<s>
Mark	B-Application
Bolzern	I-Application
is	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
pioneers	O
of	O
both	O
the	O
Internet	O
,	O
and	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
computer	B-General_Concept
operating	I-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bolzern	O
was	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
early	O
Linux-specific	O
community	O
portals	O
such	O
as	O
LinuxNews	O
,	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
,	O
LinuxPro	O
,	O
LinuxGuru	O
and	O
PenguinPower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bolzern	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
creator	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
plush	O
Tux	B-Application
mascot	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
original	O
drawing	O
by	O
Larry	O
Ewing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
work	O
at	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
allowed	O
Bolzern	O
to	O
directly	O
affect	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
community	O
with	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
's	O
support	O
of	O
various	O
Linux	B-Application
events	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
short	O
year	O
at	O
Cal	O
Poly	O
Pomona	O
(	O
California	O
Polytechnic	O
State	O
University	O
)	O
,	O
he	O
transferred	O
to	O
UAF	O
(	O
University	O
of	O
Alaska	O
,	O
Fairbanks	O
)	O
where	O
he	O
studied	O
Electrical	O
Engineering	O
and	O
also	O
played	O
with	O
the	O
Data	B-Device
General	I-Device
Nova	I-Device
computer	O
system	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
ALOHAnet	O
,	O
where	O
low	O
level	O
error	O
correcting	O
packet	O
protocols	O
CSMA/CD	O
were	O
pioneered	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
now	O
fundamental	O
underlying	O
protocols	O
of	O
TCP/IP	B-Protocol
,	O
Ethernet	O
,	O
WiFi	O
and	O
the	O
Internet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
used	O
the	O
central	O
in	O
Fairbanks	O
to	O
send	O
emails	O
to	O
all	O
system	O
users	O
inviting	O
them	O
use	O
his	O
software	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
an	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
user	O
group	O
via	O
an	O
early	O
shared	O
account	O
he	O
created	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
set	O
up	O
group	O
communication	O
via	O
mailx	B-Device
(	O
Mail	O
Extended	O
)	O
an	O
enhanced	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
standard	O
Unix	B-Application
command	O
mail	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
these	O
extended	O
features	O
that	O
Bolzern	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
use	O
to	O
create	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Bulletin	B-Application
Board	I-Application
Systems	I-Application
(	O
BBS	O
)	O
in	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
was	O
performed	O
free	O
via	O
software	O
called	O
written	O
and	O
distributed	O
by	O
Bolzern	O
and	O
an	O
associate	O
that	O
made	O
any	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
with	O
an	O
original	O
model	O
into	O
a	O
remote	O
terminal	O
for	O
this	O
GCOS	B-Application
system	O
,	O
later	O
an	O
IBM	B-Device
PC	I-Device
version	O
called	O
PC	O
Communicator	O
(	O
By	O
Bolzern	O
,	O
before	O
PC-Talk	O
)	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GCOS	B-Application
was	O
a	O
very	O
early	O
variant	O
of	O
Unix	B-Application
,	O
and	O
is	O
why	O
the	O
field	O
in	O
Linux	B-Application
where	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
full	O
name	O
goes	O
is	O
called	O
the	O
GCOS	B-Application
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
from	O
anywhere	O
else	O
he	O
happened	O
to	O
be	O
with	O
his	O
Apple	B-Device
II	I-Device
and	O
Hayes	O
Modem	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
his	O
family	O
back	O
home	O
via	O
email	O
,	O
and	O
continued	O
after	O
graduation	O
in	O
1981	O
with	O
a	O
Bachelor	O
of	O
Science	O
in	O
Electrical	O
Engineering	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
General	O
Computer	O
Services	O
,	O
Inc	O
.	O
(	O
GCS	B-Application
)	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
1981	O
,	O
and	O
incorporated	O
on	O
September	O
17	O
,	O
1982	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
moving	O
to	O
Aurora	O
,	O
Colorado	O
,	O
Bolzern	O
worked	O
and	O
advised	O
with	O
the	O
Colorado	O
Department	O
of	O
Education	O
,	O
where	O
he	O
built	O
a	O
statewide	O
legislation	O
notification	O
system	O
and	O
helped	O
get	O
computers	O
into	O
the	O
public	O
school	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
USWest	O
with	O
Unix	B-Application
and	O
database	O
systems	O
for	O
accounting	O
and	O
information	O
management	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
1990s	O
that	O
Linux	B-Application
was	O
born	O
and	O
Bolzern	O
soon	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
outspoken	O
advocates	O
for	O
development	O
and	O
adoption	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WGS	O
(	O
Work	O
Group	O
Solutions	O
)	O
was	O
founded	O
in	O
Aurora	O
,	O
Colorado	O
on	O
June	O
23	O
,	O
1993	O
,	O
originally	O
as	O
a	O
subsidiary	O
of	O
GCS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
big/main	O
achievement	O
was	O
introducing	O
the	O
first	O
commercially-sold	O
software	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
Flagship	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
a	O
Clipper	O
compiler	O
for	O
Unix	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LinuxPro	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
better	O
