Linux 0.02

Linux 0.02
Linux 0.11 booted up on Qemu
Type:	Multitasking
Creator:	Linus Torvalds
Architecture:	IBM 386
This Version:	2.6 (2010)
Date Released:	1991

Unlike Linux 0.01, Linux 0.02 actually runs. Sadly it seems all the source of 0.02 until 0.10 has been lost. The practice of the time was to erase all the old code on the ftp server, and upload the new code.

Announcement

From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds) 
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix 
Subject: Free minix-like kernel sources for 386-AT 
Message-ID: <1991Oct5.054106.4647@klaava.Helsinki.FI> 
Date: 5 Oct 91 05:41:06 GMT 
Organization: University of Helsinki 

Do you pine for the nice days of minix-1.1, when men were men and wrote 
their own device drivers? Are you without a nice project and just dying 
to cut your teeth on a OS you can try to modify for your needs? Are you 
finding it frustrating when everything works on minix? No more all- 
nighters to get a nifty program working? Then this post might be just 
for you :-) 

As I mentioned a month(?) ago, I'm working on a free version of a 
minix-lookalike for AT-386 computers. It has finally reached the stage 
where it's even usable (though may not be depending on what you want), 
and I am willing to put out the sources for wider distribution. It is 
just version 0.02 (+1 (very small) patch already), but I've successfully 
run bash/gcc/gnu-make/gnu-sed/compress etc under it. 

Sources for this pet project of mine can be found at nic.funet.fi 
(128.214.6.100) in the directory /pub/OS/Linux. The directory also 
contains some README-file and a couple of binaries to work under linux 
(bash, update and gcc, what more can you ask for :-). Full kernel 
source is provided, as no minix code has been used. Library sources are 
only partially free, so that cannot be distributed currently. The 
system is able to compile "as-is" and has been known to work. Heh. 
Sources to the binaries (bash and gcc) can be found at the same place in 
/pub/gnu. 

ALERT! WARNING! NOTE! These sources still need minix-386 to be compiled 
(and gcc-1.40, possibly 1.37.1, haven't tested), and you need minix to 
set it up if you want to run it, so it is not yet a standalone system 
for those of you without minix. I'm working on it. You also need to be 
something of a hacker to set it up (?), so for those hoping for an 
alternative to minix-386, please ignore me. It is currently meant for 
hackers interested in operating systems and 386's with access to minix. 
The system needs an AT-compatible harddisk (IDE is fine) and EGA/VGA. If 
you are still interested, please ftp the README/RELNOTES, and/or mail me 
for additional info. 

I can (well, almost) hear you asking yourselves "why?". Hurd will be 
out in a year (or two, or next month, who knows), and I've already got 
minix. This is a program for hackers by a hacker. I've enjouyed doing 
it, and somebody might enjoy looking at it and even modifying it for 
their own needs. It is still small enough to understand, use and 
modify, and I'm looking forward to any comments you might have. 
I'm also interested in hearing from anybody who has written any of the 
utilities/library functions for minix. If your efforts are freely 
distributable (under copyright or even public domain), I'd like to hear 
from you, so I can add them to the system. I'm using Earl Chews estdio 
right now (thanks for a nice and working system Earl), and similar works 
will be very wellcome. Your (C)'s will of course be left intact. Drop me 
a line if you are willing to let me use your code. 
Linus 

PS. to PHIL NELSON! I'm unable to get through to you, and keep getting 
"forward error - strawberry unknown domain" or something.