Interview with Owen Le Blanc, creator of the first Linux distribution
a year ago
- #Linux
- #OpenSource
- #History
- Owen Le Blanc created the first Linux distribution, MCC Interim Linux, in early 1992.
- MCC Interim Linux was developed to simplify Linux installation, using ramdisk code and binaries from other early Linux efforts.
- The distribution was used at the University of Manchester for C and Unix courses, enabling quick installation on multiple machines.
- Le Blanc worked on MCC Interim Linux for about seven years, with the final release in 1998 including a migration tool to Debian.
- Despite its pioneering role, the University of Manchester was reluctant to fully embrace open-source software, according to Le Blanc.
- Le Blanc later focused on supporting Linux applications and servers at the university, advocating for Debian and Ubuntu.
- MCC Interim Linux was an important early step in the evolution of Linux distributions, paving the way for more enduring systems like Debian.