Peter MacDonald (computer programmer)
Encyclopedia
Peter MacDonald is a Canadian software engineer
, best known as the creator of Softlanding Linux System
(SLS), widely regarded as the first complete Linux distribution
. Some of his work served as a foundation of Wine
. He also created the Tcl
web browser BrowseX, and the PDQI suite of Tcl utilities.
on June 28, 1957. He graduated from the Computer Science
program of the University of Victoria
with a BSc
(1989) and MSc
(1996, master's thesis: Decomposing the Linux Kernel into Dynamically Loadable Modules).
in the early 1990s, including shared libraries, pseudo terminal
s, the select
call and virtual console
s. He announced Softlanding Linux System
(SLS), the first standalone Linux install, for testing in August 1992 (on 15 floppy disk
s), and for general release in October 1992 (recommending at least 10 MB
of disk space
).
SLS became popular, but also drew criticism. MacDonald was criticized for trying to make money on free software, but defended by Linus Torvalds
. Two of the early Linux distribution
s were made specifically in reaction to SLS, Ian Murdock
's Debian
to compensate for SLS's bugs, and Patrick Volkerding
's Slackware
to include installer patches which weren't added to SLS, and which MacDonald wouldn't allow Volkerding to distribute independently.
Windows emulator was based on Tcl/Tk windowing functions MacDonald wrote (though later rewritten as direct Xlib
calls).
MacDonald founded BrowseX Systems in 1999, and put out version 1.0 of BrowseX, an open source
Tcl
-based cross-platform web browser, meant to be smaller and faster than Netscape
. The last update of BrowseX was in 2003; the company was renamed to PDQ Interfaces Inc., and put out a set of various TCL based utilities.
Software engineer
A software engineer is an engineer who applies the principles of software engineering to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make computers or anything containing software, such as computer chips, work.- Overview :...
, best known as the creator of Softlanding Linux System
Softlanding Linux System
Softlanding Linux System was an early Linux distribution founded by Peter MacDonald in May, 1992.SLS was the first release to offer a comprehensive Linux distribution containing more than the Linux kernel and basic utilities, including TCP/IP and the X Window System.- History :SLS was the most...
(SLS), widely regarded as the first complete Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
. Some of his work served as a foundation of Wine
Wine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
. He also created the Tcl
Tcl
Tcl is a scripting language created by John Ousterhout. Originally "born out of frustration", according to the author, with programmers devising their own languages intended to be embedded into applications, Tcl gained acceptance on its own...
web browser BrowseX, and the PDQI suite of Tcl utilities.
Biography
Peter Charles MacDonald was born in Victoria, British ColumbiaVictoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
on June 28, 1957. He graduated from the Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
program of the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
with a BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
(1989) and MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
(1996, master's thesis: Decomposing the Linux Kernel into Dynamically Loadable Modules).
SLS
MacDonald co-developed early features of the Linux kernelLinux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
in the early 1990s, including shared libraries, pseudo terminal
Pseudo terminal
In some operating systems, including Unix, a pseudo terminal is a pseudo-device pair that provides a text terminal interface without an associated device, such as a virtual console, computer terminal or serial port...
s, the select
Select (Unix)
select is a system call and application programming interface in Unix-like and POSIX-compliant operating systems for examining the status of file descriptors of open input/output channels...
call and virtual console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
s. He announced Softlanding Linux System
Softlanding Linux System
Softlanding Linux System was an early Linux distribution founded by Peter MacDonald in May, 1992.SLS was the first release to offer a comprehensive Linux distribution containing more than the Linux kernel and basic utilities, including TCP/IP and the X Window System.- History :SLS was the most...
(SLS), the first standalone Linux install, for testing in August 1992 (on 15 floppy disk
Floppy disk
A floppy disk is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles...
s), and for general release in October 1992 (recommending at least 10 MB
MB
- Computers :* Megabyte , a measure of amount of information used, for example, to quantify computer memory or storage capacity* Megabit , a measure of amount of information* MacBook* Motherboard* Message board- File format ".MB" :...
of disk space
Disk space
The term "disk space" is an amount of computer storage space on random-access memory devices, such as on a hard drive, floppy or USB flash drive. Disk space units are commonly measured in large numbers of bytes, such as kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes, with each unit 1024x times larger than the...
).
SLS became popular, but also drew criticism. MacDonald was criticized for trying to make money on free software, but defended by Linus Torvalds
Linus Torvalds
Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer and hacker, best known for having initiated the development of the open source Linux kernel. He later became the chief architect of the Linux kernel, and now acts as the project's coordinator...
. Two of the early Linux distribution
Linux distribution
A Linux distribution is a member of the family of Unix-like operating systems built on top of the Linux kernel. Such distributions are operating systems including a large collection of software applications such as word processors, spreadsheets, media players, and database applications...
s were made specifically in reaction to SLS, Ian Murdock
Ian Murdock
Ian Murdock is the founder of the Debian distribution and Progeny Linux Systems, a commercial Linux company.- Life and career :Murdock was born in Konstanz, Germany....
's Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
to compensate for SLS's bugs, and Patrick Volkerding
Patrick Volkerding
Patrick Volkerding is the founder and maintainer of the Slackware Linux distribution. He is the "Slackware Benevolent Dictator for Life." Volkerding earned a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 1993.For a short while, Chris Lumens and others assisted...
's Slackware
Slackware
Slackware is a free and open source Linux-based operating system. It was one of the earliest operating systems to be built on top of the Linux kernel and is the oldest currently being maintained. Slackware was created by Patrick Volkerding of Slackware Linux, Inc. in 1993...
to include installer patches which weren't added to SLS, and which MacDonald wouldn't allow Volkerding to distribute independently.
Other software
The initial 1993 WineWine (software)
Wine is a free software application that aims to allow computer programs written for Microsoft Windows to run on Unix-like operating systems. Wine also provides a software library, known as Winelib, against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like...
Windows emulator was based on Tcl/Tk windowing functions MacDonald wrote (though later rewritten as direct Xlib
Xlib
Xlib is an X Window System protocol client library written in the C programming language. It contains functions for interacting with an X server. These functions allow programmers to write programs without knowing the details of the protocol...
calls).
MacDonald founded BrowseX Systems in 1999, and put out version 1.0 of BrowseX, an open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
Tcl
Tcl
Tcl is a scripting language created by John Ousterhout. Originally "born out of frustration", according to the author, with programmers devising their own languages intended to be embedded into applications, Tcl gained acceptance on its own...
-based cross-platform web browser, meant to be smaller and faster than Netscape
Netscape
Netscape Communications is a US computer services company, best known for Netscape Navigator, its web browser. When it was an independent company, its headquarters were in Mountain View, California...
. The last update of BrowseX was in 2003; the company was renamed to PDQ Interfaces Inc., and put out a set of various TCL based utilities.