Linux Kernel

(GNU)
Development of the GNU software was initiated by Richard Stallman while he worked at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. It was called the GNU Project, and was publicly announced on September 27, 1983, on the net.unix-wizards and net.usoft newsgroups by Stallman.[15] Software development began on January 5, 1984,).

Year—>Distribution—>Significance
1991—>Linux Kernel (0.01)—>Linus Torvalds releases first kernel
1992—>SLS (Softlanding Linux)—>First attempt at a complete distro
1993—>Debian—>Community-driven, foundation for Ubuntu
1993—>Red Hat Linux—>Commercial Linux pioneer
1996—>Slackware—>Oldest still-maintained distro
1996—>SUSE Linux—>Enterprise-focused (now openSUSE)
1998—>Mandrake (now Mandriva)—>User-friendly desktop
1999—>Arch Linux—>Rolling-release, DIY philosophy
2000—>Gentoo—>Source-based optimization
2002—>KNOPPIX—>First popular live CD
2004—>Ubuntu (4.10)—>User-friendly Debian fork
2004—>Fedora Core—>Red Hat’s community edition
2006—>Linux Mint—>Ubuntu alternative with Cinnamon
2007—>Puppy Linux—>Ultra-lightweight (~300MB)
2010—>Elementary OS—>macOS-like design
2011—>Raspbian (now Raspberry Pi OS)—>For Raspberry Pi
2014—>Alpine Linux—>Lightweight for containers
2015—>Solus—>Independent, Budgie desktop
2019—>Pop!_OS—>Gaming/developer focus (System76)
2021—>Garuda Linux—>Arch-based with performance tweaks
2023—>Vanilla OS—>Immutable, Ubuntu-based

🔍 Key Eras in Linux History:

Early 1990s: Kernel + basic distros (Slackware, Debian)

Late 1990s: Commercialization (Red Hat, SUSE)

2000s: Desktop Linux (Ubuntu, Mint)

2010s: Cloud/containers (Alpine, CoreOS)

2020s: Immutable distros (Vanilla OS, Fedora Silverblue)

📊 Current Top Distros (2024):

Desktop: Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora

Servers: RHEL, Debian, AlmaLinux

Lightweight: Alpine, Puppy

Rolling Release: Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed

Commodore os vesion