Donald Becker is a developer, well known for writing many of the Ethernet drivers for the Linux operating system. Thousands of computers around the world routinely use his drivers to connect to the Internet.
Becker, in collaboration with Thomas Sterling, created Beowulf clustering while at NASA, using software to connect many inexpensive PCs to solve complex math problems typically reserved for classic supercomputers. For this work, Becker received the Gordon Bell Prize in 1997.
Becker is now the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Scyld Computer Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Penguin Computing, a major developer and supplier of Beowulf Clusters.