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Linux
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Free and open-source software - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 14 facts
accountThe White House migrated its website to Linux servers using the Drupal content management system in February 2009.
claimFree and open-source operating systems, such as Linux distributions and descendants of BSD, are widely used to power millions of servers, desktops, smartphones, and other devices.
claimThe Munich city council decided to switch from Linux back to Windows in 2020, reversing a previous adoption of open-source software.
accountIn 2005, the city of Vienna migrated its computing infrastructure from Microsoft Office 2000 to OpenOffice.org and from Microsoft Windows 2000 to Linux.
accountIn 2006, the Brazilian government encouraged the distribution of low-cost computers running Linux in poorer communities by subsidizing their purchase through tax breaks.
claimThe Linux operating system distributions have fewer available applications compared to proprietary operating systems due to a lower market share of end users.
procedureThe City of Barcelona initiated a migration of its computer systems away from the Windows platform in 2017 by first replacing user applications with open-source alternatives, followed by replacing the underlying operating system with Linux.
claimTorsten Leemhuis criticizes notebook manufacturers for optimizing their products privately or creating workarounds rather than addressing the root causes of Linux-related issues, such as unnecessary power consumption.
claimSteven J. Vaughan-Nichols reported that Microsoft attempted to block Linux from running on Windows 8 PCs.
claimHewlett-Packard (HP) contributed source code to the open-source community to advance the adoption of Linux.
claimAdrian Kingsley-Hughes reported that Lenovo was blocking Linux on Windows 10 Signature Edition PCs.
accountThe City of Munich planned to revert from the LiMux Linux environment to Windows 10 by 2020, as reported by The Register on November 13, 2017, but subsequently decided in 2020 to shift back to Linux.
accountThe City of Munich, Germany, converted over 15,000 PCs and laptops from Microsoft Windows to a Debian-based Linux environment called LiMux between 2003 and 2013, resulting in over 80% of computers running Linux.
quoteLinus Torvalds stated: "In some ways, Linux was the project that really made the split clear between what the FSF is pushing which is very different from what open source and Linux has always been about, which is more of a technical superiority instead of a -- this religious belief in freedom. So, the GPL Version 3 reflects the FSF's goals and the GPL Version 2 pretty closely matches what I think a license should do and so right now, Version 2 is where the kernel is."
bureado/awesome-software-supply-chain-security - GitHub github.com 7 facts
referenceThe yonhan3/gitbom-repo repository contains gitBOM documentation for Linux binaries.
referenceLynis is a security auditing and hardening tool designed for Linux and Unix systems.
referenceVuls is an agent-less vulnerability scanner that supports Linux, FreeBSD, containers, WordPress, programming language libraries, and network devices.
claimVuls is an agentless vulnerability scanner designed for Linux and FreeBSD operating systems.
referenceRepology provides coverage for Linux packages across multiple distributions and includes open source infrastructure like repology-updater, which also provides an updater for WikiData.
referenceBuild-wrap, developed by Trail of Bits, is a linker replacement that sandboxes build scripts using Bubblewrap on Linux or sandbox-exec on macOS to protect against malicious build script execution.
referenceaquasecurity/tracee is a tool for Linux runtime security and forensics that utilizes eBPF.
Open-source software - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 7 facts
accountMicrosoft launched a Linux-based operating system despite previous animosity toward the open source software movement.
claimLinux was later placed under the GPL license, which allowed users to monetize Linux and integrated it into the FOSS community.
accountTech companies increasingly adopted open source software in the mid-2000s, exemplified by Dell selling computers with Linux pre-installed.
claimLinux was initially distinguished from other contemporary hacker projects by being decentralized and free of cost.
referenceThe paper "Coase's Penguin, or, Linux and The Nature of the Firm" by Yochai Benkler, published in the Yale Law Journal in 2002, discusses the nature of the firm in the context of Linux and open source development.
claimThe Apache license allows permitted members to directly access source code, which represents a marked difference from the approaches used by GNU and Linux.
accountLinus Torvalds introduced the Linux operating system kernel in 1991, which was inspired by the goal of creating a better version of the for-profit operating system Minix.
Seven observations and research questions about Open Design ... cambridge.org Oct 19, 2021 5 facts
claimThe authors of the article define a significant marker of maturity for Open Source Product Development (OSPD) as the existence of a flagship product that serves as the center of a flourishing ecosystem of companies and contributors, similar to the role Linux plays in Open Source Software Development (OSSD).
measurementSince 2009, the development of the Linux kernel has been supported by a steady number of more than 200 companies, according to Corbet & Kroah-Hartman (2016).
measurementSince 2005, the Linux kernel development has involved more than 13,594 people from over 1,340 companies, resulting in 22 million lines of code.
claimOpen Source Hardware has not adopted open source development practices to the same level of maturity as Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS), such as the Linux project.
measurementRed Hat, a major contributor to Linux kernel development, generated 3.4 billion US dollars in revenue in 2019, according to Wonderlick and Walas (2019).
