Linus Torvalds: Lord of Linux

Don't know what Linux is? Microsoft Windows is an operating system. Linux is also an operating system. Never heard of it? Well, those that enjoy very stable, inexpensive operating systems have for many years now looked to Linux. Do you send emails at work on a network computer? Odds are good that email server in the central office is powered by Linux. Cell phone? PDA? Could very possibly be Linux based. TiVo? Linux. Linux is a very versatile, adaptable and above all, stable operating system and is used as such throughout the world for a variety of reasons. But how did Linux come to be?

In a recent article, Time Magazine sited Linus Torvalds as number twenty one in a list of "60 Years of Heroes." Perhaps this brief history of his contribution to the computing world will give some idea as to why he was designated this title.

At the age of 21, as a computer science student in Helsinki, Linus had been using his first personal computer (PC) and decided that he didn't like the operating system (MS-DOS). He had decided that , since he liked the UNIX based system at the university, he would create a PC version of UNIX. This UNIX-like system had the stability of UNIX, but with greater adaptability. Linus Torvalds, wrote the core, or kernel, of the operating system, and wanted to call it Freax (pronounced "freaks"). A friend coaxed him into calling it Linux.

Linus Torvalds then took Linux and posted it, for free, on the internet, encouraging programmers to use it and improve it. And they did.

Linux is written and distributed under the GNU General Public License. This means that its source code is freely-distributed and available to the general public (by comparison, Microsoft "Windows" source code is kept top secret). Linux falls under the category of Open Source software. Open Source software is an extensive community of software developers that post and distribute their ideas and improvements on free software under the GNU General Public License, essentially making free software available to the public.

This availability of the Linux source code allows for a wide variety of versions and distributions (distro's) that meet a variety of user needs. For example, Knoppix is a version of Linux that runs entirely on a cd. Ubuntu is a version of Linux that can be loaded from only one cd to be able to run a complete system. Gentoo is a version of Linux that allows a wide range of options and variations for anyone that installs it. Slackware is a Linux distro that fits an entire operating system into a minimal amount of space, allowing it to be used with a system that has less memory and power. There are hundreds and hundreds of Linux distro's available with different versions become available all the time. Even more fascinating is the fact that most of these operating systems are free to the public.

Linus Torvalds still presides over the Linux empire. Working with a loose knit band of programmers and developers doesn't seem like the traditional way to run a large organization, but Linus Torvalds does it all with his usual casual grace. Even the computer software powerhouse Microsoft acknowledges Linux as a true competitor, which is an impressive comment on how effective Linux is.

Linus Torvalds is a stay-home working father with a wife and three kids, now based out of Portland, Oregon. It seems he continues to run his organization via the power of his name and his abilities rather than professional managerial training, and this somehow has kept his group together for over 15 years.

As Linux continues to develop and progress and the computer industry and software advance, Linus Torvalds's creation can never be forgotten or ignored. Truly a pioneer of computers, Linus Torvalds ranks high with any and all that have ever contributed to the technological cause.