this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2026
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Linus Torvalds and friends: how Linux evolved from solo act (www.theregister.com)
submitted 2 days ago by cm0002@toast.ooo to c/linux@programming.dev
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If you know anything about Linux's history, you'll remember it all started with Linus Torvalds posting to the Minix Usenet group on August 25, 1991, that he was working on "a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones." We know that the "hobby" operating system today is Linux, and except for PCs and Macs, it pretty much runs the world.

Did you ever wonder, though, how it went from being one person's project to being a group effort? I knew most of the story because I'd been using Linux since 1993. But I thought I'd ask Linus, and some of the early Linux developers.

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[–] freeman@feddit.org 4 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Does a Mac turn into a PC when using Linux on it? Thats at least how it would work with my definition of PC, which is "personal" meaning that you control it fully. But I never thought that deep about it really.

[–] Malgas@beehaw.org 4 points 2 days ago

In the sense that PC stands for "personal computer", yes.

But PC has historically been a shortening of "IBM PC compatible", which makes certain assertions about system architecture. In this sense, x86 Macs are PCs, but others are not.

[–] Romulon@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

With your definition of PC, "which is 'personal' meaning that you control it fully" I wouldn't consider a computer running Windows to be a PC.

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

Even when it's running Windows, you're free to install Linux whenever you want. When that's no longer true is when it stops being a PC imo

[–] freeman@feddit.org 1 points 2 days ago

yea, not any more really. but its not a clear line at all lom

[–] Scoopta@programming.dev 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

With x86 Macs I would agree they do...but with the ARM Macs...I'm not so sure. They're so unique hardware wise it starts to depend on how you define PC. If you define it as the acronym "Personal Computer" then a Mac is always a PC regardless of what you run on it. If we're talking IBM PC then modern Macs are never that. (I think the latter definition is generally more helpful as otherwise PC vs Mac makes no sense and phones become PCs etc)

[–] s38b35M5@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

No. A Mac becomes a non-personal computer. And NPC...?