Linux operating system

Linux is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel. It was originally developed by Linus Torvalds, a Finnish-American software engineer, and released on September 17, 1991. Unlike commercial software, the development of Linux is a collaborative effort involving thousands of contributors worldwide, overseen by the Linux Foundation.

As open-source software, Linux is not 'manufactured' in a traditional sense. Instead, its source code is developed, maintained, and distributed globally across various jurisdictions. While the trademark is managed by a non-profit organization to ensure the brand remains open and accessible, the software is packaged into different distributions by various companies and community groups globally, such as Red Hat, Canonical, and SUSE.