Difference between revisions of "Linus Torvalds"
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Torvalds' behavior seems symptomatic of a larger set of trends in the technology industry. Torvalds, as a sort of 'strong man' or benevolent dictator, maintains full control over his project. In some ways, this is ideal. As the creator of Linux, Torvalds is an excellent choice to steward the platform's progression. At the same time, however, flaws in Torvalds' character--that without such importance, may be considered minor--are magnified in this context. | Torvalds' behavior seems symptomatic of a larger set of trends in the technology industry. Torvalds, as a sort of 'strong man' or benevolent dictator, maintains full control over his project. In some ways, this is ideal. As the creator of Linux, Torvalds is an excellent choice to steward the platform's progression. At the same time, however, flaws in Torvalds' character--that without such importance, may be considered minor--are magnified in this context. | ||
Revision as of 23:33, 26 March 2020
| Birthname | Linus Torvalds |
| Date of Birth | 28 December, 1969 |
| Birth Place | Helsinki, Finland |
| Nationality | Finnish-American |
| Occupation | Code Manager |
| Biography | Known as the creator of the Linux operating system and Git versioning |
Linus Benedict Torvalds [1] ( born 28 December, 1969, Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish-American Code Manager and Maintainer. Linus is the creator of the Linux Kernel; a foundation for the open-source operating system, and Git, the world's most popular version control manager.
Today, Linus' kernel runs the internet [2] . Linux is, by far, the most popular foundation for mobile phones and servers.
Contents
Early life, Education
Torvalds was born into a family of two journalists, and five siblings. Linus' interest in computers began early. Torvalds' interest in computing was sparked by his Grandfather [3], a professor of Statistics at the University fo Helenski. By the age of ten, Torvalds was writing programs in on his grandfather's computer, in BASIC. [4]. In the words of his sister, Sarah, "Just give Linus a spare closet with a good computer in it and feed him some dry pasta, and he'll be perfectly happy." [5] Linus was often received as an introvert; quiet, studious: he preferred to be with books over people. [6]
Torvalds' received his master's degree in Computer Science from the University of Helsinki [7]. Today, Torvalds remains the most well-recognized alumni from that program. Linus, in particular, credited the University with giving him "pretty free reign to work on Linux." [8] While at the University, he met his wife, Tove.[9]. The pair went on to have three daughters.
Linux and Open Source
Torvalds' motivation for creating Linux was simple: he disliked MS-DOS. As a student at the University of Helenski, Torvalds had grown accustom to an UNIX system interface. However, there were no UNIX implementations that were easily available on home computers. Torvalds set out to change this, with his implementation of Linux. Although not a UNIX operating system per se, Linux is a close approximation. Crucially, Torvalds elected to make his implementation free and open source; anyone could build and use Linux, providing a unix-like environment to the masses. [10]
Despite Linux's association with the free and open source software movement, Torvalds claims not to care much for open source. In fact, he views it simply as an engine for comments [11]--feedback on his work. In Torvalds' view, open source is "just a superior way of working together and generating code"; the project simply needed more eyes.
Public Image and Contraversy
In the tech community, Torvalds is known for his austere demeanor and pithy speech. Torvalds delights in shaming is Kernel contributors--and throwing insults in general [12]. Excerpts include: “Please just kill yourself now. The world will be a better place” and “Guys, this is not a dick-sucking contest.” Torvalds' style of discourse has proven controversial in his community, and outside. On one hand, many defend Torvalds' with his historical argument; respect should be earned [13]. Torvalds is often rude; however, in his view, this is simply transactional. A means to an end. On the other hand, Torvalds' behavior has drawn heavy criticism from concerned individuals and the media. Torvalds has been accused of implicitly tolerating sexism and homophobia, among others, in his community. In fact, Torvalds has been accused by the Linux community of living a "lifetime of not understanding emotions." [14]
Ultimately, Torvalds' style of management caught up with him. In 2018, Torvalds temporaily stepped down from his position in the Linux foundation, citing his need for sensitivity training. In Torvalds' words: “[I need to] get some assistance on how to understand people’s emotions and respond appropriately.” [15]. Linus offered the following apology:
“The above is basically a long-winded way to get to the somewhat painful personal admission that hey, I need to change some of my behavior, and I want to apologize to the people that my
personal behavior hurt and possibly drove away from kernel development entirely. I am going to take some time off and get some assistance on how to understand people's emotions and respond appropriately."
Ethical Ramifications
Torvalds' behavior seems symptomatic of a larger set of trends in the technology industry. Torvalds, as a sort of 'strong man' or benevolent dictator, maintains full control over his project. In some ways, this is ideal. As the creator of Linux, Torvalds is an excellent choice to steward the platform's progression. At the same time, however, flaws in Torvalds' character--that without such importance, may be considered minor--are magnified in this context.
In some ways, the problems faced by Torvalds and his Linux Foundation mirror those faced by other open platforms. One example is Wikipedia [16]. While an Operating System is dissimilar from a community Wikipedia, it seems plausible that the foundation can distribute the personal risk of Torvalds' behavior similarly.
References
- ↑ Linus Torvalds Facts https://itsfoss.com/linus-torvalds-facts/
- ↑ Linux Statistics https://hostingtribunal.com/blog/linux-statistics/
- ↑ Linus's Grandfather https://www.biofamouspeople.com/biography/linus-torvalds
- ↑ Linus Programs in BASIC https://itsfoss.com/linus-torvalds-facts/
- ↑ Linus https://www.wired.com/2003/11/linus/
- ↑ Linus Torvalds https://www.famousinventors.org/linus-torvalds
- ↑ Linus CS masters https://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/linus-torvalds/
- ↑ Linus Torvalds Inspiring Department Students https://www.cs.helsinki.fi/en/story/75798/linus-torvalds-inspiring-department-students
- ↑ Linus Meets Tove https://itsfoss.com/linus-torvalds-facts/
- ↑ History of Linux https://www.famousinventors.org/linus-torvalds
- ↑ Linus Doesn't Care About Open Source https://www.techrepublic.com/article/linux-creator-linus-torvalds-doesnt-really-care-about-open-source/
- ↑ Linux kernel devs https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/07/linus-torvalds-defends-his-right-to-shame-linux-kernel-developers/
- ↑ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ017D_JOPY Linus's Argument https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ017D_JOPY
- ↑ Linus Community https://www.computerworld.com/article/3004387/how-bad-a-boss-is-linus-torvalds.html
- ↑ Linus steps down https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/after-years-of-abusive-e-mails-the-creator-of-linux-steps-aside
- ↑ Lessons of Wikipedia https://cyber.harvard.edu/iif/sites/iif/images/FutureoftheInternetch6.pdf
