Linux servers are treasured for their high level of security and wide application coverage. The platform delivers outstanding productivity on a variety of computers, including AMD and Intel-based hardware. Where did Linux get its start, and how did it reach the esteemed status of a major server platform?

Linux Background

The Linux OS began as a hobby of Linus Torvalds, a young student who attended the University of Helsinki in Finland. With a keen interest in Minix, a small Unix-like system, Torvalds wanted to develop a system that exceeded Minix’s standards. He released version 0.02 in 1991 and worked steadily until releasing version 1.0 of the kernel in 1994. The core of all Linux systems, the kernel was released under the GNU General Public License, which made the source code freely available.

During the mid to late 1990s, the techie community dismissed Linux as merely a hobbyist project, unaware of its potential. In their mind, the system was not suited for the computing needs of the general public and definitely not the server environment. This was due in large part to the system’s complexity and unfamiliarity. How times have changed! Thanks to the creators of desktop management systems such as GNOME and the Mozilla web browser project, a wide range of applications can now be run on the platform and used by virtually anyone regardless of their experience.

Securing the Linux Experience

If you are interested in running the Linux OS on your server, you can get a feel for its power by downloading a live CD version of the software called Knoppix. This version comes equipped with everything needed to carry out day to day tasks. After getting familiar with it, you may then wish to seek out other Linux distributions, such as Red Hat, SUSE, CentOS or Fedora. Although the system does require a bit of technical skill on your part, there are a number of modules that be incorporated to make the platform both easy to configure and use.