Andrew Tridgell
Andrew Tridgell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Andrew Tridgell February 28, 1967 Australia |
| Occupation | Software developer |
| Known for | Samba, rsync algorithm, rzip, spamsum, KnightCap, ArduPilot Mega |
Andrew "Tridge" Tridgell OAM (born 28 February 1967) is an Australian software developer renowned for his work on the Samba file server and as a co-creator of the rsync algorithm.
He has successfully reverse-engineered intricate proprietary protocols, enabling the creation of compatible open source software solutions.
Projects
Tridgell played a pivotal role in developing Samba by examining Microsoft's Server Message Block protocol, which facilitates network file sharing. During this project, he also designed the talloc hierarchical memory allocator.
His doctoral research included co-creating rsync, a highly optimized tool for file synchronization and transfer, along with its foundational algorithm. Additionally, he developed rzip, which utilizes a related compression technique, and created spamsum, employing locality-sensitive hashing concepts.
He is the author of KnightCap, a chess engine based on reinforcement learning principles.
Tridgell led the adaptation of TiVo devices to function with Australia's PAL video standard.
In 2005, he produced free software—now known as SourcePuller—that interfaced with the BitKeeper source code management system. This action led BitMover to withdraw Linux developers' complimentary licenses, igniting a public controversy involving Linus Torvalds. Tridgell asserted that his work was ethical protocol analysis and did not breach any licensing agreements. This episode influenced Torvalds to develop Git.
In 2011, Tridgell became involved with ArduPilot Mega, an open-source UAV controller based on Arduino technology, collaborating with CanberraUAV on entries for the UAV Challenge Outback Rescue competition.
Academic achievements
Tridgell earned his PhD from the Computer Sciences Laboratory at the Australian National University. While his initial research focus was in speech recognition, his dissertation titled Efficient Algorithms for Sorting and Synchronization primarily detailed his work on the rsync algorithm.
Awards and honours
- In October 2003, The Bulletin recognized Tridgell as Australia's most intelligent professional in Information and Communications Technology.
- He received the "Best Interoperator" award at the Google–O'Reilly Open Source Awards in July 2008 for his significant contributions to Samba and rsync.
- IT analyst Sam Varghese has described Tridgell, along with Jeremy Allison and Volker Lendecke, as a "guru in its traditional Indian meaning."
- On 11 December 2018, the Australian National University conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Science degree in recognition of his work on Samba, co-invention of rsync, and open source contributions.
- On 26 January 2020, he was honored with the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia for his services to Information Technology, emphasizing his software development efforts and educational involvement including projects such as rsync, Samba, ArduPilot, MAVProxy, and teaching roles at ANU.
External links
- Andrew Tridgell's original website, Updated personal site
- Collection of Andrew Tridgell's miscellaneous code
- Efficient Algorithms for Sorting and Synchronization (PhD dissertation) – (406kB PDF)
- Active Directory support in Samba 4: A retrospective
- Celebrating notable FOSS contributors
- Transcript of January 2010 presentation 'Patent Defence for Free Software'