How does the Story of Linus Torvalds Relate to the Hero's Journey?
1. Status Quo: Linus Torvalds starts off as an ordinary person, with a special knack for using technology.
2. Call to Adventure: Torvalds purchases a book about operating systems. This inspires him greatly and he ends up writing his M. Sc. Thesis about the concept of Linux, a portable operating system.
3. Assistance: Linus is told by a friend to attend a speech by Richard Stallman, a software guru. From this, he learns about the GPLv2, which he later implements in his own operating system.
4. Departure: Torvalds starts to write the code for his kernel, which he named Linux, that now powers the operating systems of many types of devices.
5. Trials: Linus had to buy a computer and test his incomplete creation, just to make sure everything was working. He asked many people to help him, and he barely had enough to buy a computer.
6. Approach: Linus is faced with the task of completing his kernel so that he can release it for the world to enjoy.
7. Crisis: Torvalds is almost done with his kernel, but must squash the bugs that are not allowing it to be released. As almost all programmers know, removing bugs from code is a difficult and tedious process.
8. Treasure: Torvalds finally completes his kernel, which he posts on the internet. He is proud of his creation.
9. Result: Linux becomes a popular kernel, which many people use to make their own operating systems.
10. Return: Torvalds becomes famous in the computing world for his brilliant kernel. It is later used in many devices, including smartphones, supercomputers, and even rockets.
11. New Life: Torvalds starts the Linux Foundation, which sponsors him so that he can continue to work on Linux, without having to work a separate job.
12. Resolution: Torvalds moves to the US, starts working for the the Linux Foundation, gets married, and has 3 children.
13. Status Quo: Linus Torvalds is now a popular software engineer, known worldwide for his contribution to software that is now implemented around the world. His invention is now the most popular operating system of all time.
2. Call to Adventure: Torvalds purchases a book about operating systems. This inspires him greatly and he ends up writing his M. Sc. Thesis about the concept of Linux, a portable operating system.
3. Assistance: Linus is told by a friend to attend a speech by Richard Stallman, a software guru. From this, he learns about the GPLv2, which he later implements in his own operating system.
4. Departure: Torvalds starts to write the code for his kernel, which he named Linux, that now powers the operating systems of many types of devices.
5. Trials: Linus had to buy a computer and test his incomplete creation, just to make sure everything was working. He asked many people to help him, and he barely had enough to buy a computer.
6. Approach: Linus is faced with the task of completing his kernel so that he can release it for the world to enjoy.
7. Crisis: Torvalds is almost done with his kernel, but must squash the bugs that are not allowing it to be released. As almost all programmers know, removing bugs from code is a difficult and tedious process.
8. Treasure: Torvalds finally completes his kernel, which he posts on the internet. He is proud of his creation.
9. Result: Linux becomes a popular kernel, which many people use to make their own operating systems.
10. Return: Torvalds becomes famous in the computing world for his brilliant kernel. It is later used in many devices, including smartphones, supercomputers, and even rockets.
11. New Life: Torvalds starts the Linux Foundation, which sponsors him so that he can continue to work on Linux, without having to work a separate job.
12. Resolution: Torvalds moves to the US, starts working for the the Linux Foundation, gets married, and has 3 children.
13. Status Quo: Linus Torvalds is now a popular software engineer, known worldwide for his contribution to software that is now implemented around the world. His invention is now the most popular operating system of all time.
What Makes Linus Torvalds a Hero?
Linus Torvalds is definitely a hero to me. This is because he has accomplished an amazing task in the computing world. He started off by discovering how a basic computer worked. He then wrote code for his own basic operating system and shared it for free. By inventing the Linux kernel, he has revolutionized the way people use computers. His invention is in almost everything, from television sets to cell phones to supercomputers. The amount of effort he has put into this project, and the fact that Linux is very successful and used by people and machines everywhere, makes me feel that Torvalds is a real-life hero.