Open-Source Revolution Open Response

Linus Torvalds changed computing by creating Linux, an operating system that people could freely use, modify, and improve. This passage follows Torvalds from his childhood in Finland and early fascination with computers to his studies at the University of Helsinki. Students discover how a small personal programming project eventually grew into technology used around the world.

This worksheet explains what made Linux different from many other operating systems and how programmers worldwide helped improve it. Readers learn that Linux eventually became important for smartphones, supercomputers, servers, and other technologies. The passage helps students practice identifying main ideas, tracing the development of an innovation, and understanding how sharing ideas and working with a worldwide community can turn a simple project into something enormously influential.