Oral History of Linus Torvalds
• Computer • History Museum Oral History of Linus Torvalds Interviewed by: Grady Booch Edited by: Dag Spicer Recorded: July 27, 2008 Portland, Oregon CHM Reference number: X4596.2008 © 2008 Computer History Museum Oral History of Linus Torvalds Grady Booch: Here we are on July 25th [2008] in the lovely home of Linus Torvalds, interviewing him for the Computer History Museum. So, thank you very much for joining us here. Well, actually not for joining us, we're joining you. So, thank you for inviting us in. Let's begin at the very, very beginning. You were born where? Tell us a little about your childhood. Linus Torvalds: I was born in Helsinki, 1969, and quite frankly, I don't remember much of my childhood. I'm told there are people who remember when they were small. My memory goes back to about when I was ten-years old and that's it, nothing very special, I'm afraid. Booch: And your parents? Tell us a little bit about that. Torvalds: My whole family is basically journalists. So my dad is a journalist, my mother is a journalist, my sister has become a journalist, my uncle on my father's side, my grandfather on my father's side. They're all journalists. So I'm actually the black sheep in the family, although there are a few scientists on my mother's side, so… Booch: Scientists of what nature, what field where they? Torvalds: My grandfather on my mother's side was a mathematician, statistics, and my uncle on that side is a physicist, so… Booch: And indeed, claims are that you were either named after Linus from the Peanuts strip or Linus Pauling.
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