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Who is Linus Torvalds

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Linus Torvalds - Developer of the Linux Kernel

Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer, who now resides in the United States. He is best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel, an alternative operating systems to Microscoft. He has been dubbed "The Father of Linux and "The Benevolent Dictator of Planet Linux."

Torvalds was named after Linus Pauling, the American Nobel Prize-winning chemist. He likes to claim that he was named after Linus from the Peanuts  comic strip. Torvalds has been quoted as saying, "I think I was named equally for Linus the peanut-cartoon character," noting that this makes him half "Nobel-prize-winning chemist" and half "blanket-carrying cartoon character."

Torvalds graduated from the University of Helskinki with a Masters in Computer Science. His Master's thesis was titled Linux: A Portable Operating System. He now acts as the Linux project's coordinator.

Source: Rivlin G. 2003. Leader of the Free World. Wired.

Photo Source: Wikipedia. Wikimedia. Linus Torvalds. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.

Three reasons to Admire Linus Torvalds

  1. He created an alternative to Microsoft.
  2. He is from Finland.
  3. He has created an open source product that others can use, modify and contribute to also.

Linus Torvalds Books and Linux Penguins from Amazon

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A Quote from Linus Torvalds Explaining his Philosophy

My husband, the Linux user, supporter, aficionado and unix engineer wanted the following quote included about his philosophy.
    You know what the most complex piece of engineering known to man in the whole solar system is?

    Guess what - it's not Linux, it's not Solaris, and it's not your car.

    It's you. And me.

    And think about how you and me actually came about - not through any complex design.

    Right. "sheer luck".

    Well, sheer luck, AND:- free availability and _crosspollination_ through sharing of "source code", although biologists call it DNA.
    - a rather unforgiving user environment, that happily replaces bad versions of us with better working versions and thus culls the herd (biologists often call this "survival of the fittest")
    - massive undirected parallel development ("trial and error")

    I'm deadly serious: we humans have _never_ been able to replicate something more complicated than what we ourselves are, yet natural selection did it without even thinking.

    Don't underestimate the power of survival of the fittest.

    And don't EVER make the mistake that you can design something better than what you get from ruthless massively parallel trial-and-error with a feedback cycle. That's giving your intelligence _much_ too much credit.

According to my husband, this statement sums up the approach to Linux, under Linus' direction. Lots and lots of trial & error, and constant evolution.

It is a very different from big software companies, where stuff is developed according to rigid plans. If there's a problem with the plan in a big company, they tend to focus more and more effort on that problem, whereas Linus' style is to say "we must be on a dead end, let's start over on this problem."

Source: Jeremy. Linus Says, Linux Not Designed; It Never Was. February 14, 2002. KernelTrap.

Linus Torvalds - A Benevolent Dictator?

Torvalds acknowledges being "benevolent dictator of Planet Linux," as he calls it, yet the secret to his success is not, apparently, his technological prowess but his disarming personality. Check in with the loyal subjects who have watched Torvalds' rule - a process best accomplished via email - and they'll agree.

As Cliff Miller, an early Linux contributor, writes: "He is a great leader, which he may not even realize."
Leader of the Free World
From Wired.com an article written by Gary Rivlin about how Linus Torvalds became benevolent dictator of Planet Linux, the biggest collaborative project in history.

A Squidoo Lens Featuring Linus Torvalds

One of the 10 People Changing the World

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Linus Torvalds Videos

Tech Talk: Linus Torvalds on git
by Google | video info

3,951 ratings | 884,543 views
curated content from YouTube

Linux At a Glance

The Linux Home Page at Linux Online
Comprehensive information and resources about the Linux Operating System.
Linux.com :: Everything Linux and Open Source
A Means to World Liberation! Our goal is to provide all the information necessary to make your use of Linux a success.

A Squidoo Lenses about Linux

From Gary Sims a freelance Linux writer.
Linux
Everything you need to know about the Linux operating system. Linux is an alternative operating system for both Personal Computers and Macs.
Linux and Unix
A simple lens with information about Linux and Unix.

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Linus Torvalds on Flickr

Linus Torvalds, in the flesh by Ariaski
Linus Torvalds by ctudball
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Recommended Books about Linux on Amazon

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Why a Penguin for the Linux Mascot?

The Linux Mascot, a plump penguin known as Tux, was created The penguin concept was picked when it became known that Linus Torvalds had a "fixation for flightless, fat waterfowl."

According to Torvalds:
    I was looking for something fun and sympathetic to associate with Linux. A slightly fat penguin that sits down after having had a great meal fits the bill perfectly.
Tux is generally considered to be an open-source image. The original Tux, the official Linux mascot created by Larry Ewing. Permission to use and/or modify the image is granted provided you acknowledge Larry Ewing lewing@isc.tamu.edu and The GIMP if asked.

Image Source: Wikipedia. 1996 Tux png. Wikimedia.
The Story Behind Tux the Penguin
Get in-depth tech news coverage from Wired and read about how it is shaping culture, education, entertainment, communications and technology.
A Complete History of Tux (So Far)
A description of the History of Tux written by Steve Baker.

Squidoo Lenses on Linux

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Linux-based Free Operating Systems

"Ubuntu" is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others". It is the term use to describe a linux-based operating system.

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support.
Ubuntu | Ubuntu.com
Ubuntu is a community developed, linux-based operating system that is perfect for laptops, desktops and servers. It contains all the applications you need - a web browser, presentation, document and spreadsheet software, instant messaging and much more.
Kubuntu | The KDE Desktop
Kubuntu is a user friendly operating system based on KDE, the K Desktop Environment. With a predictable 6 month release cycle and part of the Ubuntu project, Kubuntu is the GNU/Linux distribution for everyone.
Edubuntu Home Page | edubuntu
The Edubuntu Linux distribution brings the spirit of Ubuntu to schools, through its customised school environment. The current version of Edubuntu is aimed at classroom use, and future versions of Edubuntu will expand to other educational usage, such as university use.
Xubuntu Home Page | Xubuntu.org
Xubuntu is a complete GNU/Linux based operating system with an Ubuntu base. It is lighter on system requirements and tends to be more efficient than Ubuntu with GNOME or KDE, since it uses the Xfce Desktop environment, which makes it ideal for old or low-end machines, thin-client networks, or for those who would like to get more performance out of their hardware.

Squidoo Lenses on UbuntuLinux

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support.
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Linus Torvalds Lens is a Member of this Squidoo Group

I am proud that this lens is a member of this special group that features my cultural background.
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Linus Torvalds Lens is a Member of these Squidoo Groups

The Linus Torvalds lens is one of the featured lens for the SquidWho group created especially to feature innovators in Science, Medicine and Technology and also the OpenSource Group.
SquidWho: Science, Medicine & Technology Headquarters
This group is for SquidWho lenses about individuals who have shaped our modern world through their outstanding achievements in science, medicine and/or technology.
Open Content and Open Source Headquarters
Open Content and Open Source Welcome to Open Content and Open Source. This group is for lensmasters who run a lens, related to Open Source Software or Open Content.

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