Tux Penguinson

Kernel Hacker • Open-Source Advocate • btw, I use Arch

+1 555 GNU 1337 | tux@iceberg.dev | tux@kernel.example.org tux.iceberg.dev | TuxPenguinson | TuxPenguinson | 0000-0001-TUXL-INUX

Kernel developer and systems programmer with a deep passion for free and open-source software. Enjoys hacking on low-level systems, mentoring new contributors, and spreading the word about the superiority of the terminal over the GUI. Firm believer that everything is a file.

Experience

Penguin Systems Inc. Antarctica HQ (Remote)
Senior Kernel Engineer Jan 2022 - Present
  • Maintain the ice-scheduler subsystem in the mainline kernel, handling 200k+ context switches per second.
  • Designed a zero-copy IPC mechanism that reduced penguin-to-penguin communication latency by 40%.
  • Reviewed 500+ patches from community contributors and mentored three junior kernel hackers.
Systems Programmer Jun 2019 - Dec 2021
  • Built a custom init system optimized for sub-zero boot environments.
  • Contributed upstream fixes to the ext4 filesystem for large-block ice storage.
GNU/Corp Boston, MA
Open-Source Intern May 2018 - Aug 2018
  • Ported the GNU Coreutils to the Flipper architecture (penguin-optimized ARM fork).
  • Wrote man pages that were actually readable.

Education

Iceberg Institute of Technology

South Pole
Master of Science in Operating Systems Sep 2017 - May 2019 | GPA 3.98/4.00
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Sep 2013 - May 2017 | GPA 3.91/4.00

Skills

Languages
C, Rust, Bash, Python, Go, Assembly (x86/ARM)
Kernel & OS
Linux Kernel, eBPF, systemd, GRUB, Device Drivers, Filesystems
Tools
Git, GCC, GDB, Make, Neovim, tmux, strace, perf, Valgrind
Infrastructure
Docker, QEMU/KVM, Ansible, Buildroot, Yocto, GitHub Actions
Distros
Arch, Debian, Gentoo, Alpine, NixOS, LFS

Publications

Journals

[1]Tux Penguinson, Gnu Wildebeest, Beastie Daemon. Thermal-Aware Process Scheduling for Antarctic Compute Clusters. Journal of Open-Source Systems, vol. 42, 2024, pp. 1-21 (Q1, IF 4.2, JCR’23). [PDF][Code]
[2]Tux Penguinson, Konqi Dragon. Copy-on-Write Semantics for Frozen Media: Design and Evaluation of fishfs. Transactions on Storage, vol. 19, 2023, art. e230041 (Q1, IF 3.5, Scopus’23). [PDF][Code]

Conferences

[1]Tux Penguinson, Puffy Blowfish. Zero-Copy IPC for Penguin-Scale Distributed Systems. FOSDEM Systems Track (FOSDEM), Brussels, Belgium, Feb 4–5, 2023. Best Talk, Systems Track. Oral presentation. [PDF][Code]
[2]Gnu Wildebeest, Tux Penguinson. eBPF-Based Anomaly Detection in Real-Time Kernel Workloads. Linux Plumbers Conference (LPC), Dublin, Ireland, Jun 27–29, 2022. Poster presentation. [Preprint][Code]

Projects

Kernel

fishfs — A Copy-on-Write Filesystem for Cold Storage[Code][Docs]
2023
Linux kernel module
C, Linux VFS, FUSE, ext4
  • Implemented a CoW filesystem optimized for append-heavy workloads on frozen storage media.
  • Merged into the staging tree after 12 review cycles on the LKML.
  • Benchmarked 2.3x throughput improvement over btrfs for sequential cold writes.

CLI

iglooctl — Rootless OCI runtime[Code]
Rust, Linux namespaces, cgroups v2 | 2022
  • Built an OCI-compatible container runtime optimized for resource-constrained polar hardware.
  • Implements rootless containers using user namespaces and seccomp-bpf filtering.
waddle — A Git-Based Dotfile Manager[Code]
Bash, Git, GNU Stow | 2021
  • Symlink-based dotfile manager with per-host profiles and encrypted secrets via age.
  • 2k+ stars on GitHub; packaged in the AUR and Nixpkgs.

Awards

Linus Torvalds Award for Kernel Excellence[Announcement]
2024
The Linux Foundation
Seattle, WA
  • Recognized for sustained contributions to the mainline kernel over five release cycles.
Top Community Contributor
2022
The Linux Foundation
  • Awarded for patch review and mentoring contributions across the netdev and fs subsystems.
Best Talk, Systems Track
2023
FOSDEM
Brussels, Belgium
  • Awarded for the presentation on zero-copy IPC for penguin-scale distributed systems.
Golden Penguin Award
2019
Iceberg Institute of Technology
South Pole
  • Departmental award for outstanding thesis on thermal-aware scheduling.

Certifications

Certified Kubernetes Administrator[Verify]
2024
CNCF
Credential CKA-TUX-2024
Linux Foundation Certified System Administrator[Credential]
2022
The Linux Foundation
Credential LFCS-TUX-2022
Red Hat Certified Engineer[Verify]
2021
Red Hat
Credential RHCE-TUX-2021

Talks

Why Everything Should Be a File (And Why Sockets Disagree)[Slides][Video]
Feb 2025
FOSDEM
Brussels, Belgium | Conference Talk
  • Explored the UNIX philosophy through the lens of Plan 9 and modern Linux VFS.
eBPF: Superpowers for Penguins[Materials]
Sep 2023
Linux Plumbers Conference
Richmond, VA | Workshop
  • Hands-on workshop on writing eBPF programs for tracing, networking, and security.
From Compile to Boot: Building Your Own Linux Distro
Oct 2022
All Things Open
Raleigh, NC | Tutorial
  • Live-coded a minimal Linux distro from scratch using Buildroot and a custom init.
The Art of the Kernel Patch
Mar 2020
Iceberg CS Colloquium
South Pole | Invited Talk
  • Covered patch formatting, mailing list etiquette, and how to survive code review by Greg KH.

Volunteering

Kernel Newbies
2021 - Present
Mentor & Patch Reviewer
Remote
  • Guide first-time kernel contributors through the patch submission process.
  • Reviewed 100+ beginner patches for coding style, correctness, and documentation.
PenguinHacks
2018 - 2020
Hackathon Organizer
South Pole
  • Co-organized a 48-hour open-source hackathon with 150+ participants across six ice shelves.

Interests

Kernel & Systems
Process scheduling, filesystems, memory management, device drivers, eBPF
Open Source
Upstream kernel development, packaging (AUR/Nix), documentation, community building
Personal
Ice fishing, competitive typing, mechanical keyboards, reading RFCs for fun

Languages

C
Native (thinks in pointers)
English
Fluent | C2 | Can write man pages
Penguinese
Native
Rust
Conversational | Passed the borrow checker on first try (once)

References