H.J. Lu is a computer programmer credited with creating the first Linux distribution in 1992,[1][2] titled Boot/Root.[3] Joe Klemmer described the distribution as follows:
Back in late 1991, when Linux first hit the 'Net, there were no distributions per se. The closest thing was HJ Lu's Boot/Root floppies. They were 5.25" diskettes that could be used to get a Linux system running. You booted from the boot disk and then, when prompted, inserted the root disk. After a while you got a command prompt. Back in those days if you wanted to boot from your hard drive you had to use a hex editor on the master boot record of your disk. Something that was definitely not for the faint of heart. I remember when Erik Ratcliffe wrote the first instructions (this was long before HOWTO files) on how to do just that. It wasn't until later that anything you could call a real distribution appeared.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^ "History of Early Linux Distros". 2012-09-12.
- ^ "The Earliest Linux Distros: Before Mainstream Distros Became So Popular". 14 February 2019.
- ^ "One Wild Ride - Page: 1.9 » Linux Magazine".
- ^ "A Short History of Linux Distributions".
- ^ "Raise a glass to Linux". 2012-08-24.