Linux is a family of open-source operating systems. It can be modified and distributed by anyone around the world. This is different from proprietary software like Windows, which can only be modified by the company that owns it. The main advantage of Linux operating system is that it is open source. There are many versions and their updates. Most of the servers run on Linux because it is easy to customize. 

There are a few different distributions of Linux, like Ubuntu, Mint, Fedora, RedHat, Debian, Google’s Android, Chrome OS, and Chromium OS which are popular among users. 

The Linux operating system was originated in 1991, as a project of “Linus Torvalds” from a university student of Finland. He posted information about his project on a news group for computer students and programmers. He received support and assistance from a large pool of volunteers who succeeded in creating a complete and functional Operating System. Linux is similar to the UNIX operating system. 

Linux distributions: 

Linux mint, Fedora, Ubuntu, BOSS, Redhat.