Linus Benedict Torvalds

He is a software engineer with Finnish and American citizenship who has made his mark on the modern computing world as the founder and lead developer of the Linux kernel. He is considered one of the greatest advocates of the open-source philosophy.

👨‍🔬 The Birth and Philosophy of Linux

💡 The Linux Kernel

Torvalds enrolled at the University of Helsinki in 1988 and received a Master’s degree in Computer Science. The spark that gave birth to Linux began in 1991 with the purchase of an Intel 80386-based personal computer (PC).

• Inception: He was inspired by MINIX, the UNIX-like operating system he used at the university. However, aiming to create a UNIX-like system he could use and develop on his own PC, he began working on a new kernel in the fall of 1991.
• Release: Initially planning to name the system “Freax,” the name “linux” stuck after a friend at the university opened a directory with that name on their FTP server. The first prototypes of the Linux kernel were released on the Internet at the end of 1991, and Version 1.0 came out in 1994.
• Philosophy: Torvalds’s philosophy was to provide the source code free of charge. This began an era of collaborative software development, allowing programmers from around the world to develop the system. Linux quickly became the foundation for a wide range of infrastructure, from servers to smartphones (Android).
• Mascot: Linus Torvalds’s personal mascot is a penguin named “Tux,” which has become the globally recognized symbol of Linux.

💻 Git Version Control System

Torvalds cemented his contribution to Linux kernel development by also creating Git, the distributed version control system that is one of the cornerstones of modern software development. Git revolutionized the way developers manage and track changes in their code.

💼 Career and Current Role

🏢 Professional Life

While continuing his kernel development work, Torvalds moved to the United States in 1997 and began working at Transmeta. There, he helped design the Transmeta Crusoe Processor, an energy-efficient CPU.

He left Transmeta in 2003 to dedicate his entire focus to the Linux kernel. These efforts were supported by the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), a consortium formed by high-tech companies like IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Intel. OSDL merged with the Free Standards Group in 2007 to form the Linux Foundation.

👑 Current Role

Linus Torvalds still maintains the position of ultimate authority over new code to be included in the Linux kernel today. Although only about 2% of the kernel was personally written by him, he remains the person who sets the project’s architecture, general purpose, and principles, guiding the project for over 30 years. He has described his manner of managing Linux as being the “benevolent dictator of the Linux Planet.”

You can listen to Linus Torvalds’s thoughts on Git’s journey over two decades: Two decades of Git: A conversation with creator Linus Torvalds. This video will help you understand the technical decisions and philosophy that shaped modern software development.