Linux: The 0.01 Release

“‘This is a free minix-like kernel for i386(+) based
AT-machines,’ began the Linux version 0.01 release notes in
September of 1991 for the first release of the Linux kernel. ‘As
the version number (0.01) suggests this is not a mature product.
Currently only a subset of AT-hardware is supported (hard-disk,
screen, keyboard and serial lines), and some of the system calls
are not yet fully implemented (notably mount/umount aren’t even
implemented).’ Booting the original 0.01 Linux kernel required
bootstrapping it with minix, and the keyboard driver was written in
assembly and hard-wired for a Finnish keyboard. The listed features
were mostly presented as a comparison to minix and included,
efficiently using the 386 chip rather than the older 8088, use of
system calls rather than message passing, a fully multithreaded FS,
minimal task switching, and visible interrupts. Linus Torvalds
noted, ‘the guiding line when implementing linux was: get it
working fast. I wanted the kernel simple, yet powerful enough to
run most unix software…'”

Complete
Story