The Unix-based, volunteer-supported operating system Linux, created in 1991 by Linus Torvalds, a 28-year-old Finn who now works for a chip-design firm in Silicon Valley, has been gaining acceptance in mainstream computing environments, and companies such as Oracle, Sun and IBM have plans to use the program in some of their products.

Linux is free, and the only way to earn money on it is to provide additional services, such as offering tested versions of the program along with installation support. Of the large software firms, only Netscape and Corel have so far pledged full support, but that situation is expected to change as general acceptance of Linux spreads.

http://www.linux.org/

(? The Economist)