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Born
Linus Benedict Torvalds was born on December 28, 1969 in the city of Helsinki Finland. His parents separated early in his childhood and he lived with his mother and grandparents. (Image from TeePublic) -
Programming Skills
Linus, at age 11 he delved into BASIC programming. This allowed for him to modify the operating system the Sinclair QL utilized. With the same token, this paved the way towards developing Linux. (Image from The Cyber Security Microblog) -
Enlightened Linus
Linus purchased his first computer in 1987, a SinClair QL. This computer was considered one of the most popular home computers. Only issue that Linus came across is that the operating system was Read Only, if he couldn’t modify the OS it wasn’t any good. Linus had a similar interaction with his grandfather’s Commodore Vic20, another personal computer which was released in the early 80's (1980). This was the first computer to sell over one million units! (Image from Timex Computer World) -
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University of Helsinki
From 1988 through 1996, he attended the University of Helsinki. Here is where Linus obtained his Master’s degree in computer science from the NODES research group. Here is where Linus said he "was given full reign to work on Linux". He took his first class in C Programming which in return enabled Linus to start working on his first Linux Kernel. His thesis was "Linux: A Portable Operating System" -
Served his Country
In 1989, Linus served his mandatory service in the Finland mandatory military. He was awarded the position of Second Lieutenant. After this he decided to continue his education at the University of Helsinki. -
Initial Exposure to UNIX
In 1990, Linus was first introduced to the UNIX operating system. Yet, he wasn't quite found of the OS due to its Read ONLY properties, hindering the possibility for modifications. A prime example of a similar system was the commodore Vic-20. (Image from Youtube) -
Class on C Programming Language
Linus takes his first class on C Programming Language. This step enabled him to start working on the Linux kernel. (Image from Fossbytes) -
Coming Soon Project
Linus sent out a message though the MINIX newsgroup announcing his initial plans for a project that involved creating an OS that consisted of a mix of MINUX and UNIX, similar in code. (Image from microkernel.info) -
Release of Linux
Linus released a completed of Linux. Yet, initially he'd insisted on the name "Freax". But another member supporting Linus's works best thought the term "Linux" best suited the release and Linus accepted. It was published under the GPL GNU license which were developed by Richard Stallman. (Image from TechXplore) -
Version 1.0 Revealed
Linus reveals version 1.0 of Linux to the public. The picture below displays the Linux kernel booting up. (Image from Wikipedia) -
Master's Degree in Computer Science
Linus received his Master's Degree in Computer Science from the University of Helsinki. -
1st Born Daughter
Patricia Miranda Torvalds -
Employment Transmeta and the Linux Foundation
He released this source code out to the public, allowing other programmers and developers to download his code and build upon it. Linus was still protected against the GPL GNU license. In 1997, he accepted a job offer with Transmeta, a corporation that developed x86 microprocessors and nearing the end of 2003, Linus then moved on to work for the Open Source Development Labs, which then later became the Linux Foundation and is currently employed with.
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Moves to California
Linus moves to Santa Clara, California and starts a new job in Silicon Valley with Transmeta. His role was to develop commercial software that enabled Transmeta's microprocessors to communicate with an operating system. -
Marriage
Linus marries Tove Monni. They met in the autumn of 1993. Tove was a six-time Finnish national karate champion. -
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86open Project
Linus worked with the 86open group on creating a binary file format for 'UNIX" and similar OS systems. -
EFF Pioneer Award
Linus receives the EFF Pioneer Award. This award is presented to people that have made grand contributions to the world, mainly through the use of computers. (Image from eff.org) -
2nd Born Daughter
Daniela Yolanda Torvalds -
Stocks Rise
Red Hat and VA companies offered Linus stock options and that same year his share rose up to an est. $20 million. (Image from PCworld) -
Top Innovators under the age of 35
Linus was given the title of "Top innovators under the age of 35" by MIT. -
3rd Born Daugher
Celeste Amanda Torvalds -
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Current Employer
From 2003-Present, Linus is working for the Linux Foundation. Also previously known as the "Open Source Development Labs". -
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Linus Contribution to Linux
In 2006, about two percent of the Linux kernel was written by himself. Linus focused on combining the various Linux kernels that had been released within the public. By doing so, Linus could refine and possibly enhance a specific kernel release. Up to the present time, Linux remains one of the most popular operating system used today, mainly with developers and programmers. He currently works for the Linux Foundation and continues to develop Linux, enhancing it in every-way possible. -
Awarded the Millennium Technology Prize
In 2012, Linus was awarded the Millennium Technology Prize. This prize consists of two million euros and seeks to inspire/support the many great minds that'll better the future. (Image from Youtube) -
U.S. Citizenship
Linus becomes an official citizen of the Unites States and is registered to vote.
