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Birth
Torvalds was born in Helsinki, Finland to Nils and Anna Torvalds. His parents were both journalists and radical members of the communist party. Additionally, Linus was named after the Nobel Prize-winning American chemist Linus Pauling. -
Begins Programming
Linus' grandfather, Leo Toerngvist, owned a Commodore Vic 20, which was one of the first personal computers available. Torvalds began programming in BASIC and assembly language on this computer around the age of 10. -
First Computer
Torvalds purchased his first computer – a Sinclair QL – which was considered a step up from his grandfather's Commodore Vic 20. The computer contained a Motorola 68008 processor and ran at 7.5 MHz of random access memory. -
Attends the University of Helsinki (1988 - 1996)
Torvalds enrolled at the University of Helsinki – a premier institution of higher education – to study computer programming. He attended the school until 1996, which is when he received his Master's degree in Computer Science. -
Learns the C Programming Language
Torvalds took his first class in the C programming language, which was significant because this was the language that he would use to write the Linux kernel. -
First Personal Computer (PC)
Torvalds purchased his first IBM-compatible personal computer, which had a 33 MHz Intel 386 processor and 4MB of memory; however, he was disappointed with the MS-DOS operating system on the computer, as he preferred the stability offered by UNIX. -
Announces a New Operating System
Torvalds announced that he was developing a new operating system that was based on MINIX (a small clone of UNIX) and UNIX. He announced his creation in a brief message on the MINIX newsgroup comp.os.minix. -
Releases Crude Version of Operating System
After a period of intense concentration and isolation, Torvalds released a crude version (Version 0.01) of the operating system he announced in August. -
Releases First "Official" Version of Linux
The operating system featured the ability to run both a bash shell and the GNU C Compiler. Torvalds also released the source code to a network so other programmers could refine the operating system. His operating system was given the name Linux (from Linus' MINIX). -
Linux Relicensed Under the GNU GPL
The Linux kernel was relicensed under the GNU GPL. The original license did not allow for the commercial use of Linux; however, after the relicensing of the operating system, the sale of modified or unmodified versions of Linux became possible (as long as those copies are released under the same license as the source code). Torvalds stated that this was the best thing he ever did for Linux. -
Linux Version 1.0
After 3 years of its existence and 176,250 lines of code, Version 1.0 of the Linux kernel was released. It supported single-processor i386-based computers. -
Tux Becomes the Symbol of Linux
Even though he was once bitten by a penguin, Torvalds recommended that the animal should be the mascot of Linux. American programmer Larry Ewing designed Tux (the penguin) in 1996 and his design has not changed much over the years. -
Linux Version 2.0
Torvalds released Version 2.0 of the Linux kernel, and it was a significant improvement over the earlier versions of the operating system. It was the first kernel to support multiple processors in a single system (SMP) and more processor types. -
Accepts Position at Transmeta Corporation
After spending a decade at the University of Helsinki as a researcher/student, Torvalds moved to Santa Clara, California (which is in Silicon Valley) to work at Transmeta Corporation. He helped develop commercial software and facilitated communication between operating systems. His job also permitted him to continue his work on Linux. -
Leaves Transmeta Corporation
Torvalds left Transmeta Corporation to focus exclusively on the Linux kernel. He began working for the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL), which was an association formed by high-tech companies, such as IBM and Intel. -
Moves to Oregon
Since the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) was based in Oregon, Torvalds and his family moved to Portland so he would not have to commute from Silicon Valley. -
Ubuntu Comes to Life
Ubuntu (an open-source operating system based on Debian/Linux distribution) came to life in Version 4.10. Although Ubuntu is not a major contributor to the Linux kernel, it has an important role in providing Linux on desktops and laptops. -
Creates Git
Torvalds created Git for the development of the Linux kernel because the proprietary software BitKeeper (which Torvalds had used to maintain Linux) was no longer free to the programming community. Git is important because it provides a way to track changes in source code during software development. Click here for more about Git. -
Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation was established by the merger of the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) and the Free Standards Group (FSG). The Linux Foundation sponsors the work of Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open-source companies. -
Wins Millennium Technology Prize
Torvalds won the Millennium Technology Prize for creating the Linux kernel, which is described as technology's equivalent to the Nobel Prize. -
Takes a Step Back
Torvalds is known for being foul-mouthed to other developers in the Linux kernel mailing list. In 2012, he had an outburst directed toward NVIDIA for not supporting Linux. In 2018, he decided to take a break from Linux kernel development to improve his behavior. Here is a video of Torvalds revealing his feelings about NVIDIA. -
Present Work
In a recent interview, Torvalds described how he does not see himself as a programmer anymore. Even though he has returned to his work on the Linux kernel, he believes he serves as more of a code manager and maintainer now. Linux is also in Version 5.3.8 as of today. Here is an interview of Linus Torvalds discussing Linux and open-source software (2016).
