by Leonard Richardson
Published on segfault.org 02/23/2000
The question on the lips of everyone in the Linux community is,"What if Linus Torvalds (affectionately known to the trade press as'Linux Torvalds') gets hit by a bus?" Reams of virtual paper have beenwasted on idle speculation about the results of what is a fairlysimple experiment. We decided it was high time someone actually tookthe trouble to find out what would happen if Linus Torvalds were toget hit by a bus. Our preliminary findings are printed below; we hopethat this study will eventually be published in peer-reviewed Linuxpublications such as Linux Journal and Slashdot. Well, Linux Journal.
Methodology
Our sample consisted of 200 Linus Torvaldses separated into a testgroup of 100 and a control group of 100. 97 members of the test groupwere hit by buses at speeds ranging from 5 MPH to 70 MPH. The otherthree test subjects ran into stationary buses on their own power. Adifferent bus was used for each trial so as to ensure that the trialswould be independent.
The control group was observed over a period of six months, inwhich none of the subjects was hit by a bus.
Observations
Only nine members of the test group survived; two of these wereseriously injured. All survivors had been assigned to the lower end ofthe velocity scale, as can be seen in Figure 1.
No fatalities were reported in the control group. One member chokedon a muffin during the second week, but recovered after an applicationof the Heimlich maneuver. No buses were present during the incident.
Conclusions and Recommendations
Our study's bottom line: given standard traffic patterns, LinusTorvalds has an 8.9% (plus or minus 1.4%) chance of surviving andfully recovering from a collision with a bus. Due to Torvalds'development skills and acknowledged importance to the Linux community,we hereby recommend that Linus Torvalds be kept out of the path ofoncoming buses. Also, his muffin intake should be monitored.
Linux kernel development was not significantly affected by ourexperiment; however, we attribute this to the large sample size used.
The Future
We plan to do similar tests to determine the effects of buses onMiguel de Icaza, Larry Wall, and Eric S. Raymond. Our confidentprediction is that we will obtain similar results.
Instructions on getting hit by a bus will soon be posted to ourproject Web site, so that the average developer will be able to gaugehis or her importance to the Open Source community.
FAQs
Torvalds further solidified his impact on software development with the creation of Git, a distributed version control system. Git revolutionized the way developers manage and track changes in their code, becoming a cornerstone tool for collaborative software development across the globe.
What was Linus Torvalds famous for? ›
As creator of the Linux operating system, Linus Torvalds is a leading supporter of Open Source software. An avid programmer, Torvalds wrote the kernel of the Linux operating system at age 21 from his mother's apartment in Helsinki.
Why did Linus Torvalds write the Linux kernel? ›
In 1991, Torvalds decided that his new MS-DOS-driven PC needed an alternative operating system. He had enough programming know-how under his belt to assume that he could achieve this himself. His goal was to create a UNIX-like operating system he could use at home.
What does Linus Torvalds think of C++? ›
He said contemptuously: “C++ can't solve the problem of the C language at all, it will only make things worse. This is a really bad language.”
Who is Linux owned by? ›
Linus Torvalds owns the copyright to the name Linux, but anyone can create a distribution of Linux by combining various open source components.
Why Linus is free? ›
Torvalds initiated a switch from his original license, which prohibited commercial redistribution, to the GNU GPL. Developers worked to integrate GNU components with the Linux kernel, creating a fully functional and free operating system.
Why is Linus called Git? ›
The origin of the name Git
Torvalds claimed to have named Linux after himself, and he said Git (British slang for “jerk”) was no different. “I'm an egotistical b*stard, and I name all my projects after myself,” he said at the time.
Who invented Linux OS? ›
Linux, computer operating system created in the early 1990s by Finnish software engineer Linus Torvalds and the Free Software Foundation (FSF). While still a student at the University of Helsinki, Torvalds started developing Linux to create a system similar to MINIX, a UNIX operating system.
Does Linus Torvalds have a PhD? ›
Torvalds attended the University of Helsinki from 1988 to 1996, graduating with a master's degree in computer science from the NODES research group.
How old is Linux OS? ›
Linux® is an open source operating system (OS). It was originally conceived of and created as a hobby by Linus Torvalds in 1991. Linus, while at university, sought to create an alternative, free, open source version of the MINIX operating system, which was itself based on the principles and design of Unix.
Although, Torvald never made much money for a long time, his networth, now, is about $150 million. He gets his money, from companies, paying him for technical support, from Redhat shares and from public speaking.
Does Linus Torvalds still contribute to Git? ›
On 26 July 2005, he turned over Git's maintenance to Junio Hamano, a major project contributor. Subsurface is software for logging and planning scuba dives, which Torvalds began developing in late 2011. It is free and open-source software distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.
Does Linus still maintain Linux? ›
So there you have it, yes, Linus does continue dogfooding the Linux kernel even during the very busy two week merge window periods where lots of new code (and bugs) are introduced.
Who will maintain Linux after Linus Torvalds? ›
If Linus Torvalds dies, will there still be Linux? The kernel would survive Linus's departure. This is something which is discussed regularly these days. Even if Linus decided to retire, Greg Kroah-Hartman would probably take the top seat (Greg is the only person other than Linus to have released a Linux kernel).
What language does Linus Torvalds code in? ›
Linus Torvalds thinks Java and C++ are horrible programming languages. So, which language does he recommend for programming? He prefers C over C++ for multiple reasons, and some of them are very valid.
