Shuffle News｜Vol.37《Linux 34th Anniversary: The “Hobby” of the Past Achieved a Global Operating System》
Original Source: tom’s HARDWARE
Original Date: August 25, 2025
Original Link:
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/linux/linux-is-34-years-old-today-linus-torvalds-meekly-announced-this-free-new-os-in-the-comp-os-minix-newsgroup-on-this-day-in-1991
The news and translation content in this article is for learning and information sharing purposes only.
The First Post
On this day 34 years ago, an unknown computer science student from Finland announced that a new free operating system project was “starting to get ready.” Linus Benedict Torvalds elaborated by explaining that the OS was “just a hobby, [it] won’t be big and professional like GNU.” Of course, this was the first public outing for the colossal collaborative project that is now known as Linux.
The Meek Geek
“The meek geek shall inherit the earth, and then stop being meek.” Above, you can see Torvalds’ first posting regarding Linux to the comp.os.minix newsgroup. The now famously caustic, cantankerous, curmudgeon seemed relatively mild, meek, and malleable in this historic Linux milestone posting.
Asking the Minix Community
Torvalds asked the Minix community about their thoughts on a free new OS being prepared for Intel 386 and 486 clones. He explained that he’d been brewing the project since April (a few months prior), and asked for direction. Specifically, he sought input about other Minix users’ likes and dislikes of that OS, in order to differentiate Linux.The now renowned developer then provided a rough summary of the development so far.
Early Features
Some features of Linux that Torvalds thought were important, or that he was particularly proud of, were then highlighted in the newsgroup posting. For example, the Linux chief mentioned his OS’s multithreaded file system, and its absence of any Minix code. However, he humbly admitted the code as it stood was Intel x86 specific, and thus “is not portable.”
The Year of Freax?
Last but not least, Torvalds let it be known that version 0.01 of this free OS would be out in the coming month (September 1991). It was indeed released on September 17, 1991, but someone else decided on the OS name at the last minute.
Freax vs Linux
Apparently, Torvalds didn’t want to release his new OS under the name of Linux, as it would be too egotistical, too self-aggrandizing. He preferred Freax, a portmanteau word formed from Free-and-X.
However, one of Torvald’s colleagues, who was the administrator for the project’s FTP server, did not think that ‘Freax’ was an appealing name for the OS. So this co-worker went ahead and uploaded the OS as ‘Linux’ on that date in September, without asking Torvalds.
From Hobby to World
In 2025, we can confidently say that Linux is a resounding success for the free software community. Moreover, it has proven to be eminently portable and adaptable, powering a smorgasbord of devices that, if laid end to end, would easily demonstrate the curvature of the Earth.
The Year of Linux?
And, who knows, with Windows 10 shuffling off its mortal coil and SteamOS coming to desktops soon, 2025 might be the year of Linux. But please give us some latitude with that date.
Happy 34th Birthday, Linux 🎂！
Freax… too 🎂！