China Linux early history
Author: Lightning
The following is a little essay regarding Linux in China's development history, such as memory is wrong, but also look at all walks of life.
We all know that Linux is a topic that is quite popular in China IT industry. Its excellent opportunity to revitalize the Chinese software industry has attached great importance to the national policy makers, and its free open nature meets the taste of the programmer. Therefore, since Linux stepped into China's land into a batch of China IT community, the Chinese IT community was blooming for her domestic land, and the hard cultivation finally formed the current Linux boom in Zhejiang.
When the light of the Dawn was introduced from abroad to China, it was not enough. At first, when some foreign students returned to China, they were loaded with the floppy dishes of the big bag, Mit, California University Berkeley division. Back Linux distribution. At that time, the domestic Internet also only had an exit node of high-energy physics research. The bandwidth is only 64K, so the floppy is basically a single carrier, a 5.2-inch floppy disk not only contains Linux, but also for China IT industry. Dawn in the new era. Earlier Linux distributions have only a few kinds. The most famous is Slackware maintained by Partick Volkerding, and her directory structure still keeps the style of the floppy disk installation era. But she is still not the oldest Linux release, Slackware is a Linux distribution called SLS. From the information from the author, SLS is the first Linux distribution version sold by Commercial Company by the Commercial Company. Time is in 1994, the seller is a software circulator called 'Federal'. And this 'federal' company is the predecessor of the famous software chain company 'Lianbang'. At that time, the SLS release was set in a shared package series with 'Code' for the product name. This set of 'Code' Series Shared Pack has a total of ten series, which contains a large number of shared software and source code resources that are circulating on the Internet, which can be said to be the nasal ancestors issued by the software. SLS is the ninth, 10th series, consisting of ten floppy disks. And its Linux kernel version is 1.2.x. Since the LINUX resources were extremely collapsed, the user was rare. The entire China Linux industry was full of IT industry in the DOS Chinese atmosphere at the time. Only a few colleges and scientific research, such as Tsinghua, Zhongke, etc. There are a few pioneers in the agency waiting for the arrival of dawn silently. This period is roughly from the early 1990s to 1997. The end sign is considered to be established in the China Software Industry Association Free Software Research Application Development Branch.
2 June 17, 1997, China Software Industry Association Free Software Research Application Development Branch was established in Beijing, while China Free Software Library FREESOFT.CEI.GOV.CN was established. This free software library is the largest in China's early free software download station, with a largest site that contains software. And also provided newsgroup services. Her hardware foundation is five Pentium 90MHz microcomputer, each machine 32M memory, a soft RAID, a total of about 80g. Its news group is the most technical and research atmosphere of the domestic standard and research atmosphere. The main support experts are Dr. Miye, Miye, Helsinki University of Technology, and the administrator is a national information center. At this news group, the vast majority of free software enthusiasts were gathered at the time, and a large number of people now as the main talents of the domestic free software border, and there are many discussions in that period high, most posts The other thing is not like a lot of BBS stations. Since people who come to exchangers are the early users of Linux, the technical literacy is generally good, answer questions are very professional, often see a long post Or is a wonderful discussion, this kind of excellent technical quality, diligent research spirit is the most precious spiritual wealth in China Linux. In the same period, another domestic free software enthusiast's gathering site-Shuimu Tsinghua BBS Linux version is constantly being swayed with freedom. The main contribution of Linux on Tsinghua BBS is the first main contribution to China's free software development to establish a Chinese Linux program in mainland China. This plan is proposed by Homer, and is jointly supported by DFBB, ERIC, OLLY, MACAW, 1997 It is first established on one server in Changzhou, and the domain name is CLINUX.ml.org. I believe this domain name is quite familiar with the early Linux players. At that time, this station is China Collect Linux Chinese technical data. Site, and provide FTP, Firebird, Mailist, and NewsGroup services, its Mailist is China's earliest to Linux-themed maillist, the FTP above is the very famous Chinese Linux software download station, while the hardware used in the whole server However, it is a Pentium 90 computer with bandwidth but is 256kbps. Later, HOMER was named PPYY and was working in the Bentium.Net website, founded the current famous newsgroup service news.cn99.com. The DFBB jointly founded in the Chinese Linux programs later entered TurboLinux that had just entered the continent, and co-developed ZwinPro Chinese plug-in platform, familiar with Chinese Linux process, now I can guess DFBB now Who is it, he is a party that is one of the Chinese Linux three swordsmen. It should be said that in addition to the China Free Software Branch and the Linux version of Tsinghua University, some universities and social organizations provide Linux related resources and exchange platforms, such as webking. However, from the influence of the development of the LINUX world, the historical role of several sites mentioned above. In addition to these exchange platforms, China's first site specially selling Linux discs also opened on Baoding hotline in 1998, and founders are Baozi Chen. At the continent, only three ways to get a Linux software, one is to download the optical disc image from the website, and engrave the installation disk, but at the time CDRW is still a high-grade device, and a burn disc price Very high, ordinary users are unable to bear, only university, research institutions have conditions.
