Linus Torvalds

Linus Benedict Torvalds (born December 28, 1969) is a Finnish-American software engineer, who is the creator and, initially, the principal developer of the Linux kernel, one of the most widely used operating systems in the world. Linux forms the basis of such operating systems as Android, ChromeOS, and many GNU/Linux distributions. Torvalds also created the revision control system Git.

Early life and education

Torvalds was born on December 28, 1969, in Helsinki, Finland, to Anna Torvalds, a journalist, and Nils Torvalds, a professor of computer science at the University of Helsinki. He has one sister, Sara Torvalds, who is also a computer scientist. Torvalds grew up in a Swedish-speaking family and attended the Swedish-language primary school Lärkan and the Swedish-language upper secondary school Gymnasiet Lärkan in Helsinki.

Torvalds showed an early interest in computers and programming. He started programming on a Commodore VIC-20 home computer that his grandfather had bought for him. He later upgraded to a Sinclair QL, which he found more challenging to program. In 1988, Torvalds enrolled at the University of Helsinki to study computer science.

Linux

In 1991, Torvalds was working on a Minix-based operating system for his personal computer. However, he was frustrated with the limitations of Minix and decided to create his own operating system. He started working on Linux in the fall of 1991 and released the first public version, Linux 0.01, in September 1991.

Linux quickly gained popularity among computer users and developers. Its open-source nature allowed anyone to modify and distribute the code, which led to the creation of various Linux distributions. By the mid-1990s, Linux had become a viable alternative to proprietary operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Apple macOS.

Git

In 2005, Torvalds created Git, a distributed version control system. Git is designed to handle the complexities of coordinating work on large software projects. It is also used for version control of non-software projects, such as documentation and web pages.

Awards and recognition

Torvalds has received numerous awards and honors for his work on Linux and Git. In 1998, he was awarded the EFF Pioneer Award. In 2001, he was awarded the Millennium Technology Prize. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. In 2012, he was awarded the IEEE Koji Kobayashi Computers and Communications Award.

Personal life

Torvalds is married to Tove Torvalds, a software engineer. They have three daughters. Torvalds is a citizen of Finland and the United States. He is a fan of ice hockey and Formula One racing.