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Linus Torvalds is born in Helsinki, Finland, on December 28, 1969. Later he becomes the main person behind the Linux operating system.
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At about 10 years old, Linus starts messing around with programming on his grandfather’s Commodore VIC-20. This is where his interest in computers really starts.
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Later in 1991, Linus posts about his new system on the Internet and shares Linux as a free download. He also releases the source code so other programmers can change and improve it. This is the start of Linux as an open-source project.
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In 1991, while studying computer science at the University of Helsinki, Linus buys his first PC. He doesn’t like MS-DOS and misses UNIX from the school computers, so he decides to make his own UNIX-style operating system for his PC.
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By 1994, after a lot of work from Linus and other programmers, Linux kernel version 1.0 is released. It’s now stable enough to be taken seriously as a real operating system.
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In the late 1990s, companies like Netscape, Corel, Oracle, and Intel decide to support Linux as a cheaper alternative to Microsoft Windows. This helps Linux spread on servers and in businesses.
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In 1997, Linus takes a job at a microprocessor company called Transmeta and moves to California. This is when he comes to the U.S. to keep working in tech while still leading Linux.
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About six years after joining Transmeta, he leaves and becomes a project coordinator at the Open Source Development Labs (OSDL). This group was created by big tech companies to support Linux development.
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In 2007, OSDL merges with the Free Standards Group, and together they form the Linux Foundation. Linus continues his role as the main Linux kernel maintainer under this new organization.
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On June 13, 2012, Linus Torvalds is awarded the Millennium Technology Prize in Finland for creating the Linux kernel, recognizing how important his work has been for modern computing.