IGEL Celebrates the Birthday of Linux; Takes Time to Dream and BELIEVE

Today, the world celebrates the 29^th birthday of Linux. To commemorate this milestone, IGEL is giving its 400+ employees the day off, acknowledging the advent of the operating system (OS) that has powered IGEL for over 20 years.

Not only is this a time for some well-deserved rest in the face of the unprecedented challenges facing us all today, it’s also a time to recharge, give back and reflect. A chance to reclaim the verve that it takes to dream, build and succeed.

It’s that kind of inspiration that drove the creation of Linux – a “hobby project” that has since changed the world.

Initially developed by a young college student in Finland, Linus Torvalds, Linux has since become an integral part of computing history. It has truly transformed our world. Linux is reliable, scalable and performant. Because Linus BELIEVED in an open source platform – one that was not owned by corporations or subject to licensing costs – Linux has made a significant impact on the technology of our time.

Unlike the millions of desktop computers which run Microsoft Windows, much of today’s technology is powered by Linux, an OS the majority of people have never even heard of. This platform is typically invisible to the user, while still able to seamlessly process millions of lines of code and execute trillions of operations per second. From the simple, easy-to-use LED interfaces or touch screen displays which power new Wi-Fi-connected devices (like your refrigerator), to helping us find our favorite song in Shazam to safely launching and bringing back astronauts from space. Linux powers them all.

Consider that today…

• The top 500 supercomputers in the world run Linux
• 90% of the Web runs on Linux
• 4 out of 5 of today’s cell phones and tables run on Linux-inspired platforms
• NASA and SpaceX use Linux to store, crunch and serve up data from satellites and telescopes to research institutions and the public
• The first humanoid robot sent to space – Robonaut 2 – runs on Linux
• Most of today’s smart TVs run on Linux
• Connected car functionality for Honda, Mazda, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and more runs on Linux
• The FAA’s Air Traffic Control system runs on Linux
• Japanese high-speed trains run on Linux
• ATMs and medical equipment largely run on Linux
• The world’s financial exchanges, including the New York Stock Exchange, run on Linux

Linux, while so invisible to most, truly has become the OS that powers the world.

Yet, for an OS originally created for personal computers why don’t we see many desktop PCs in work or the home running Linux? In fact, less than 2% of all PC’s run Linux at the edge. This however is changing…

With the rapid adoption of cloud computing, including the ability to run Windows desktops and applications as a cloud service, Linux is coming full circle. At the edge, it’s now changing how organizations deploy end user computing. In 2018, IDC reported that Linux has surpassed Windows as the edge OS of choice for thin clients. In May 2019, (and targeted at developers) Microsoft announced that they would further embrace Linux on the endpoint and announced that Windows 10 would ship with an updated Linux Kernel. This announcement was then followed in Sept 2019 when Microsoft announced its partnership with IGEL as the Linux endpoint of choice for Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD).

At IGEL, our focus has always been Linux.

“Frank Biermann, Vice President Research and Development at IGEL, recalls some of the first lines of code written at IGEL. “Our 1^st product back in 1994 was called Etherminal 3X. Even back then, the code was based on Linux kernel prior to 1.0.  Since its inception, IGEL has always been built on Linux and today the Linux platform continues to provide the most secure, stable 5.4.x LTS kernel series for us to build IGEL OS upon.”

Like many of the examples above, Linux is generally invisible to the user and by building on top of Linux, IGEL OS is able to help simplify the deployment and management of endpoints for employees – regardless of where they work. Today, IGEL OS provides over 17K customers a combined OS and management solution providing employees remote, secure access to cloud workspaces.

Like Linus, IGEL BELIEVES. Believes in the power of community. And Believes in the value of the EUC ecosystem. Today IGEL integrates over 90+ technologies into its platform through the IGEL Ready program and has over 4,000+ community members.

The story of Linux is a remarkable and unexpected one; and at IGEL we are honored to have been a part of that story for the past two decades.

Happy Birthday, Linux. We can’t wait to see what the next 29 years has in store!