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| RANDY STAPILUS / Oregon |
Linus Torvalds, the originator of the Linux computer operating system (on which this publication is produced), doesn't get out a lot, at least not to speak to groups.
Written into his employment contract is a provision saying he can't be required to speak to groups. Although he has lived in the Portland area for about a decade, he has appeared at the local (and highly active) Linux users group, which just celebrated its 20-year anniversary, only twice. The most recent occasion was Thursday night.
Mostly, he said, he works at his computer, overseeing the “kernel†of the operating system named for him; “the kernel is my real life's work.†His employer is an open-source foundation which is based in the area. A native of Finland but a United States resident for 17 years, Torvalds speaks with only a trace of his native land and with great clarity.
 Torvalds at Portland (photo/Randy Stapilus) |
As the people who have felt the sting of his barbs could attest. (“C++ is a horrible [programming] language,†he said at point, and dismissing executives at one corporation as “horrible people†at another.)
“You never see my happier outbursts,†he said.
He spoke as well with a good deal of humor as well, reflecting on the progress 0f Linux and open source software – which he said are doing well and are far ahead of where they were just a few years ago – and technology as well.
While some tech corporations have been resistant to working with open source (including Linux) projects, Torvalds said that most have been highly cooperative, and are becoming more so.
Gaming – in which he said he has little personal interest – is important for Linux growth into the future, he suggested. It has been an area where Windows has been notably strong.
In his work, he said, he often finds “bugs†in the code as new upgrades evolve. The plus side is that they're usually swiftly discovered and corrected. He acknowledged making periodic mistakes himself, but they're almost never seen by the world because they're caught before they get that far. Open source software is developed by large numbers of volunteer software coders who regularly review and correct new and existing code.
That concept of broad correction returned in some other ways as well. “You'd think banks are secure,†he said, but: “No, they're not.†But he added that wasn't a big problem, because banks have proven highly capable of fixing and correcting problems once they do happen, which is nearly as good.
Torvalds suggested focusing attention on computer privacy and security where it matters most (such as in financial areas), not as a broad subject for concern in all areas. The reach of information gathering, he said, “is not the end of the world. You want to care about some things, and not so much about others.â€
Many people use Linux programming without know it, though “If you're a user, you really really shouldn't care.†Android smart phones, for example, use a Linux-based operating system, and many computer servers and embedded computers use it as well, because it is so inexpensive (free in many cases) and its coding is so efficient.
These areas interest Torvalds less, however: “For me, the main target is the desktop, and always has been.†That he suggested, is where the broad range of what a computer and an operating system can do really comes into play.
He acknowledged that a decade ago, Linux was not able to fully hold its own as a desktop operating system, but said that has changed. It has been picking up some steam in the United States, but growing faster in some other places, such as much of Europe and – for reasons unclear – South America.
The large open-source community in the Portland area only occasionally gets some visibility. But it gets some real encouragement from the fact that the founder and still final arbiter of one of the globe's leading operating systems lives close by. And, now and again, shows up at a users meeting.
