Linux Kernel 0.x

Linux, originally created by the Finnish programmer Linus Torvalds, is a Unix-like operating system loosely inspired by Minix. The pivotal difference, however, was how it was licensed. Unlike Unix operating systems that remained expensive and proprietary, Linux and its source code were licensed for free distribution, with the provision that all changes or additions to the source code must also be released for free.

Linux spawned many "distributions" provided by different organizations. Just to name a few: Corel Linux, Gentus Linux, Lindows, Mandrake Linux, Red Hat Linux, Ubuntu Linux, and Xandros Linux.

Below are early source versions of the Linux kernel, preserved for historical interest.

Note that Winworld generally does not need to host open source operating systems, as the source and binaries may be freely redistributed, and many other sites provide access to these.

Screenshots

Release notes

This is a copy of the Linux Sourcecode, version 0.01, the initial release posted to Usenet in the early 90's.

Installation instructions

You will need a compiler from this time. You can use a Unix or Minix install with GNU tools installed to compile it. Instructions will come eventually.