1991 Users: 1
Linus Torvalds, 21, hacks together makeshift operating system dubbed
"Linux." After mentioning project on Internet software news group, he
posts program for downloading. Ten people download program, five send back
bug fixes, code improvements and new features. By December more than 100
people worldwide join in Linux newsgroup, mailing lists.
Version: 0.01
Size: 10,000 lines of code
1992 Users: 1,000
Fully functional desktop Linux operating system runs on Intel x86 chips.
Graphical user interface added.
Version: 0.96
Size: 40,000 lines of code
1993 Users: 20,000
More than 100 programmers contribute changes to code. Torvalds delegates
code review duties to "core" group of five.
Version: 0.99
Size: 100,000 lines of code
1994 Users: 100,000
Networking capability added.
Version: Linux 1.0
Size: 170,000 lines of code
1995 Users: 500,000
Modified to run on Intel, Digital and Sun SPARC processors.
Linux Journal circulation: 10,000.
Version: Linux 1.2
Size: 250,000 lines of code
1996 Users: 1,500,000
Can harness the computing power of several processors at once.
Version: Linux 2.0
Size: 400,000 lines of code
1997 Users: 3,500,000
Monthly Linux magazines started in Japan, Poland, Germany, Yugoslavia, and
the U.K. New Linux version posted every week.
Version: Linux 2.1
Size: 800,000 lines of code
1998 Users: 7,500,000
About 10,000 programmers involved in newsgroups, testing, code
improvements.
Version: Linux 2.1.110 (110th update of 2.1)
Size: 1.5 million lines of code
Compared to NT
NT 3.51 - 6 million lines of code
NT 4.0 - 16 million lines of code
NT 5.0 - 27 million lines of code so far