Whois & Analysis for softpedia.com

Linux (pronounced or, less frequently) is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open-source software development and distribution.

The defining component of Linux is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds.

The Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to describe the operating system, which has led to some controversy.

Softpedia is a website from Romania that indexes information and provides primarily software information and downloads.

Its main sections are Windows, Mac, Linux, Games, Drivers, Mobile, Webscripts, and News.

It also covers technology and science topics from both external and in-house sources, and it provides software and game reviews.

Shareware is a type of proprietary software which is initially provided free of charge to users, who are allowed and encouraged to make and share copies of the program.

Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a magazine.

Shareware is available on all major personal computer platforms.

The term shareware is used in contrast to open-source software, in which the source code is available for anyone to inspect and alter; and freeware, which is software distributed at no cost to the user but without source code being made available.

Microsoft Windows (or simply Windows) is a metafamily of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft.

It consists of several families of operating systems, each of which cater to a certain sector of the computing industry with the OS typically associated with IBM PC compatible architecture.

Active Windows families include Windows NT, Windows Embedded and Windows Phone; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) or Windows Server.

Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x; Windows 10 Mobile is an active product, unrelated to the defunct family Windows Mobile.

The Macintosh ((branded as Mac since 1998) is a series of personal computers (PCs) designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. Steve Jobs introduced the original Macintosh computer on January 24, 1984.

This was the company's first mass-market personal computer featuring an integral graphical user interface and mouse.

This first model was later renamed to "Macintosh 128k" for uniqueness amongst a populous family of subsequently updated models which are also based on Apple's same proprietary architecture.

Since 1998, Apple has largely phased out the Macintosh name in favor of "Mac", and the product family has been nicknamed "Mac" or "the Mac" since the development of the first model.