The Linux Kernel was conceived by the finnish computer science student Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linux quickly secured developers and users who adopted code from other free software projects for use in the new operating system. The Linux core has received contributions from thousands of programmers.
Linux is a mostly free kernel similar to the Unixkernel. Linux is one of the leading examples of free and open source software. Linux is licensed under the GPL v2 except for the fact that it has non-free binary blobs and most of the software included in the package that is distributed on its website is free software. It is developed by contributors from all over the world. Day to day development takes place in the Linux Kernel Mailing List Archive.
Linux is typically used in conjunction with a software package, called a Linux distribution.
The Linux Readme file indicates that it is a clone of the Unix operating system. However Linux is a kernel similar to the core of a Unix operating system. In fact, it was initially released as a Minix-like kernel, which itself was similar to Unix but with a micronucleus rather than monolithic conception.
How we can identify the Linux Kernel
Now, this identification is given by 4 numbers separated by periods:
▸AA: This number indicates the version of the core.
▸BB: With this number we can know the current revision of the kernel.
▸CC: It gives us information on whether the kernel has minor revisions. This number changes when new driver support is added or new features are added to the core.
▸DD: This figure is an indicator of updates and correction of faults in the kernel and changes when a correction task is carried out.
We can find that all Linux distributions come with an integrated core, which can be automatically updated by our distributions. All these cores are based on the basic kernel called Vanilla, supplied directly by Linus Torvalds, from the servers of the organization Kernell.org. In this direction, we can access different repositories, in which the Vanilla Kernel can be obtained quickly.
If we want to install this core, we must download and configure it manually. It is a somewhat cumbersome operation, which requires being an advanced user, so if you are a novice user, it is better to update the core by automatically applying your favorite distribution.
