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Open Source Operating Systems Linux

Happy Birthday, Linux! An OS At 24 152

Posted by timothy from the isn't-it-about-time-it-got-a-real-job? dept.
prisoninmate writes: It has been 24 long years since the first ever release of the Linux project on August 25, 1991, which is the core component of any GNU/Linux distribution. With this occasion we want to remind everyone that Linux is everywhere, even if you don't see it. You use Linux when you search on Google, when you use your phone, when buy metro tickets, actually the whole Internet is powered by Linux. Happy Birthday, Linux!
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Happy Birthday, Linux! An OS At 24 More

Happy Birthday, Linux! An OS At 24

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  • One exception... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Eric Freyhart ( 752088 )
    Except for where it is powered by Windows.

  • It's been 24 years (Score:5, Insightful)

    by hcs_$reboot ( 1536101 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @08:37AM (#50387269)
    And I really hope Linux will last at least another 24 years (2039: they'll have to fix that 32 bit time since the Epoch, though).

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Viol8 ( 599362 )

      I know this 32 bit epoch is a running gag, but time_t is 64 bits on 64 bit systems and I doubt there'll be many 32 bit systems left (even embedded) by 2039!

      • Re:It's been 24 years (Score:5, Interesting)

        by NonUniqueNickname ( 1459477 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @09:31AM (#50387695)
        You very well might be right, but isn't that what COBOL devs said back in the day about the year 2000?
        • Should we really compare COBOL devs working on more or less well managed projects, and C devs working on the Linux kernel?

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by buchner.johannes ( 1139593 )

        It has been fixed in the kernel, but many programs and libraries still use (sometimes accidentally casting into) 32 bit ints, and even parts of the Linux Kernel, such as file systems. Databases also use 32 bit timestamps. So deployment of a Linux kernel with 64bit time_t will not automatically heal everything.

        Some links:
        http://2038bug.com/index.php/a... [2038bug.com]
        I like this one: "What's the worst that could happen?" :) http://y2038.com/#q5 [y2038.com]
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

        • In particular the standard userland interfaces (libc and such) on 32-bit ports of linux still use 32-bit time_t. For embedded distros that can afford to sacrifice binary compatibility with both older versions of themselves and regular linux systems this is fairly easy to fix but for more general purpose distros that care about binary compatibility it is much harder and people aren't sure if it's worth doing it.

          Note: my information is based on http://www.slideshare.net/lina... [slideshare.net] if anyone has more recent info

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by GNious ( 953874 )

        My Amiga 500 emulator is going to have issues, when the signed 32-bit timestamp rolls over :(

      • Re:It's been 24 years (Score:5, Informative)

        by unrtst ( 777550 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @11:24AM (#50388721)

        I know this 32 bit epoch is a running gag, but time_t is 64 bits on 64 bit systems and I doubt there'll be many 32 bit systems left (even embedded) by 2039!

        There are still a large number of 32bit cpu's being made (like almost every android device CPU there is, and most Apple iPhone/iPad things, and many of the chromebooks out there):

        All ARMv7 based CPU's, such as:
        * Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (nexus 7)
        * ARM Cortex-A9 (ex. Exynos 4210 in Galaxy Tab 3)
        * ARM Cortex-A15 (ex. nvidia tegra K1 in NVIDIA SHIELD; Galaxy Tab 4 and S, ASUA Chromebook C201 with Rockchip 3288)

        Apple mobile products:
        * Apple A4 (ARM Cortex-A8): iPhone 4, iPod Touch (4th gen), Apple TV (2nd gen)
        * Apple A5 (ARM Cortex-A9): iPad 2, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch (5th gen), iPad mini
        * Apple A6 (ARM Cortex-A15): iPhone 5

        Some notable 64bit exceptions:
        * Apple A7 (ARMv8-A): iPhone 5S
        * Apple A8 (ARMv8-A): iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
        * Apple A8X (ARMv8-A): iPad Air 2
        * Exynos 5433: Galaxy Note 4 (but it only runs in 32bit mode)
        * Exynos 7420: Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
        * NVIDIA Tegra X1: ... I don't know if this is in anything yet.

        The work that OpenBSD did needs done everywhere. 32bit systems need to have a 64bit time_t.
        http://it.slashdot.org/story/1... [slashdot.org]

        Also, like y2k, there will be LOADS of data storage issues - databases that need tables altered, etc. Unlike the printed date, it will be far more difficult to make assumptions about the values based on proximity to the current date (ie. 9/11/01 was considered to be 2001, but 7/4/48 was considered 1948). time_t was a signed 32bit int, so it will wrap around to negative which has a poorly defined behavior.

