What is Linux? 

Linux is a clone of UNIX for small computers.

• Perhaps twelve million users by now, doubling or tripling each year.


• Project was begun eight years ago by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish graduate student at the time. WARNING: Even though Mr. Torvalds pronounces his own name to approximately rhyme with "Venus", by international agreement "Linux" is pronounced to rhyme with "cynics."
• Was turned into a complete OS through hundreds of  volunteers on the Internet.
• FREE - programs by Linus and friends and from other sources (MIT, the Free Software Foundation, aka GNU) can be copied and distributed without charge.
• Source code (usually C or C++) must be included with all distributions.