Linus Torvalds

Linus Torvalds is a Finnish-American software engineer who created the Linux kernel and Git version-control system.

Richard Stallman: Richard Stallman is an American software freedom activist who founded the GNU Project and the Free Software Foundation. The GNU tools supplied essential user-space components for systems built around Torvalds's kernel.
Linux kernel: The Linux kernel is the core system software that manages hardware, memory, processes, and device access. It is Torvalds's best-known creation and the project he continues to oversee.
University of Helsinki: The University of Helsinki is a public research university in Finland. Torvalds studied computer science there when he began developing Linux.
Android: Android is a mobile operating system whose platform uses a modified Linux kernel. Its widespread deployment made Linux central to smartphones and tablets.
GNU General Public License: The GNU General Public License is a family of copyleft software licenses requiring covered derivative works to preserve specified freedoms. Torvalds licensed Linux under the GPL, shaping how its code can be shared and reused.
Alan Cox: Alan Cox is a Welsh software engineer known for major contributions to the Linux kernel. His maintenance work helped shape Linux during its early growth.
Git: Git is a distributed version-control system that records changes to files and coordinates collaborative development. Torvalds created it to manage Linux development after disputes over BitKeeper access.
MINIX: MINIX is a small Unix-like operating system created for teaching operating-system design. Using MINIX on his PC helped prompt Torvalds to write a new kernel.
Linux distributions: Linux distributions package the Linux kernel with system software, applications, and installation tools. They turn the kernel Torvalds maintains into complete operating systems for varied users.
Open-source movement: The open-source movement promotes collaborative software development through publicly available source code. Linux became a defining example of large-scale development under open-source principles.

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LinuxRelated: Torvalds began the kernel project and remains its lead maintainer.