“One of the most fascinating stories in the technology sector
has been the challenge posed by open-source giant Linux to
Microsoft’s dominance of the market for operating system software.
One of the key players in the rise of Linux is Bob Young,
co-founder of Red Hat Software, the largest distributor of the
Linux operating system. Young’s creative resolution of a crucial
strategic dilemma was the event that put Red Hat–and Linux–on the
path to profit and power in the marketplace.“In the 1980s, a movement had taken shape to develop software
based on UNIX, an operating system invented in the 1970s at
AT&T Bell Labs, and made available at no cost to anyone who
requested a copy. In 1991, programmer Linus Torvalds posted a
message on a UNIX users’ bulletin board to announce he’d developed
an operating system from the UNIX code. Before long, suggested
improvements to Torvalds’ program, dubbed Linux, were pouring
in…”
Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.
LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.
Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved
Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.