Linus Benedict Torvalds is a brilliant Finnish computer scientist, a icon of the open source software movement and the founder of the Linux operating system. His life has been characterized by a strong belief in free software and innovation, and as a teenager Linus benefited from his grandfather's old computer, which let him to math and computers at an early age and showed his talent and interest in the field of computers. (Wikipedia Contributors, 2020)
In 1991, at the young age of 22, Torvalds created a thing that would change the computer history: the Linux kernel. Dissatisfied with the monotonous features of the Minix operating system, he decided to develop his own kernel. When he study in university, he wrote the Linux operating system kernel and made it available for free download under the GNU. His selfless spirit attracted countless followers, who selflessly contributed to and modified Linux, spreading the liberal spirit of the open-source movement. This propelled Linux to become one of the world's primary operating systems.
Due to linus' adherence to open source and free software, he has had a significant impact on the global software development community. Within the community, people can freely download, use, and modify the Linux kernel. Novices' queries are answered for free by professionals, and bugs in the operating system are addressed and uploaded by enthusiastic individuals. (Holt, 2007)
When I, in 2023, start learning to use Linux, I will discover that this system has reached a level comparable to Windows today after 22 years of relentless effort by countless generations. Torvalds' achievement is not only in writing the Linux kernel code but also in creating an environment of free software where I am for all and all are for me. Many of the problems I encounter can be resolved by referring to questions posed by predecessors several years, or even decades, ago, and the generous assistance of countless individuals within the community. Torvalds is currently employed at the Open Source Development Lab, where he continues to develop the Linux kernel. (Young, 1994)
Reference list
Holt, J. (2007). Talking to Torvalds : Articles : Programming & Software : BCS. [online] web.archive.org. Available at: https://web.archive.org/web/20071002224451/http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.14769 [Accessed 23 Oct. 2023].
Wikipedia Contributors (2020). Linus Torvalds. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linus_Torvalds.
Young, R. (1994). Interview with Linus, the Author of Linux | Linux Journal. [online] www.linuxjournal.com. Available at: https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2736 [Accessed 23 Oct. 2023].
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