I think Linux played an important role in providing a free and Open Source Unix at a time where the BSDs were fighting demons both internal (segregation of their community) and external (with all their lawsuits). Linux was the turning point between Unix being a very expensive commercial product, and a hobbyist tool for the wannabe hacker.
It also, and this may be a personal impression more than an absolute truth, was the Unix to play the most insistent role on the desktop. I, like many, got introduced to Unix through Linux (Ubuntu to be exact - the year was 2006). Sure I fell in love with Unix and quickly moved on to other distros/unices, but at the end of the day, I still believe that I, and a lot of people my age, only discovered Unix because somebody somewhere fought for the desktop, something neither Solaris nor HP-UX deemed "profitable" enough.
It also, and this may be a personal impression more than an absolute truth, was the Unix to play the most insistent role on the desktop. I, like many, got introduced to Unix through Linux (Ubuntu to be exact - the year was 2006). Sure I fell in love with Unix and quickly moved on to other distros/unices, but at the end of the day, I still believe that I, and a lot of people my age, only discovered Unix because somebody somewhere fought for the desktop, something neither Solaris nor HP-UX deemed "profitable" enough.