Final answer:
Linux is an open-source version of Unix that gained popularity due to its affordability and customization. It revolutionized the high tech industry by providing a cost-effective alternative to proprietary systems, offering wide-ranging applications and reshaping the computing landscape.
Step-by-step explanation:
The open source version of Unix is c. Linux. In 1991, Linus Torvalds, dissatisfied with the high cost of UNIX, developed an operating system kernel that would later be named Linux. This open-source operating system became popular due to its free distribution, configurability, and the capability to run on a variety of hardware platforms, from personal computers to supercomputers.
Linux's adaptability allowed it to be used in numerous applications, resulting in significant cost savings for both manufacturers and consumers. Companies such as IBM and Dell offered Linux as an operating system option to reduce costs and break Microsoft's OS monopoly. Linux also gained popularity in powering file servers, internet routers, and even powered clusters for organizations like NASA, rivalling the computing power of considerably more expensive proprietary supercomputers.
The development of open source operating systems like Linux altered the high tech economic landscape by decreasing costs, increasing customization, and challenging the market share of proprietary systems from companies like Sun Microsystems and SGI. Linux has played a significant role in democratizing access to powerful computing resources.