VM to handle my phone calls (VoIP@home or something it was called).

I did everything I could to ditch Windows after that. The webification of QuickBooks was the final release.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Linux was getting pretty nice by 2004. In 1996 it was a LOT rougher.

I basically left Windows in 2006 and never looked back. I did some cross platform work in Qt where I'd develop in either iOS or Linux and then hand the product over to the test team to compile in Windows - worked beautifully. Sure, there were things that worked in one OS that wouldn't work in one or both of the alternatives, but when I figured out the problem it was 90%+ me "getting away with" bad practice on my development machine that once cleaned up ran everywhere just fine.

These days the Browser is 99% of the OS that means anything to anybody.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 day ago

I live these old stories. Kinda gave up programming by 1996. It was a short-sighted thing to do!