The Linux technology, development model, and community have all been game-changing influences on the IT industry. Recently, the Linux zone on the developerWorks website reflected on the important events and technological advances of the past 10 years surrounding the open source operating system, and framed up the significance of each.
For example, back in 2000, Linux Professional Institute announced the availability of test 1a, the first exam in its new Linux administrator certification program, a program that now consists of seven tests across three certification levels. developerWorks published its first series of LPI exam-prep tutorials by Daniel Robbins in 2002, and has kept up with it ever since. Why it matters: "You can argue about the value of certifications, but the fact that employers were looking for a consistent measure of Linux expertise was one of many signs that Linux had arrived."
In another key event, One Laptop Per Child was announced in 2005. Created to provide low-cost, durable, connected computers to underprivileged children around the world, One Laptop Per Child was as much about the user interface as the hardware because the Linux-based Sugar operating environment is designed to encourage exploring and expressing rather than focusing on traditional productivity tools. Why it matters: "It's a nice idea. It also represents a shift away from exposing Linux's traditional user interface(s), to instead employing purpose-driven UIs that overlie and conceal the gory details of the operating system. Linux might win on the desktop by simply hiding the fact that it's there."
Check out more Linux accomplishments from the past 10 years on the developerWorks site.
Be sure to check out the developerWorks 10th birthday page to see what else is going on across the site, including a timeline of developerWorks events over the last 10 years.