Linus Torvalds

About

Linus Torvalds is a renowned Finnish software engineer, born on December 28, 1969, in Helsinki, Finland. He is best known for creating the Linux operating system and the Git version control system. Torvalds' interest in programming began at a young age, influenced by his grandfather's Commodore VIC-20. He enrolled at the University of Helsinki in 1988, where he started developing Linux in 1991 as a personal project to create a free operating system kernel. Initially, Linux was designed for his own use, but it quickly gained popularity due to its open-source nature. Torvalds' creation of Git in 2005 revolutionized software development by providing a distributed version control system. His work on Linux and Git has earned him numerous awards, including the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize and the 2014 IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award. Torvalds continues to oversee Linux kernel development through the Linux Foundation. His contributions to open-source software have significantly impacted the tech industry, making him a celebrated figure in the field of computer science. Despite his prominent role, Torvalds remains committed to collaborative development, ensuring that Linux and Git continue to evolve with community input.