Thanks to Gary Krakow
for this link.
by Gary Krakow, MSNBC Feature Writer
Live chat with Microsoft-killer Linus Torvalds on MSNBC Tuesday,
7:30 p.m. ET http://www.msnbc.com/chat/default.asp
Here’s a little on Linus (who on the Net ranks as a one-name
star, like Michael (Jordan), or Bill (Gates):
Who is the man behind the what is perhaps the biggest threat to
the biggest company in the world? Linus Torvalds, a 29-year-old
Finnish programmer who created a new computer operating system as a
hobby. Linux, which is free, is the first genuine alternative to
Microsoft Windows since the Macintosh. But this threat is real —
it has support from heavyweights like Intel, Oracle, Sun, Compaq,
and even Microsoft’ pal Michael Dell.
Torvalds, who still personally controls Linux, has since moved
to Silicon Valley, where he works for a mysterious company named
Transmeta. The three-year-old start-up, which is backed in part by
money from Paul Allen, has yet to make a product and won’t say what
it’s up to. But rumors suggest the company is fashioning a new kind
of processor designed to take on Intel.
Linus is the patron saint of “anti-Microsoft” forces in the
computer industry – a regular programmer David who has taken on
Goliath, and is holding his own. Microsoft now regularly cites
Linux is its anti-trust trial as evidence of real competition, and
has repeatedly warned analysts about the threat to the
Redmond-giant’s core business. Torvalds is also a cult hero on the
Internet – a search at the AltaVista search engine reveals 10,000
Web pages mention his name. That’s well more than Oracle’s Larry
Ellison (8,000) and Sun’s Scott McNealy (5,500).