Time Mag declares Linus Torvalds a hero

by Actual News Geezer | November 14, 2006 at 07:36 am

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In a special European edition, Time Magazine calls Linux founder Linus Torvalds "a real revolutionary" for developing a computer operating system that has rivaled Microsoft's.

Torvalds is included with other luminaries of the last 60 years, including Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher, and King Juan Carlos. Read on.

Today, 15 years later, Linux powers everything from supercomputers to mobile phones around the world, and Torvalds has achieved fame as the godfather of the open-source movement, in which software code is shared and developed in a collaborative effort rather than being kept locked up by a single owner.

Some of Torvalds' supporters portray him as a sort of anti-Bill Gates, but the significance of Linux is much bigger than merely a slap at Microsoft. Collaborating on core technologies could lead to a huge reduction in some business costs, freeing up money for more innovative investments elsewhere.