Twenty-four years ago today, Linus Torvalds sent a message to the world. He said, “Hello, everybody out there…” and then calmly unleashed Linux. That message was received loud and clear. Since that day in 1991, Linux has undergone massive development and logged many milestones and Torvalds has become an iconic figure in the tech world.
A recent article by Ashlee Vance, stated that “Torvalds may be the most influential individual economic force of the past 20 years. He didn’t invent open-source software, but through Linux he unleashed the full power of the idea.”
The article went on to say that, “Torvalds has proven that open-source software can be quicker to build, better, and more popular than proprietary products…Torvalds has, in effect, been as instrumental in retooling the production lines of the modern economy as Henry Ford was 100 years earlier.”
Indeed, we are seeing Torvalds’ vision for Linux adapted by companies and individuals across industries as diverse as robotics, networking and pharmaceutical development, among others. We’ve been working a lot over the last few years to share the blueprint – the principles, practices and methodologies – that has made Linux so successful with developers building today’s most transformative infrastructure technologies. In fact, here’s a quick look at the work we’re doing to spread Linux nearly a quarter century after its debut: The Power of Distributed Genius.
Happy birthday, Linux.