what is the difference between linux and unix?

[wilbasket23]

is there any difference between linux and unix. are bothe the same Operating system of different. Are both Open Public Linense

[aym]

Linux is an open source clone for UNIX, so they aren't the same OS.
If you want a free UNIX, check out FreeBSD.

[Computer Hobbyist]

Unix was originally developed by Ken Thompson and Dennis Richie, two Bell Labs software engineers, back in the late 1960's. It was derived from a mairframe OS called Multics. Thompson and Richie developed the OS to play a game called Space Travel on a PDP-7 computer.

Their OS proved to have more staying power than the game. It was unique in several respects, especially portability. Portabililty is the ability to run on an unfamiliar computer.

To make the OS portable they invented a computer programming language called C (ever hear of it).

As the Richie and Thompson's work became known many folks became interested in it. Other programmers began to make improvements. Several variations were developed including BSD (at Berkley), Sun Microsystem's SunOS, and AT&T's System V.

After lots of programmers had extended and improved Unix, AT&T came to realize that Unix had real commercial value and that it owned the intellectual property rights. AT&T started charging a serious license fee to use Unix. Unix is still a relatively expensive OS to purchase.

A brilliant MIT (some say wild) scientist, Richard Stallman, took offense to the fees and wanted to return to the good old days before AT&T charged for use of the system. In 1983 he started the GNU (not unix) project to develop a free Linux-like OS. In conjunction with the GNU project Stallman and others created the Free Software Foundation. By the early 1990s they had put together all the parts of a free unix like operating system except the kernel. Enter Linus Torvalds, who was then a computer science student. He had toyed with another Unix like kernel called Minix, but was less than impressed. He started preliminary work on a Unix clone that was ultimately called Linux. By 1992 it was off and running with the rest of the pieces of the puzzle provided by the GNU project. Before you ask how a kid student could write an OS kernel by himself (the myth), the fact is that he collaborated with others around the world who improved and extended his preliminary work on the kernel. He did and still does act as a focal point in Linux development. He has earned all the praise given him.

FreeBSD is another Unix clone. While there are specific differences, the basic structure of all of the *nix family members is pretty much the same. Unix you got to pay for. Linux and FreeBSD you don't. That has given Linux a real leg up on Unix and LInux is rapidly running Unix out of the server business.

Sorry to take so much of your time, but I think the history of the differences is kinda interesting. The forgoing is my take on the subject, and might be wrong in details. I think it is pretty close to being right in spirit.

CH

[wilbasket23]

thax so much for ur informationk it was very helpful

[Computer Hobbyist]

If you want to know what I mean about Richard Stallman being a wild man you might try reading this Salon Magazine article.

[Blakhart]

Richard Stallman is cool, as far as I am concerned. Thanks for the interesting history.