Just For Fun

In this witty and engrossing narraive, Linus Torvalds, the brilliant mastermind behind the latest Internet 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.

LINUX was created because Linus was curious to see if he could improve upon the operating systems already out there, such as UNIX. How could he create a system that could run all of his favorite software with fewer crashes, and faster productivity? He posted his early versions of LINUX on the Internet and called upon the most brilliant minds in the computer science to enhance his system. What happened next took the world by storm.

Linux wasn't the first to use the power of the Open Source movement, but the excitement he generated when he offered his system to the world is unprecedented. What made LINUX revolutionary was its journey to become the marvel it is today — and how the system grew from the meeting of thousands of minds around the world. Suddenly, Linus' creation was available for everyone to use, for free! Anyone could improve LINUX at their whim. No monopolies, no trade secrets, no whispering behind closed doors. LINUX wasn't coveted by the select few — this remarkable creation was accessible to absolutely anyone — and still is.

Part autobiography and part business philisophy, Just For Fun, brims with biographical detail about the radical spirit and creativity of Linus Torvalds. It offers a unique glimpse into the mind of an accidental revolutionary and how the altruistic creation of LINUX flourished in the Open Source Movement.

Although he's the first to admit that roaring down the freeway in his shiny new BMW has its benefits, Linus never intentionally sought fame and fortune. Yet fame and fortune found him when Linus Torvalds radically changed the world of technology for one selfish reason — He did it just for fun.

• Birth of a Nerd
• Birth of an Operating System
• King of the Ball
• Intellectual Property
• An End to Control
• The Amusement Ride Ahead
• Why Open Source Makes Sense
• Fame and Fortune
• The Meaning of Life II

Describes Linux founder Torvalds. Pretty meaningless.