Linus Torvalds - Software Engineer, Birthday and Life
Linus Torvalds's Personal Details
Linus Torvalds is the software engineer who created the Linux kernel operating system
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | December 28, 1969 |
| Nationality | Finns, American |
| Famous | Atheists, Engineers, Computer Engineers, Software Engineer |
| Spouses | Tove Torvalds |
| Siblings | Tove Torvalds |
| Known as | Linus Benedict Torvalds |
| Universities |
|
| Birth Place | Helsinki |
| Born Country | Finland |
| Height | 177 |
| Gender | Male |
| Father | Nils Torvalds |
| Mother | Anna Torvalds |
| Net Worth | $150 million as of Feb 17,2017 |
| Sun Sign | Capricorn |
| Born in | Helsinki |
| Famous as | Software Engineer |
Linus Torvalds's photo
Who is Linus Torvalds?
Named by Time magazine as the ‘one of the most influential people in the world’, Linus Torvalds is the creative genius behind the Linux kernel operating system. He wrote it as a part of his Master’s thesis titled, ‘Linux: A Portable Operating System' at the young age of 21. Listed in The Britannica Guide's 'The 100 Most Influential Inventors of All Time', he is also listed 17th on the Time magazines poll of ‘Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century'. He is one of the world’s most renowned software programmers, who revolutionised the computer industry. He even has an asteroid and an asteroid moon named after him. He is the owner of the Linux trademark and is one of the highest authorities who decide the incorporation of new codes. He has a total of 35 applied and granted patents internationally. He served as one of the chief architects of the Linux kernel operating system and currently works as the main coordinator of the project. He has authored a memoir titled, ‘Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary'.
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Childhood & Early Life
Linus Benedict Torvalds was born in Helsinki, Finland. His parents are Anna and Nils Torvalds, both of whom are journalists. He is the grandson of the Finnish-Swedish journalist and poet, Ole Torvalds.
Between 1988 and 1996, he studied at the University of Helsinki, from where he obtained a master’s degree in computer science. He belonged to the NODES research group.
During his period of study, he became a part of the Finnish Army and attended an eleven month training programme in order to meet the compulsory military service criteria of Finland. This interrupted his studies.
While in the army, he reached the position of a second lieutenant. In 1990, he went back to university to continue his studies. It was during this time that he got acquainted with the operating system, ‘Unix’.
He wrote his Master’s thesis on ‘Linux: A Portable Operating System'. He became fascinated and deeply interested in computer science after he worked on the 8-bit home computer, VIC-20.
He later bought the personal computer, Sinclair QL and modified the computer, especially the operating system. He programmed assembly language, text editor and a few games.
Career
In 1991, he purchased the Intel 80386-based IBM PC and obtained a MINIX operating system. With this, he began to work and research on the Linux operating system.
In 1996, he went on a visit to the technology firm, ‘Transmeta’, where he began to work from the following year. He later worked for the Open Source Development Labs.
From 1997 to 1999, he worked on the '86open' project, which is a binary file format for the ‘Unix’ and Unix-like operating systems. They were to be used on a common x86 PC.
In 1999, he was offered stock options for his creation by the companies, Red Hat and VA Linux. That very year, the stock prices increased to about $20 million after the companies went public.
In June 2004, along with his family, he relocated to Beaverton, Oregon, where Open Source Development Labs was headquartered. The following year, he developed the software, ‘Git’.
By 2006, about two per cent of the Linux kernel was written by him, which was a significant contribution.
In 2012, he stated that his contribution to the Linux kernel mostly involved merging codes that were already written by others and did not involve much programming.
Major Works
He is the founder and the creator of the new operating system ‘Linux’, which was released in 1991. This Linux kernel is one of the most significant free and open source software.
Awards & Achievements
In 1998, he was a recipient of the EFF Pioneer Award.
In 1999, he was given the title of 'one of the top 100 innovators, under the age of 35, in the world' by MIT Technology Review TR100.
In 2000, he was the recipient of the Lovelace Medal, which was conferred by the British Computer Society.
