| Sumario: | On January 24, 2001, Linus Torvalds, the Finnish programmer who coordinates the development of Linux—the free computer operating system developed by thousands of volunteers over the Internet—released a new version of the Linux kernel (Linux 2.4). The kernel is the software at the heart of the operating system, and many of the improvements in Linux 2.4 make the software more suitable for corporate use. Linux 2.4 can support more memory, more processors, and quicker disk and networking access, all of which are required for industrial-strength corporate use. Linux is becoming popular for powering Internet appliances such as handheld computer and smart telephones; and it is also emerging as a powerful force in the specialist field of supercomputing. How support for Linux has been growing within the computer industry as the software has become more solid and the fears that the acceptance of Linux by large computing companies might be a mixed blessing are discussed.
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