        It'll only be a "gag" if everyone ends up fixing their systems, rather than crossing their fingers and assuming all cpu's and OS's will be running full 64bit. 2038 isn't even the deadline... the deadline is whenever usage of that date as a timestamp is needed:

        64bit-sys$ TZ=GMT date -d "2038-01-19 03:14:07" +%s
        2147483647
        64bit-sys$ TZ=GMT date -d "2038-01-19 03:14:08" +%s
        2147483648

        32bit-sys$ TZ=GMT date -d "2038-01-19 03:14:07" +%s
        2147483647
        32bit-sys$ TZ=GMT date -d "2038-01-19 03:14:08" +%s
        date: invalid date `2038-01-19 03:14:08'

  • ...when I had my first experience with the Internet in 1996. And, all in all I have probably used more bytes downloading Linux related stuff than Pamela Anderson GIF:s, which sort of gives hope for the future.

  • The internet is powered by electricity... (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The internet is powered by electricity you insensitive clod

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @08:59AM (#50387429)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • "operating system" (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @09:03AM (#50387457)

    From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
            Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
            Subject: What would you like to see most in minix?
            Summary: small poll for my new operating system
            Message-ID:
            Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT
            Organization: University of Helsinki

            Hello everybody out there using minix –

            I’m doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won’t be big and
            professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing
            since april, and is starting to get ready. I’d like any feedback on
            things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat
            (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons)
            among other things).

            I’ve currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work.
            This implies that I’ll get something practical within a few months, and
            I’d like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions
            are welcome, but I won’t promise I’ll implement them :-)

            Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)

            PS. Yes – it’s free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs.
            It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never
            will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that’s all I have :-(.

    Title is accurate: The original announcement refers to an operating system, so this is the birth of the linux operating system.

  • Ahh the memories... (Score:3)

    by wbr1 ( 2538558 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @09:42AM (#50387819)
    It was 1995. I was working in a community college computer lab, connected to local Uni with 56k ISDN. Our only machines that had an IP stack were a few windows machines with winsock and 5 NeXT stations, one of which ran our web server.

    We decided to repurpose one of our shiny new 486DX2 (at 66Mhz!!) to a web server. The hard drive was not large enough to hold windows and the downloaded floppies for slackware. I stayed up all night, finding an open NFS export (at UIUC I think), and downloading each slackware floppy direct to disk one at a time using one of the NeXTs.

    That doesn't even count the time trying to get X running right (which wasn't even needed for a web server!) Heady days I tell you!

    • Your story kinda sounds like mine.. 1995, at a small government contractor. I, being one of hte network techs, got tasked to "get this company on the internet"... Since we were a Novell Netware shop, the other techs suggested doing the webserver/ftp via a Novell server and a proprietary (read lotsa $$$$) NLM (Netware Loadable Module). I, on the other hand, had been learning Linux/Slackware and convinced the PTB that we could do the deed for basically the cost of the T1 and router that we'd need in either ca

  • Not original with me, I started using it in '94 and a co-worker suggested it.
  • I remember getting a copy of it in the very early 90s for my Atari ST!

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Tablizer ( 95088 )

      I remember getting a copy of it in the very early 90s for my Atari ST!

      Oh yah? Well I ran it on my Commodore 64 in 1984!

      Of course, back then it didn't yet have a file system, or, um, memory management, or a command line.

  • whole Internet is powered by Linux?? (Score:3)

    by mschaffer ( 97223 ) on Tuesday August 25, 2015 @10:59AM (#50388499)

    I love over-reaching statements that are obviously wrong.
    So, everything that comprises the whole internet is running a Linux kernel?
    I doubt it.

  • The OS is of very unspecific date, both older and younger. But media likes everything simple.
  • The song just wouldn't work with "It was 24 years ago today" so I'll just keep posting this every year. http://iki.fi/teknohog/music/c... [iki.fi]

  • I Still Try Periodically (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Every time Microsoft releases an update to Windows I make a sincere effort to convert over to Linux. So far I just don't understand how people do it. The latest trial was Kubuntu 14.04. Almost every application I tried to use - Firefox, Amarok, LibreOffice - crashed at least once an hour. The next day I tried 15.04 and after the OS recommended updating my video driver the system wouldn't boot anymore, and KDE's version of safe mode didn't work. Ain't nobody got time to figure out the reason for a half dozen

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