Being able to install a UNIX-type operating system on my personal computer, one that was <i>free</i>, was a life-changing experience for me.<p>At the time there were prohibitively expensive UNIX operating systems on the market, many of which required even more expensive proprietary hardware to run on, and then you'd have to fork out even <i>more</i> money for a compiler.<p>An enormous thanks to Linus and the GNU team for changing all of that and making this accessible to pretty much anyone crazy enough to try and install it on their computer.