Linux is an operating system created by Linus Torvalds, who was a Finnish university student at the time of its development. The operating system is offered free and has become the leading competitor to proprietary operating systems like UNIX and Microsoft. The heart of the system is referred to as the Linux kernel, which is the code that forms the basis of any firm's operating system. The firm is then able to take that code and build on it. This adaptability has led firms such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard to use Linux as a base operating system. The development of a system like Linux demonstrates a consistent theme in many technological areas: the pattern of development is difficult to predict. Firms must constantly scan the business horizon for changes that are occurring and look for the unexpected. A free operating system that becomes the backbone of many firms' efforts would have been difficult to predict five years ago. Today, however, the resource is widely used. Other firms such as Red Hat, VMware and Novellus Systems have specialized in developing Linux applications. These smaller firms are subject to acquisition. This raises many technology management issues for the users of the applications.

1. What type of technology does Linux represent- continous, disruptive, or next generation? Explain what such a classification of type of technology would mean for competitors and consumers.