Open Source Licensing Explained: A Comprehensive Guide - TuxCare tuxcare.com Oct 21, 2024 4 facts
measurementKernelCare Enterprise supports enterprise Linux distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, and Oracle Linux.
claimTuxCare’s KernelCare Enterprise is an automated live patching solution that allows organizations to apply critical kernel patches to Linux systems without disrupting operations.
claimLinux distributions such as Debian and Ubuntu use GPL-licensed software to ensure continued openness and collaboration.
claimLinux is a widely used operating system that serves as an example of the benefits of open source software.
Open Source Boosts Innovation in Software, Hardware and Beyond rdworldonline.com Mar 2, 2017 4 facts
claimArduino and Raspberry Pi have enabled students, educators, and researchers to prototype circuits and share designs with the community, mirroring the impact Linux had on software.
claimLinux is used to run a significant portion of the internet's hardware and software infrastructure.
claimResearch laboratories are increasingly adopting Linux-based systems because they allow for the free customization of computing environments to meet specific research needs.
claimLinux is a computer operating system developed under the free and open-source model that has become a significant contributor to open-source development.
What is Open Source Software? - HotWax Systems hotwaxsystems.com Aug 11, 2025 3 facts
claimIndividuals commonly use open source software for operating systems like Linux, browsers like Firefox, media tools, office suites like LibreOffice, personal projects, and learning tools.
claimWell-known examples of open source software include Linux (operating systems), Apache and NGINX (web servers), PostgreSQL and MySQL (databases), Mozilla Firefox (web browser), Kubernetes and Docker (cloud-native platforms), Apache OFBiz (ERP framework), and Python, Rust, and Node.js (programming languages and runtimes).
claimOpen source software forms the backbone of global technology and innovation, including operating systems like Linux, programming languages like Python, web servers like Apache, database systems like PostgreSQL, platforms like Kubernetes, and AI frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch.
Archetypes of open-source business models | Electronic Markets link.springer.com Jun 14, 2022 3 facts
accountGoogle's Android operating system is based on the open-source Linux kernel and utilizes an open-source platform strategy to attract developers and device manufacturers.
claimInnovation platforms are defined as digital infrastructures that allow other firms to develop complementary offerings, such as products, technologies, or services, with Android and Linux serving as examples, according to Asadullah et al. (2018) and Evans & Gawer (2016).
quoteIn 2001, Steve Ballmer, then CEO of Microsoft, characterized Linux as a cancer that contaminates all other software with 'Hippie GPL rubbish'.
What is Open Source: Understanding Its Impact on Technology and ... algocademy.com 3 facts
claimLinux, Mozilla Firefox, and TensorFlow are examples of well-known Open Source Software projects.
claimThe Linux project demonstrates the effectiveness of community-driven development in open source software.
accountLinus Torvalds created the Linux operating system in 1991, which has since become a successful project powering millions of devices.
Open source as an affordable key to Innovation in ... coforge.com 2 facts
accountIn the early to mid-2000s, the SCO Group, a successor to the UNIX operating system vendor Santa Cruz Operation, sued IBM for $1 billion, alleging that the Linux operating system contained UNIX source code.
claimConcerns that adopting open-source software would expose companies to significant lawsuit risks have dissipated over time, as many early lawsuits against Linux were dismissed and did not deter long-term enterprise adoption.
What Is Open Source Software and Why Use OSS? coursera.org Dec 31, 2025 2 facts
claimOpen source software can be utilized in both small-scale and large-scale operations, ranging from single programs like the graphics editor GIMP to functional operating systems like Linux.
claimWorking on open source software projects can showcase a developer's skills in established programs like Linux or Android and serve as a helpful addition to a resume.
What Is Open Source Software? - IBM ibm.com 2 facts
Patterns in the Transition From Founder-Leadership to Community ... arxiv.org Feb 5, 2026 2 facts
claimThe Linux operating system and the Vim text editor have persisted under founder-owner leadership rather than transitioning to community governance.
claimGibbs et al. (2021) theorize that concertive control and coordination processes emerge in online communities, with norms evolving through communicative processes such as Linux kernel discussions.
Open-source license - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 2 facts
referenceEric S. Raymond published 'The Cathedral & the Bazaar: Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary' in 2001 through O'Reilly Media.
claimEric S. Raymond contrasted the proprietary software development model, which relies on small pools of secretive workers, with the Linux development model, which utilizes a pool of testers that potentially includes the entire world.