The other is from the foreign trustee to buy a Linux CD, which not only requires adequate funds, there must be related to the relevant context, not only the conditions, the third is to buy from the piracy, which is almost the vast majority. Linux enthusiasts have a fast, cheap acquisition of Linux channel. At that time, the Linux disc production of Pirates was reliable, and most of the six Linux distribution series of the pirated US Infomagic produced, the first two discs, author There is a set of double CDs, one on the redhat 4.1, and the other is Slackware 3.2, however, shortly pirated business disc production levels have dropped sharply, and many CDs can not start, hanging sheep head selling dog meat There are more and more phenomena. Therefore, the difficulties acquired by Linux at the time, affecting the enthusiasm of China Linux enthusiasts to a certain extent, making many people spend time and money in searching for Linux installation CDs. In such an era background, Bao Leizhen purchased the official Linux distribution CD from the United States through relevant channels, through the way of mail order, with as appropriate price, rich variety, timely supply, for China Linux develops the most needed 'ammunition' in time. At that time, the discs he sold include the most important LINUX distribution of the world, and also provides the RedHat PowerTools series and the SunSite software collection. The author also sent a redhat 5.1 disc. Bao Leizhen was later served as an administrator on Longxin opened LinuxAid. In addition to the above large Linux sites, the mainland has begun to have some Linux User Group organizations since 1997, which in Shanghai's Linux User Group is the earliest LUG organization, Beijing Linux Club, Nanjing LUG Consequently established. Shanghai's LUG was originally generated on the PCHOME IRC and quickly condensed a group of people who love Linux, and established home on a Swedish server. In 1998, Shanghai LuG did a party at the 3C T Internet cafe at the time. The future development ideas were mainly discussed, and the newsgroups of the Free Software Branch were decided to organize a FAQ. This work will soon be started in August 1998 and completed in October. This document is now saved in the Pavilion of LinuxForum. On March 20, 1999, Shanghai Lug and XTeam and Turbolinux held Linux seminars in Qingsong City, Shanghai. The seminar attracted more than 200 Linux enthusiasts, and the attention of the relevant units. At the seminar, XTeam demonstrated xteamlinux 1.0, Turbolinux presented their latest TurboLinux 3.0, which were the latest Chinese Linux research and development results. The Beijing Linux Club first published a declaration in Tsinghua BBS. The founder includes Chang Xiaoguang, Deng Guanglei, Zhao Yu, and Cai Mingjun and others, soon, Beijing Linux Club established its own homepage on 263.NET. This establishment documentation on Beijing Linux Club is now saved in Tsinghua Linux version of the essence. At that time, the WebMaster of Beijing Linux Club was Deng Guanglei. He is also a founder of LinuxForum. Beijing Linux has many members in Beijing's colleges and universities in Beijing. They have maintained contact with some of the industry that are interested in developing Linux, so the development is very fast, and the activity level and organization size is the most good.
Due to the capital, Beijing Linux Club also participated in some discussions on Linux on Linux in China, and actively uses the club in the folk impact, hosted the exchange meeting, and actively assist countries to develop policies for Linux industries. Nanjing's LUG is built by zhaoway, and the contribution of Nanjing LUG for China Linux Development is that they have translated famous Linuxgazette magazines. It has accumulated a rich document wealth for the majority of Linux enthusiasts. This Chinese Linuxgazette project is also mainland. One of the Chinese cultural projects. That time, in terms of technology, the main research and development power in China focused on Chinese processing issues under Linux. The most popular solution was the Packaging (WARP) X-style font function. At that time, the technology was used by Chen Xiangyang. Fang Han and Zhxwin, Dr. Palace, who have developed by Fang Han, and Dr. Miyucin plug-in Chinese platform, and XCIN Chinese platform in Taiwan. And the chinput in Xiangqifu has also been mature at the time, and the combination of plug-in Chinese platform and chinput is the basic configuration of domestic Linux users at the time. In addition to the plug-in Chinese platform, the kernel Chinese technology developed by Shenzhen Deng, Li Ling and Liao Miao is a support of Chinese, and they all explore the development of China Linux. As for In the future, the long-term kernel of the industry and the argument of the other, but more about commercial interests, this is not within the scope of these technical experts. The development of China Linux has been carried out from germination to modernization. It is carried out under a batch of enthusiasm for folk volunteers. These people will still guard the difficult development results in the future, and will develop China's new Linux career with more young volunteers. Linux is not only their ideal career, but also The enthusiasm of China's high-rise and rich people in China. It is also necessary to have a will to support the support of Linux, which is needed to support it. At present, the domestic Linux industry has certain retreats than the previous period, but there are still many willful people who are working hard to revitalize China Linux, in LinuxForum, Linuxfans, LinuxSir, and the BBS of colleges and universities. Many active volunteers continue to move along the trail of the Blazers. The above is a review of the development of China's early Linux development, but there are still some content that is limited due to the limited information masters. Like the MiniGUI program, the LVS project, these are all famous free software projects in China, and the author writes some people who have experienced or have some degree of contact, so it is impossible to include all the content in the history of Linux development, if It can take over to continue to complete it, thinking that the new lovers left a precious historical material, so that they realized that China Linux has not been easy to develop, and this is loved on this cause, the author will be grateful.
