Open Source Timeline
a brief history lesson

January 1984 - Richard Stallman begins writing GNU Project in protest of increasing copyrights and protection in IT world.

1985 - Stallman et al establish the Free Software Foundation

1990 - GNU Project is nearly complete. Only major component missing is kernel (heart of the operating system)

August 1991 - Linux creator Linus Torvalds annouces project to create small operating system and kernel.

September 1991 - Torvalds releases Linux version 0.01 independently of GNU Project. GNU/Linux is complete Free operating system.

1Q 1993 - AT&T Sells UNIX system to Novell

March 1994 - Linux 1.0 is released

August 1994 - Linux trademark is disputed in court. William R. Della Croce, Jr. files with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for ownership of the name and demands money from Linux community.

1995 Novell sells UNIX to SCO

January 1997 - First Linux virus "Bliss" discovered

March 1998 - Consumer advocate Ralph Nader petitions PC manufacturers to offer systems with Linux installed.

January 1999 - Linux 2.2 is released.

February 1999 - Open Source users storm the gates of Microsoft demanding the company take back copied of Windows that were bundled with their new computers.

March 2003 – SCO sues IBM alleging that they used source from Unix in Linux that it distributed. Demanded $699 per single-procesor running Linux.

March 2004 – SCO sues AutoZone and DaimlerChrysler in Nevada and Michigan for their end user use of Linux.