Linus TorvaldsComputer Scientist
Born: 28 December 1969
Birthplace: Helsinki, Finland
Best known as: The guy who wrote the kernel for the Linux Operating System
In 1991 Linus Torvalds was a college student at the University of Helsinki. Starting with the basics of a Unix system, he wrote the kernel -- original code -- for a new system for his x86 PC that was later dubbed Linux (pronounced linn-ucks). Torvalds revealed the original source code for free -- making him a folk hero among programmers -- and users around the world began making additions and now continue to tweak it. Linux is considered the leader in the practice of allowing users to re-program their own operating systems.
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