以下是Linus Torvalds给当时的minix系统用户写的信件原文,经历过那个年代的朋友们一起来重新回忆一下吧:
Hello everybody out there using minix -
I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things).
I've currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I'll get something practical within a few months, and I'd like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-)
Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi)
PS. Yes – it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs. It is NOT portable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.
Wikipedia对Linux的介绍节选:
Linux内核最初只是由芬兰人林纳斯·托瓦兹（Linus Torvalds）在赫尔辛基大学上学时出于个人爱好而编写的，当时他并不满意Minix这个教学用的操作系统。最初的设想中，Linux 是一种类似 Minix 这样的一种操作系统。Linux的第一个版本在1991年9月被大学FTP server管理员Ari Lemmke发布在Internet上， 最初Torvalds 称这个核心的名称为 "Freax" ，意思是自由（ "free"） 和奇异（ "freak"） 的结合字，并且附上了"X"这个常用的字母，以配合所谓的 Unix-like 的系统。但是FTP server管理员嫌原来的命名“Freax”的名称不好听，把核心的称呼改成“Linux”，当时仅有10000行代码，仍必须执行于Minix操作系 统之上，并且必须使用硬盘开机；
