Linux, the home-cooked operating system Analysis/Commentary If you want to yawn, just say the words "operating system." It's guaranteed to cure insomnia. Who really cares what those clever boots put into their computer software, most people just want to plug and play. Strangely, Linux, a new operating system, has begun to call attention to itself, even among non-nerds. For one thing, Linux is free. For another, the techies in the server rooms of businesses and small institutions swear by it. It doesn't crash. And for server software, that's good. Linux was invented by a single person, a Finnish student called Linus Torvalds. Linus -- hence Linux, get it? -- decided to use UNIX, the non-proprietary academic code as his model. He wrote the "kernel," or core program of the system, and posted it to the Web. By indicating how and why the code was written the way it was, Torvalds attracted thousands of programmers frustrated by the secrecy surrounding commercial operating systems. Linux benefited from gobs of tweaking and free testing. Now dozens of sites on the Web allow everyone (including commercial interests) to download and use Linux for free. Paradoxically, Linux has made a hit on Wall Street, winning billions for small consulting firms able to distribute and support it. The Linux software is free, but if you need help getting it running, you have to pay. Linux quickly gains ground on Microsoft and Novell, its proprietary competition. It continues to improve -- but frankly, you may as well expect Dad to make pancakes as well as Mom. Microsoft still dominates the server market. In the meantime, Microsoft's business competition (Sun, IMB, Dell, Intel, Netscape, and Corel) huddle together like a gruesome out-of-town football team. Don't cheer for the visitors, they're mean! October 6, 1999