256 Newsroom — Uganda's Digital News Infrastructure
Consumer Technology

'Just a hobby, won't be big': Linus Torvalds introduced Linux 35 years ago - and almost called it Freax - ZDNET

Published by ZDNet By Steven Vaughan-Nichols · 25 August 2026 at 15:21
Share
'Just a hobby, won't be big': Linus Torvalds introduced Linux 35 years ago - and almost called it Freax - ZDNET
Image · ZDNet

What the report says

It's been 35 years since Finnish graduate student Linus Torvalds drafted a brief note saying he was starting a hobby operating system. The world will never be the same.

Read the full report at ZDNet →

Loading debate for this article…

Other publishers covering this story

No additional verified coverage is currently clustered with this report.

More stories by this journalist

Other publications from this journalist — open any story without leaving the article page.

No other published stories from this publisher yet.

Related reporting

BRICS 2026: Journalists taken behind the scenes of India’s disaster resilience effortsNile Post Hands-On With Apple's First Foldable Phone: The iPhone Duo Redefines the Formula - PCMagPCMag.com Metroid Dread studio MercurySteam appears to confirm it's making Metroid Ravenous, addressing a lingering question from yesterday's Nintendo Direct - Eurogamer.netEurogamer.net Apple Watch Series 12 Has Smaller Screens and Bigger Cases - MacRumorsMacRumors Nintendo of America thanks fans for dealing with tariff-related price hikes by encouraging them to spend more money in a new sale - Eurogamer.netEurogamer.net GTA 6 DualSense pre-orders LIVE — limited-edition PS5 controllers are now available at Best Buy, Walmart and more - Tom's GuideTom's Guide