K12LTSP in Episd - The Theory

Linus Torvalds was 22 years old and a computer science student at the University of Helsinki, in his native Finland, when he created the first Linux kernel - the heart of the operating system that works with the processor. It was a UNIX clone built for desktop PCs. He patented Linux under the Free Software Foundation's General Public Licence, which means it was free and available and prevented anyone from distributing it without the source code.

By making it available for free on the Internet, programmers from the academic and business world began using it and refining it at once. What has happened since is a virtual revolution in the world of computers. Linux has come to dominate scientific and technical applications and has become the preferred OS for web servers. Because of it's low cost and performance advantages, it is poised to become the standard OS for desktop computers as well.

Originally developed for the PC's Intel chip, Linux has been ported to every architecture, including Macs (Yellow Dog). Because Linux's modular design is made to keep on running, "up-times" are legendary - this contributes to making it a very popular OS.

Tux the penguin is the official Linux mascot, and the OS is written in the C programming language.