Synopses & Reviews
In this witty and engrossing narrative, Linus Torvalds, the brilliant mastermind behind the latest technology revolution, chronicles his transformation from pale, skinny Helsinki college kid to international folk hero. What began as a childhood hobby soon became the astonishing phenomenon known as the LINUX operating system. A decade after its inception, the LINUX system is still constantly evolving and improving everyday, and Linus describes this in simple, layman's terms without lapsing into mind-boggling technical jargon.
Part autobiography and part business philosophy, Just For Fun brims with biographical detail about the radical spirit and creativity of Linus Torvaids. Torvalds is the first to admit he never intentionally sought fame and fortune. Yet fame and fortune found him when he radically changed the world of technology for one selfish reason-He did it just for fun.Read by David Diamond
Synopsis
A fascinating self-portrait of the software mastermind who invented Linux and turned the high tech world upside down by taking a hobby and creating the open-source movement.
Synopsis
Once upon a time Linus Torvalds was a skinny unknown, just another nerdy Helsinki techie who had been fooling around with computers since childhood. Then he wrote a groundbreaking operating system and distributed it via the Internet -- for free. Today Torvalds is an international folk hero. And his creation LINUX is used by over 12 million people as well as by companies such as IBM.
Now, in a narrative that zips along with the speed of e-mail, Torvalds gives a history of his renegade software while candidly revealing the quirky mind of a genius. The result is an engrossing portrayal of a man with a revolutionary vision, who challenges our values and may change our world.
Synopsis
In this witty and engrossing narrative, Linus Torvalds, the brilliant mastermind behind the LINUX operating system, chronicles his transformation from nerdy Helsinki college kid to international folk hero. Torvalds gives readers a personal account of the development of LINUX (which is distributed for free) and chronicles the astounding growth it has experienced. Part autobiography, part business philosophy, Just For Fun brims with fascinating personal details about the radical spirit and creativity of the author, as well as the strategies that resulted in his remarkable achievement. Entertaining and informative, this is a business book with wide appeal.
About the Author
Linus Torvalds was born in Finland. He graduated from the University of Helsinki and lives with his wife, the six-time karate champion of Finland, and his children. Linus currently works as a programmer on several projects for Transmeta.
David Diamond has written regularly for such publications as the New York Times, Business Week, and Wired. He is executive editor of Red Herring Magazine and lives in Kentfield, California, with his wife and daughter.