Linux
![Tux the penguin](/Images/godic/202501/24/Tux.svg2357.png")
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![5.25-inch floppy discs holding a very early version of Linux](/Images/godic/202501/24/Linux_0_122357.jpg")
![Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution](/Images/godic/202501/24/Ubuntu_15.10_with_Firefox_and_Nautilus_open2357.png")
Linux (pronounced /ˈlɪnəks/ LIN-əks or, less frequently, /ˈlaɪnəks/ LYN-əks) is a Unix-like and mostly POSIX-compliant computer operating system (OS) assembled under the model of free and open-source software development and distribution. The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on 5 October 1991 by Linus Torvalds. The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to describe the operating system, which has led to some controversy.