Note: You may want to start with our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) to see answers to some of the most common queries we get about Linux. If you're thinking about switching to Linux, you may want to read How to Become a Successful Linux User . Also, the page: So You Want to Use Linux? provides some more information about Linux migration.
Linux is an operating system that was initially created as a hobby by a young student, Linus Torvalds, at the University of Helsinki in Finland. Linus had an interest in Minix, a small UNIX system, and decided to develop a system that exceeded the Minix standards. He began his work in 1991 when he released version 0.02 and worked steadily until 1994 when version 1.0 of the Linux Kernel was released. The kernel, at the heart of all Linux systems, is developed and released under the GNU General Public License and its source code is freely available to everyone. It is this kernel that forms the base around which a Linux operating system is developed. There are now literally hundreds of companies and organizations and an equal number of individuals that have released their own versions of operating systems based on the Linux kernel. More information on the kernel can be found at our sister site, LinuxHQ and at the official Linux Kernel Archives. The current full-featured version is 2.6 (released December 2003) and development continues.
Apart from the fact that it's freely distributed, Linux's functionality, adaptability and robustness, has made it the main alternative for proprietary Unix and Microsoft operating systems. IBM, Hewlett-Packard and other giants of the computing world have embraced Linux and support its ongoing development. Well into its second decade of existence, Linux has been adopted worldwide primarily as a server platform. Its use as a home and office desktop operating system is also on the rise. The operating system can also be incorporated directly into microchips in a process called "embedding" and is increasingly being used this way in appliances and devices.
Throughout most of the 1990's, tech pundits, largely unaware of Linux's potential, dismissed it as a computer hobbyist project, unsuitable for the general public's computing needs. Through the efforts of developers of desktop management systems such as KDE and GNOME, office suite project OpenOffice.org and the Mozilla web browser project, to name only a few, there are now a wide range of applications that run on Linux and it can be used by anyone regardless of his/her knowledge of computers. Those curious to see the capabilities of Linux can download a live CD version called Knoppix . It comes with everything you might need to carry out day-to-day tasks on the computer and it needs no installation. It will run from a CD in a computer capable of booting from the CD drive. Those choosing to continue using Linux can find a variety of versions or "distributions" of Linux that are easy to install, configure and use. Information on these products is available in our distribution section and can be found by selecting the mainstream/general public category.
(转载自)
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我试着翻译了前两段，大家帮忙来看看。先谢过了。
注释：首先你可能会有一些问题，并且对宣传适合大众的Linux表示怀疑。如果你考虑使用Linux，你也许想知道怎么样成为一名成功的Linux使用者。同样，这篇文章：
这样看来，你想使用Linux？为了向Linux转换你准备了足够的信息。
最初，Linux是由Linus Torvalds在芬兰赫尔辛基的一所大学中出于个人爱好写出的操作系统。Linux对一种小型的Unix系统很感兴趣，于是他决定发表一种更权威的Unix
。他从1991年开始这项工作并发表了v0.02的Linux，然后经过规则的整理直到1994年发表了版本为v1.0的Linux内核。这个内核，是全部Linux系统的最高峰，在它的带领下，发展和发表了基于GNU条例并适用于每个人的免费开源软件。按照公平的方法计算现在已经有几百家Linux机构和一些与之不相上下的小团体发表了基于Linux内核的属于自己的操作系统。更多的消息表示该内核通过Linux总部和官方的Linux内核档案能发现我们姐妹们的地址。这就是当前发展和延伸出的充满号召力的v2.6版本（于2003年12月发表）。
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