On Linus Torvalds and Linux
The Linux operating system is the main competitor to major OSes such as Microsoft Windows and Apple’s macOS. The development of Linux started with a man from Finland named Linus Torvalds. As a computer science student in the 90s, Torvalds decided he did not like the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system available to personal computers at the time.
While personal computers used MS-DOS, a precursor to Windows, computers in universities used an operating system called UNIX. Torvalds was introduced to the programming of operating systems by a Unix course at his college, Helsinki University.
The textbook for the course, written by a man called Andrew Tanenbaum, came with source code for a basic Unix operating system called Minix. At the same time, major chip manufacturer Intel released a new chip, the 386 chip, that could run Minix on a personal computer.
While experimenting with the new 386 chip, Torvalds slowly pieced together all the components for the operating system that would be Linux: a task-switcher that became a kernel, drivers for keyboards and phone line connections, and later, with the help of newsgroups, disk drivers and a file system so files could be uploaded and downloaded.
The name Linux came about via the directory that one of the Helsinki University staff, intrigued by Torvalds’ work, set aside to allow him to upload his work to the FTP site where it could be shared. Linux was originally available on the FTP server ftp.funet.fi, in the directory /pub/os/linux.
In addition to making Linux freely available to anyone, Torvalds also made the source code available. Having learned much of what he needed to create the operating system from open sharing on newsgroups, Torvalds would continue to promote the open nature and sharing of information as Linux grew. While companies like Microsoft and Apple keep their operating systems’ source code hidden and locked down, Linux’s source code is available for anyone to view and edit. This means others like Linus Torvalds can use his work as a basis to make their own operating systems.
By releasing Linux in this way, Linus Torvalds became a key figure in what is now known as the open source movement. Since Linux exists as a free and open alternative to other major OSes. As a public figure, Torvalds speaks out against what he sees as companies like Microsoft taking away privacy and usability in their operating systems in favor of supposedly having better security. In a 1994 interview with Robert Young of the Linux Journal, Torvalds said:
“Even with 20/20 hindsight, I consider the linux copyright to be one of the very best design decisions I ever did, along with accepting code that was copyrighted by other holders (under the same copyright conditions, of course). I’m not fanatic about the GPL, but in the case of linux it has certainly worked out well enough. As to patents, I consider software patents a patently bad idea in the first place, and even if I didn’t, I would abhor the paperwork needed.”
Linus Torvalds released his work with no expectation that it would even earn him a living beyond making the search for a job easier, but even while still a student, his OS gained tens of thousands of users. In the short term after graduating, Torvalds worked for a microprocessor company, but as Linux swelled and grew to dominate a portion of the OS market, Torvalds became a coordinator at the Open Source Development Labs put together by major hardware companies like Intel and Siemens.
The Open Source Development Labs is now known as the Linux Foundation, and Torvalds continues his work there to coordinate major tech companies who work with Linux, much as Microsoft or Apple reach out to such companies when developing their operating systems.
In addition to hardware companies, major software and internet giants like Google use Linux in their development because it comes without a commitment to using another company’s services, and can be used freely in the development of their own applications.
According to Google’s director of open source, “Since our first days at Stanford, it has run on every server and most of our internal infrastructure. If you look back to the earliest days of Android, there was never really a question as to which kernel would be best for our use.”
For developing businesses, the fact that Linux and many programs running on the operating system are free can allow them to grow without the startup costs that other technology companies might impose. As well, by existing as a rival in the same space as those other companies, Linux keeps prices down and ensures better quality in the operating system market.