In 2001, along with Richard Stallman and Ken Sakamura, he shared the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Well-Being.
In 2005, he was given the Vollum Award from Reed College.
In 2008, he became an inductee into the Hall of Fellows of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
In 2010, he was awarded the C&C Prize by the NEC Corporation.
In 2012, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.
In 2012, he was one of the recipients of the Millennium Technology Prize.
Personal Life & Legacy
He is married to Tove Monni, a karate champion. The couple has three daughters.
He calls himself an atheist. He is completely irreligious and believes that religion should be a personal choice and not a political issue.
In 2010, he became a citizen of the United States of America.
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Linus Torvalds's awards
| Year | Name | Award |
|---|---|---|
Other | ||
| 0 | 2005 - Vollum Award | |
| 0 | 1998 - EFF Pioneer Award | |
| 0 | 2006 - 2000 Award for Industry Achievement | |
Linus Torvalds biography timelines
- // 28th Dec 1969Linus Benedict Torvalds was born in Helsinki, Finland. His parents are Anna and Nils Torvalds, both of whom are journalists. He is the grandson of the Finnish-Swedish journalist and poet, Ole Torvalds.
- // 1988 To 1996Between 1988 and 1996, he studied at the University of Helsinki, from where he obtained a master’s degree in computer science. He belonged to the NODES research group.
- // 1991In 1991, he purchased the Intel 80386-based IBM PC and obtained a MINIX operating system. With this, he began to work and research on the Linux operating system.
- // 1996In 1996, he went on a visit to the technology firm, ‘Transmeta’, where he began to work from the following year. He later worked for the Open Source Development Labs.
- // 1997 To 1999From 1997 to 1999, he worked on the '86open' project, which is a binary file format for the ‘Unix’ and Unix-like operating systems. They were to be used on a common x86 PC.
- // 1998In 1998, he was a recipient of the EFF Pioneer Award.
- // 1999In 1999, he was offered stock options for his creation by the companies, Red Hat and VA Linux. That very year, the stock prices increased to about $20 million after the companies went public.
- // 1999In 1999, he was given the title of 'one of the top 100 innovators, under the age of 35, in the world' by MIT Technology Review TR100.
- // 2000In 2000, he was the recipient of the Lovelace Medal, which was conferred by the British Computer Society.
- // 2001In 2001, along with Richard Stallman and Ken Sakamura, he shared the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Well-Being.
- // 2004In June 2004, along with his family, he relocated to Beaverton, Oregon, where Open Source Development Labs was headquartered. The following year, he developed the software, ‘Git’.
- // 2006By 2006, about two per cent of the Linux kernel was written by him, which was a significant contribution.
- // 2008In 2008, he became an inductee into the Hall of Fellows of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
- // 2010In 2010, he was awarded the C&C Prize by the NEC Corporation.
- // 2012In 2012, he stated that his contribution to the Linux kernel mostly involved merging codes that were already written by others and did not involve much programming.
- // 2012In 2012, he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.
- // 2012In 2012, he was one of the recipients of the Millennium Technology Prize.
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Linus Torvalds's FAQ
What is Linus Torvalds birthday?
Linus Torvalds was born at 1969-12-28
Where is Linus Torvalds's birth place?
Linus Torvalds was born in Helsinki
What is Linus Torvalds nationalities?
Linus Torvalds's nationalities is Finns, American
Who is Linus Torvalds spouses?
Linus Torvalds's spouses is Tove Torvalds
Who is Linus Torvalds siblings?
Linus Torvalds's siblings is Tove Torvalds
What was Linus Torvalds universities?
Linus Torvalds studied at University of Helsinki
How tall is Linus Torvalds?
Linus Torvalds's height is 177
Who is Linus Torvalds's father?
Linus Torvalds's father is Nils Torvalds
Who is Linus Torvalds's mother?
Linus Torvalds's mother is Anna Torvalds
What is Linus Torvalds's sun sign?
Linus Torvalds is Capricorn
How famous is Linus Torvalds?
Linus Torvalds is famouse as Software Engineer