Exclusive Q&A: Linus Torvalds

Ever wanted to climb inside the head of the man behind the concept of Linux? Well this interview below offers you a real chance…

If open source were a religion, Linus Torvalds, the Finnish engineer who wrote the core of the operating system that would become Linux, would be its prophet.

In 1991, Mr. Torvalds created the kernel, or core software, that would eventually be adopted by millions of computer users and lay the foundation for a vibrant open-source community.

Fifteen years later, Mr. Torvalds, after whom the Linux system is named, wears his crown lightly. He lives in Portland, Oregon, out of Silicon Valley’s spotlight, and has often expressed his dislike for the cult-like worship by open-source enthusiasts.

Three years ago, Mr. Torvalds, 37, joined the Open Source Development Lab, a consortium that promotes the adoption of Linux, where he now oversees development of the system.

In an email interview with Red Herring, Mr. Torvalds says the increasing focus of venture capitalists and large companies on open source can only be good for a community that, until now, was on the fringes of the commercial realm…. Source: Red Herring

New “Tulsa” Xeon chips making an appearance at LinuxWorld this year. Could be a really big year for both groups this year?

SAN FRANCISCO–Intel and Dell this week showed off servers using the chipmaker’s forthcoming high-end “Tulsa” Xeon, a chip that Intel has begun shipping but not formally announced.

The chips were used in an unlabeled Intel server and a Dell PowerEdge 6850 on display here at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo. Linux is popular chiefly on servers, so Intel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Advanced Micro Devices and others with server products are prime sponsors of the show.

Tulsa, a dual-core processor, is the last of the ill-fated NetBurst lineage of x86 chips from Intel. The NetBurst design in recent years was more notable for increases in power consumption than in performance, but it’s now been largely replaced by the Core microarchitecture that performs better and uses less electricity…. Source: News.com