How to Download Linux Source Code
Linux is the most widely used free operating system. First released in 1994, Linux is widely praised for being open-source; any programmer can view and contribute to the source code for the operating system. Some contribute to Linux as a hobby, while others do it in preparation for later careers as programmers. If you would like to view and potentially contribute to the Linux source code, you can download the source for the core operating system--called the "kernel"--from the official Linux kernel archive.
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Instructions
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Browse to the official Linux kernel archive. (See Resources.) If you prefer an all-text interface or want to download the source code for a very old version of Linux, you can browse the full contents of the kernel archive using the raw directory structure of the website or the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server. (See the second and third links under Resources, respectively.)
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Click the link titled "Full Source" next to the version of the Linux Kernel that you want to download the source code for. When your browser prompts you to select a download location, choose the desktop. The source code for the Linux kernel is compressed with the file extension BZ2, which you can extract using WinZip and WinRAR. (See Resources.)
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Extract the contents of the archive. For example, if you are using WinRAR, right-click the BZ2 file, and then click "Extract to linux-2.6.35-rc5." The exact text of the command will differ depending on the version of the source code that you have downloaded.
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Double-click the new folder to examine the source code of the Linux kernel. Most of the source code for Linux is written with the C programming language, evidenced by the many files with the extension C. To view the source code, open the files in a C language programming utility.
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References
Resources
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