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Andrew S. Tanenbaum
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Andrew S. Tanenbaum

Computer scientist who created MINIX and wrote classic textbooks

16 March 1944 United States Verified by our editors
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82 yrs
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Andrew Tanenbaum is an American-Dutch computer scientist and emeritus professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who created MINIX, a teaching operating system that inspired Linux. His textbooks on operating systems, networks and computer architecture are used worldwide.

Biography

Education

Tanenbaum studied physics at MIT and earned his PhD at UC Berkeley in 1971. He moved to the Netherlands and taught at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

MINIX

In 1987 he released MINIX, a small Unix-like system with source code, for teaching with his book Operating Systems: Design and Implementation. Linus Torvalds used MINIX before writing Linux.

The debate

In 1992 Tanenbaum famously argued on Usenet that Linux was “obsolete” because it used a monolithic kernel instead of a microkernel. The exchange is a classic of computing history.

Legacy

MINIX 3 aimed at reliability, and a version runs inside Intel’s Management Engine on many PCs. His books, including Computer Networks and Modern Operating Systems, are standards. He received the ACM Software System Award in 2023.

Timeline

  1. 1944

    Born in New York City, United States

  2. 1971

    PhD from UC Berkeley

  3. 1981

    Computer Networks

  4. 1987

    MINIX released

  5. 1992

    Debate with Linus Torvalds

  6. 2005

    MINIX 3

  7. 2014

    Retires

  8. 2023

    ACM Software System Award

Notable works

  • 1981

    Computer Networks Book

  • 1987

    Operating Systems: Design and Implementation Book

  • 1992

    Modern Operating Systems Book

Awards and honours

  • IEEE James H. Mulligan Jr. Education Medal

    2007

  • ACM Software System Award

    2023

Did you know?

  1. 1

    MINIX may be one of the most widely used operating systems because it runs inside Intel chips.

  2. 2

    He runs the Electoral-vote.com election website.

  3. 3

    He joked that Torvalds would not get a good grade from him.

Connections

Also born on 16 March

Frequently asked

Who is Andrew S. Tanenbaum?

Andrew Tanenbaum is an American-Dutch computer scientist and emeritus professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who created MINIX, a teaching operating system that inspired Linux. His textbooks on operating systems, networks and computer architecture are used worldwide.

How old is Andrew S. Tanenbaum?

Andrew S. Tanenbaum is 82 years old, born on 16 March 1944 in New York City, United States.

Where is Andrew S. Tanenbaum from?

Andrew S. Tanenbaum was born in New York City, United States.

What is Andrew S. Tanenbaum known for?

Andrew S. Tanenbaum is best known for MINIX operating system; textbooks on operating systems and networks; the Tanenbaum–Torvalds debate.

What awards has Andrew S. Tanenbaum received?

Notable honours include IEEE James H. Mulligan Jr. Education Medal (2007), ACM Software System Award (2023).

References

  1. Andrew S. Tanenbaum — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  2. Andrew S. Tanenbaum — Goodreads author page. Goodreads. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  3. Official website. www.cs.vu.nl. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
  4. Andrew S. Tanenbaum (Q92621) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.

Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Andrew S. Tanenbaum”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more

External links

Official website Website Wikipedia
Filed under MINIXNetherlandsOperating systems AuthorComputer ScientistProfessor

About this profile

Cite this page

“Andrew S. Tanenbaum.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/andrew-tanenbaum

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