Defining open hardware - LWN.net lwn.net Oct 18, 2023 1 fact
measurementOlimex has 68 certified products, including ESP32 boards and its OLinuXino line of single-board computers running mainline Linux.
Brief History of Open Source Hardware Organizations and ... oshwa.org 1 fact
quoteBruce Perens stated in 2007: "Surprise! After a long dark period of being used to divert traffic to a bling vendor, OpenHardware.org is back in the control of its founder. The domain was created by me (Bruce Perens) to operate an Open Hardware certification program, while I was associated with SPI(1). At the time Linux was not yet commercially accepted, and thus there wasn’t tremendous demand for such a program. I think only Cyclades registered while I was connected with the program. I passed management of the program to Vincent Renardias to operate as part of SPI. I think Vincent may have allowed the domain to go inactive after that, or passed it to someone else who allowed that to happen. Somehow SPI managed to let the domain expire – I assume not deliberately, but SPI was asleep at the switch for long enough that the domain was on registrar hold for some time and then was allowed to expire. The domain was then picked up by some sort of search engine optimizer / domain squatter and used to provide ersatz traffic (that is traffic intending to get the previous site) to HipHopCapital.com, a bling vendor, for several years. I used a domain capture service, a little money, and several years of patience to pick up the domain again. It was transferred to the ownership of Perens LLC on September 2, 2007 (US-Pacific time)."
Governance of open source software: state of the art - Springer Nature link.springer.com Jun 9, 2007 1 fact
accountMajor open source projects have increasingly incorporated, starting with Debian in 1997, accelerating from 1999, and including Linux by 2007, as cited in O’Mahony (2005).
Software License Types Explained: Open and Closed Source sonatype.com Apr 26, 2023 1 fact
claimThe GPL's requirement to share software code changes has been suggested as a driving force behind the success of Linux.
What is the impact of open-source on the tech industry? - Milvus milvus.io 1 fact
claimThe Linux operating system, which is open-source, powers the majority of web servers and Android devices.
The Open Source Definition - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 1 fact
accountThe creation of the Debian Social Contract and the Debian Free Software Guidelines was prompted by an email discussion between Ean Schuessler of Debian and Donnie Barnes of Red Hat, in which Schuessler accused Red Hat of failing to elucidate its social contract with the Linux community, leading Bruce Perens to realize that Debian also lacked a formal social contract.
What is Open Source Software? Definition Guide, Benefits & Types sonarsource.com 1 fact
quoteLinus Torvalds, the creator of Linux, stated: "Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow," highlighting the concept that increased visibility and testing of code leads to faster identification and fixing of flaws.
State of the Software Supply Chain Report | 10 Year Look - Sonatype sonatype.com 1 fact
accountThe XZ-Utils attack was thwarted by chance just days before the compromised version was set to be ingested by major Linux distributions, which would have allowed backdoors to be deployed to systems globally.
A Mixed-Methods Study of Open-Source Software Maintainers On ... arxiv.org Feb 3, 2025 1 fact
referenceAlan Diggs published '‘windows is sh*t:’ linux users and the technical superiority problem' on Medium in 2021.
The Impact of Open Source Software on the Tech Industry gianmatteocostanza.net Aug 7, 2023 1 fact
claimOpen source software projects like Linux, Apache, WordPress, and TensorFlow have propelled innovation in fields including operating systems, web development, and machine learning.
OpenProject - Open Source Project Management Software openproject.org 1 fact
claimThe OpenProject Enterprise on-premises edition requires Linux or Mac experience to install on a user's own infrastructure.
Open Source Hardware - Devopedia devopedia.org Jun 3, 2019 1 fact
claimThe POSH (Posh Open Source Hardware) project is intended to create a Linux-based platform for the design and verification of open source hardware IP blocks for SoCs.
Cybersecurity Trends and Predictions 2025 From Industry Insiders itprotoday.com 1 fact
claimQilin ransomware is written in Golang and Rust, allowing it to target both Windows and Linux systems while leveraging Rust's performance and concurrency capabilities to evade security measures.
What is Open Source? - Revenera revenera.com 1 fact
claimLinux is a widely used open-source operating system known for its stability, security, and versatility.
What is Open Source Software (OSS)? - GitHub github.com Jul 29, 2024 1 fact
claimLinux and Apache are examples of open source projects that have become major industry leaders.
What is Open Source Software (OSS)? - Harness harness.io Dec 17, 2025 1 fact
claimOpen Source Software is widely adopted across domains including operating systems (Linux), web browsers (Mozilla Firefox), office suites (LibreOffice), source code managers (Gitness, GitHub), and programming languages (Python, Ruby).
Business model: Open Source - Learning Loop learningloop.io 1 fact
claimRed Hat provides subscription-based enterprise support for its open source Linux distribution as a method of monetization.