known	O
distributions	O
or	O
distros	O
of	O
the	O
early	O
years	O
of	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
WGS	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
received	O
a	O
letter	O
stating	O
the	O
company	O
was	O
being	O
sued	O
for	O
using	O
the	O
word	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
by	O
a	O
mental	O
patient	O
that	O
had	O
trademarked	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Up	O
until	O
then	O
,	O
Linus	O
Torvalds	O
had	O
said	O
he	O
wanted	O
the	O
word	O
Linux	B-Application
to	O
be	O
freely	O
available	O
for	O
anyone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phil	O
Hughes	O
(	O
of	O
Linux	B-Application
Journal	O
)	O
,	O
John	O
"	O
maddog	O
"	O
Hall	O
(	O
Of	O
Digital	O
Equipment	O
Corp	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Bolzern	O
,	O
among	O
others	O
,	O
assembled	O
a	O
group	O
to	O
fight	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
;	O
eventually	O
it	O
was	O
settled	O
by	O
outright	O
giving	O
the	O
trademark	O
directly	O
to	O
Linus	O
Torvalds	O
,	O
with	O
his	O
agreement	O
that	O
LI	O
(	O
Linux	B-Application
International	O
)	O
would	O
manage	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
"	O
maddog	O
"	O
Hall	O
,	O
and	O
Bolzern	O
made	O
sure	O
that	O
the	O
trademark	O
was	O
put	O
into	O
Linus	O
's	O
name	O
who	O
by	O
agreement	O
made	O
Linux	B-Application
International	O
(	O
LI	O
)	O
the	O
perpetual	O
administrator	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
What	O
was	O
then	O
Linux	B-Application
International	O
has	O
since	O
morphed	O
into	O
the	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
1995	O
Bolzern	O
founded	O
the	O
(	O
CLUE	O
)	O
bringing	O
local	O
high	O
school	O
students	O
in	O
Aurora	O
,	O
CO	O
and	O
businesses	O
who	O
were	O
interested	O
in	O
Linux	B-Application
together	O
with	O
others	O
who	O
used	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
presented	O
on	O
many	O
topics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Activities	O
included	O
Linux	B-Application
install	O
fests	O
allowing	O
new	O
users	O
to	O
learn	O
more	O
about	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
the	O
various	O
distros	O
available	O
along	O
with	O
more	O
about	O
the	O
power	O
of	O
open	B-Application
source	I-Application
programs	I-Application
and	O
specifically	O
Linux	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
and	O
June	O
1998	O
articles	O
Bolzern	O
wrote	O
were	O
published	O
regarding	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
Base	O
System	O
project	O
and	O
commenting	O
on	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
Community	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
WGS	O
transitioned	O
into	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
in	O
about	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
by	O
2000	O
a	O
firm	O
of	O
60	O
employees	O
based	O
in	O
Aurora	O
,	O
Colorado	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
"	O
largest	O
online	O
shopping	O
center	O
with	O
software	O
and	O
products	O
for	O
the	O
Linux	B-Application
computer	O
operating	O
system.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
expected	O
to	O
have	O
an	O
initial	O
public	O
offering	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
stock	O
market	O
downturn	O
led	O
,	O
instead	O
,	O
to	O
a	O
reverse	O
acquisition	O
in	O
which	O
it	O
was	O
bought	O
for	O
$25	O
million	O
by	O
Ebiz	O
Enterprises	O
,	O
an	O
already-publicly	O
listed	O
firm	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
to	O
change	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
LinuxMall.com	O
after	O
the	O
transaction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
April	O
to	O
March	O
2000	O
,	O
several	O
articles	O
were	O
published	O
by	O
and	O
about	O
Microsoft	O
in	O
relation	O
to	O
Linux	B-Application
with	O
several	O
penned	O
by	O
Bolzern	O
himself	O
,	O
In	O
addition	O
under	O
the	O
PenguinPower	O
name	O
many	O
collectables	O
designed	O
by	O
Bolzern	O
were	O
manufactured	O
by	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
such	O
as	O
this	O
Tux	B-Application
pin	O
being	O
worn	O
by	O
Peter	O
H	O
.	O
Salus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unfortunately	O
,	O
the	O
growth	O
of	O
LinuxMall	B-Application
was	O
cut	O
short	O
in	O
the	O
early	O
2000s	O
by	O
the	O
bursting	O
of	O
the	O
tech	O
bubble	O
and	O
non-delivery	O
of	O
a	O
10	O
million	O
dollar	O
check	O
the	O
VCs	O
had	O
said	O
was	O
already	O
in	O
the	O
mail	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
subsequent	O
merger	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
February	O
2012	O
Mark	B-Application
Bolzern	I-Application
now	O
serves	O
as	O
Chief	O
Technical	O
Officer	O
at	O
Northern	O
Utility	O
Services	O
,	O
LLC	O
in	O
Anchorage	O
,	O
Alaska	O
where	O
he	O
originally	O
grew	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bolzern	O
's	O
involvement	O
in	O
what	O
ultimately	O
became	O
the	B-Operating_System
Linux	I-Operating_System
Foundation	I-Operating_System
was	O
significant	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
work	O
includes	O
LI	O
,	O
which	O
Bolzern	O
initially	O
structured	O
as	O
a	O
vendor	O
organization	O
,	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
LSB	O
(	O
Linux	B-Application
Standard	I-Application
Base	I-Application
)	O
,	O
LPI	O
(	O
Linux	B-Application
Professional	O
Institute	O
)	O
professional	O
Linux	B-Application
certification	O
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
Trademark	O
administration	O
,	O
among	O
other	O
things	O
.	O
</s>
