Linux Solutions

While Linux continues to grow in popularity we thought it might be interesting to take a look at the man who has changed the operating system landscape forever, the man who created the Linux Kernel and the man who so many think has Microsoft of the run. Step forward Linus Benedict Torvalds!

Linus Benedict Torvalds was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1969 and while there is some debate about the connection between his first name Linus and Linux, the truth is that there is no relevance. He was actually named after a Noble Prize winner, Linus Pauling!

It will come as no surprise to those who have come across Torvalds to learn that he studied computer science at the University of Helsinki between 1988 and 1996 where he produced his thesis entitled Linux : A Portable Operating System and became heavily involved in choosing the standard binary format for Linux and Unix. This was really the start of his close relationship with Linux something which has pushed him to the forefront of the industry where he still holds a very high position with regards to the ongoing development of the operating system.

While Torvalds is not one who courts the press, the very fact that just over 2% of the current Linux Kernel code is still his original coding is a testament to his skill and foresight. This may not sound like an awful lot on the surface but when you consider the amount of people who are now working on the open source system and the millions of work hours which have been spent on developing the Kernel further, it really is an amazing achievement.

It is difficult to think of Linux without Torvalds as many still look back to the days when he created his own Operating System for his Sinclair QL – an event which many believe gave him the will and determination to succeed in challenging the big players like Microsoft Windows.