ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of Linux

Well, kiddo, a long long time ago in the 1980s, there was a computer science student named Linus Torvalds. One day, Linus got really frustrated with his computer's operating system and decided to create his own. He called it "Linux".

At first, Linux was just a hobby for Linus and he shared it with his friends over the internet. They all loved it and started helping him improve it. Before they knew it, more and more people around the world were trying out Linux and giving feedback on how to make it better.

Linux was different from other operating systems because it was free and not owned by any one company. This meant that people could use it, modify it, and share it without having to pay anyone. It was like a big community project where everyone worked together to make it better.

As more people started using Linux, it became really popular and powerful. It was used to run big servers, supercomputers, and even smartphones! Today, Linux is used on millions of devices all around the world, and it's still being developed by a big community of people who believe in working together to make things better.

So, that's how Linux started, little one. It all began with one person wanting to make something better, and then lots of people working together to make it amazing. That's the power of teamwork and the open-source community!