Richard Stallman
- Born:
- March 16, 1953, New York City, New York, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Software Developer, Free Software Advocate, Computer Scientist
Early Life and Education
- Showed early aptitude for mathematics and computers.
- Attended Harvard University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physics in 1974.
- Worked at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory during and after his undergraduate studies.
Career and Major Achievements
- Pioneered the concept of free software.
- Founded the GNU Project in 1983 to create a complete Unix-like operating system composed entirely of free software.
- Authored the GNU General Public License (GPL), a widely used free software license.
- Founded the Free Software Foundation (FSF) in 1985.
- Developed GNU Emacs, a highly extensible text editor.
Legacy and Impact
Richard Stallman's work and advocacy have been instrumental in the development and proliferation of free and open-source software. He has significantly influenced the software industry's legal and ethical landscape.
Notable Works
- GNU Emacs
- GNU Compiler Collection (GCC)
- GNU Debugger (GDB)
- GNU General Public License (GPL)
Linus Torvalds
- Born:
- December 28, 1969, Helsinki, Finland
- Nationality:
- Finnish-American
- Profession(s):
- Software Engineer, Kernel Hacker
Early Life and Education
- Developed an interest in computers at a young age.
- Studied Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, graduating with a Master's degree.
Career and Major Achievements
- Created the Linux kernel in 1991, which forms the core of Linux-based operating systems.
- Oversees the development of the Linux kernel as the project's lead maintainer.
- Developed Git, a distributed version control system.
Legacy and Impact
Linus Torvalds's creation of the Linux kernel has had a profound impact on the computing world. Linux powers a vast range of devices, from servers and smartphones to embedded systems. The development of Git also revolutionized software development practices.
Notable Works
- Linux Kernel
- Git
The separate sections above cover Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds. To produce 'richard stallman et linus torvalds biography' as a unified piece, content could be re-organized to highlight their independent achievements while also underscoring their distinct but related impacts on free and open-source software.