It’s not the mosy surprising news in the world, especially when the Android kernel is based on his creation, but the BBC interview with Linus Torvalds is well worth a read.
Linus talks about the birth of Linux and why, in his opinion, Linux hasn’t cracked the desktop market..
You really do need (Linux) to be pre-installed… As Android has shown, Linux really can be very much a consumer product.
That said, I wouldn’t dismiss it either. The whole “ubiqutous web browser” thing has made that kind of consumer play more realistic, and I think that Google’s Chrome push is clearing aiming towards that.
So I’m still hopeful. For me, Linux on the desktop is where I started, and Linux on the desktop is literally what I still use today primarily – although I obviously do have other Linux devices, including an Android phone – so personally I’d really love for it to take over in that market too.
He’s also “relieved” that Microsoft have stopped attacking Linux and calling it “a cancer”.
(That was) really pretty embarrassing.
Linus Torvalds has been named joint winner of the 2012 Millennium Technology Prize.
Links – BBC News – Millennium Technology Prize