Softlanding Linux System (SLS) was an early Linux distribution, founded by Peter MacDonald in mid-1992. It was the first to offer a comprehensive Linux distribution containing more than the Linux Kernel and basic utilities, plus early GNU/Linux features such as the X Window System and TCP/IP. A Linux distribution or GNU/Linux distribution (or a distro) is a Unix-like operating system comprising software components such as the Linux kernel, the GNU toolchain, and assorted free and open source software. ... Peter MacDonald co-developed early features of the Linux kernel, including shared libraries, psuedo ttys and virtual consoles. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tux, a penguin, is the official Linux mascot. ... The Linux mascot Tux created by Larry Ewing In computing, the Linux kernel is a free Unix-like operating system kernel created by Linus Torvalds in 1991 and subsequently improved with the assistance of developers around the world. ... The GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa GNU is a recursive acronym for GNUs Not Unix. The GNU project was launched in 1983 by Richard Stallman with the goal of creating a complete operating system -- called the GNU system or simply GNU -- that is free software, meaning that users... In computing, the X Window System (commonly X11 or X) is a windowing system for bitmap displays. ... The Internet protocol suite is the set of communications protocols that implement the protocol stack on which the Internet runs. ...
SLS was probably the most popular Linux distribution at the time, and dominated the market until the developers made a decision to change the executable format which was not well received by the user base (a.out to ELF). During this time, Patrick Volkerding decided to modify SLS by tweaking and cleaned it up. He called his finished work Slackware. With the unpopular direction SLS had taken, Slackware quickly replaced it and became the dominant distribution used by nearly everyone. a. ... The Executable and Linkable Format (ELF) is a common standard in computing for executables and object code. ... Patrick Volkerding is the founder and maintainer of Slackware Linux. ... Slackware is a Linux distribution. ...
Similarly Ian Murdock's frustration with SLS led him to create the Debian project. Ian Murdock is the founder of the Debian project and the commercial Progeny Debian distribution. ... The Debian logo is a red swirl. ...
Linux is one of the most widely ported operating systems, running on a diverse range of systems from the hand-held ARM-based iPAQ to the mainframe IBM System z9.
Linux has become a major competitor to the proprietary Symbian OS found in many mobile phones, and it is an alternative to the dominant Windows CE and Palm OS operating systems on handheld devices.
Linux's roots in the Unix operating system mean that in addition to graphical configuration tools and control panels available for many system settings and services, plain-text configuration files are still commonly used to configure the OS and can readily be made accesible (or not) to users, at the administrator's will.