the man behind linux
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Seemingly overnight, this first name has become nearly
as well-known as the moniker of that other technology
celebrity. But Bill Gates, despite all his billions, will
never be Linus Torvalds. The 29-year-old Finnish creator
of the simple yet powerful Linux operating system exceeds
the Gates of myth. Legend may have it that Gates was a
brilliant programmer, but Torvalds is the real thing,
having spun out a tightly written operating system while
still in college. And while a young Gates labeled fellow
programmers "thieves" for copying his mediocre code,
the generous Torvalds freely shared his epiphany with
the world. Which man and movement wins may decide
technology's future.
Two years ago, the idea that a technology giant and
Microsoft Corp. ally such as Hewlett-Packard Co.
would rush to make its computers run Linux seemed
far-fetched. But by endorsing a development model that
invited the world to improve upon his original creation
and to share those innovations, Torvalds spawned a
revolution. Cynics wondered whether Microsoft's labeling
of Linux as "serious competition" in the Department of
Justice's (DoJ's) case was simply a ploy to ward off
charges of monopolistic practices. But there was more
truth to the admonition than Microsoft let on. Late
last year, a Microsoft white paper dubbed "the Halloween
document" was leaked to the press, and its conclusions
may well have haunted Gates.
Linux, arguably the best example of the synergy
of open source software (OSS), may not be easily
defeated by standard Microsoft hardball. "Linux and
other OSS advocates are making a progressively more
credible argument that OSS is at least as robust--if
not more--than commercial alternatives," said the paper,
written by Microsoft engineer Vinod Valloppillil. "The
ability of the OSS process to collect and harness the
collective IQ of thousands of individuals across the
Internet is simply amazing."
But missing in the Halloween document is the recognition
that Torvalds is proving himself perhaps the most adept
and powerful anti-Gates figure ever to emerge. Where
Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison blew hot Network Computer
smoke at Gates, and Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Scott
McNealy, despite Java's success, seems stuck in his
anti-Gates shtick, Torvalds has stayed true to his
original course. A consummate politician--though he swears
he isn't one--Torvalds has deftly kept the freeware and
open source purists and the new commercial vendors from
tearing one another and Linux apart. Though he welcomes
the commercial Linux versions and applications that have
lent increasing reliability to the operating system,
Torvalds has retained the support of the freeware radicals
who helped spark his revolution.
Incredibly, in this age of instant IPOs and billionaire
wunderkinds, Torvalds appears in no hurry to cash in on
his success. He still drives the ordinary green Pontiac
Grand Am he bought when he left his native Finland
in early 1997 for his first--and thus far only--job in
Silicon Valley. A year ago when Torvalds, his kindergarten
teacher Finnish wife and two children outgrew their small
Santa Clara, Calif., apartment, they rented the first
house they looked at--across the street. Rumors abound
about his employer, the highly secretive Transmeta
Corp. of Santa Clara, but so far, Torvalds shows no
evidence of having reaped any sudden bounty.
In person, the soft-spoken, bespectacled man known to most
of the public simply as "Linus," is amiable, proud of his
talent and achievements, and funny. Though his everyman's
reputation for eating at cheap dives has been replaced
with a soft spot for sushi--along with a little paunch
from doing too much coding--he hasn't lost the Finnish
lilt in his voice or his impish grin. Torvalds seems
a populist at heart, and his drive to break monopoly
software pricing is reflected in his other tastes. For
example, he won't buy a book in hardback: He believes they
cost too much because they generally don't sell widely.
Similarly, he prefers Hollywood entertainment to highbrow
European art films. The son of a radio man (his mother
translates newspaper stories, his uncle works for Finnish
television, and his grandfather was a newspaper reporter),
Torvalds understands the media. And he seems comfortable
with the fact that as fast as his fame has grown, the
stakes are only going to get bigger.