Contents
Linus Torvalds
Creating the Linux kernel and the Git version-control system.
Linux · Git
- Born
- 28 December 1969
- Birthplace
- Helsinki, Finland
More people
Linus Torvalds
Torvalds began Linux as a student project and opened it to collaboration. The resulting kernel became central to servers, supercomputers and Android devices, while Git changed how developers coordinate changes to code.
Early life
Helsinki childhood
Grew up in a Swedish-speaking Finnish family and began programming on home computers.
University study
Studied computer science at the University of Helsinki, completing his master’s degree in 1996.
Career
- 1991
Public project
Announced his experimental kernel online and invited feedback.
- 1997
Move to California
Joined chip company Transmeta while continuing Linux development.
- 2003
Dedicated Linux work
Moved to the Open Source Development Labs, later part of the Linux Foundation.
Contributions
Linux
Released the first version of the kernel that became the core of Linux-based operating systems.
Git
Created a distributed system for tracking and combining software changes.
Subsurface
Started a dive-log application reflecting his interest in scuba diving.
Beyond computing
Diving
His diving hobby inspired work on software for recording dives.
Community conduct
In 2018 he apologised for hurtful communication with contributors and briefly stepped back from kernel work.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Institutional biography and contributions ↗Photo: Krd (photo) Von Sprat (crop/extraction). CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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