The New York Times introduces you to Linux: "Unlike Windows from Microsoft and OS X from Apple, Linux is not owned, updated or controlled by a single company. Thousands of developers around the world work on Linux, making improvements and issuing new versions several times a year. Because the core Linux software is open source, these developers have the right — some would say responsibility — to borrow from one another’s work, constantly looking for enhancements."
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/technology/circuits/04basics.html?_r=1&ex=1349150400&en=f1e147767abb91ac&oref=slogin