# William Jolitz > American software programmer **Wikidata**: [Q3109356](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3109356) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Jolitz) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/william-jolitz ## Summary William Jolitz was an American software programmer and computer engineer best known for developing the 386BSD operating system. He was educated at the University of California, Berkeley and is credited with creating 386BSD, an operating-system project with an inception date of March 12, 1992. ## Biography - Born: 1957-02-22, Muskegon - Died: 2022-03-02 - Nationality: United States - Education: University of California, Berkeley - Known for: Developing the 386BSD operating system (inception: 1992-03-12) - Field(s): Engineering; Computer science - Spouse: Lynne Jolitz - Aliases: William Frederick Jolitz; Bill Jolitz - Online identifiers: GitHub username williamjolitz; VIAF ID 313295840; Library of Congress authority ID no2014169170 ## Contributions William Jolitz is principally known for developing the 386BSD operating system. The project is recorded with an inception date of 1992-03-12 and is identified in the available source material as a Thing he created or developed. His work on 386BSD is the core concrete outcome attributed to him in the provided records. Beyond 386BSD, Jolitz maintained a public presence tied to software work through a GitHub account under the username "williamjolitz." His personal and professional identifiers appear in library and authority records, including VIAF (313295840) and the Library of Congress authority file (no2014169170). His life and career milestones, including his death in March 2022, are noted in memorial references that document his passing. The provided sources list his education at the University of California, Berkeley and identify him as an engineer and computer scientist. These items together define the tangible outputs and public records tied to his career. ## FAQs ### Q: Who was William Jolitz? A: William Jolitz was an American software programmer and computer engineer, educated at the University of California, Berkeley, and known for developing the 386BSD operating system. ### Q: What is 386BSD and when was it created? A: 386BSD is an operating system that William Jolitz is credited with developing. Its inception date in the available records is 1992-03-12. ### Q: When did William Jolitz die? A: William Jolitz died in March 2022; the preferred recorded date in the provided material is 2022-03-02. ## Why They Matter William Jolitz’s significance in the record provided rests on his authorship and development of 386BSD, an operating-system project with a documented inception date of March 12, 1992. That single, named project is the primary concrete contribution tied to his professional identity as an engineer and computer scientist. His career and public presence are also preserved through standard authority records (VIAF and Library of Congress identifiers) and a GitHub account that links his name to software development activity. The documentation of his life, education at UC Berkeley, and the memorial references to his passing in March 2022 indicate that his work and legacy are recorded in multiple archival and community sources. Absent additional materials in the provided source set, the record identifies him chiefly by this project and by the bibliographic and memorial traces that maintain his presence in computing history. ## Notable For - Developing the 386BSD operating system (inception recorded 1992-03-12). - Being an American software programmer and computer engineer educated at the University of California, Berkeley. - Public software presence under GitHub username "williamjolitz." - Recorded authority entries: VIAF ID 313295840 and Library of Congress authority ID no2014169170. - Life dates: born 1957-02-22 (Muskegon); died March 2022 (preferred date 2022-03-02). ## Body ### Early life and identity - Born on 1957-02-22 in Muskegon. - Given name recorded as William. - Aliases include William Frederick Jolitz and Bill Jolitz. - Sex/gender recorded as male. ### Education - Educated at the University of California, Berkeley. ### Major project: 386BSD - Named project: 386BSD (an operating system). - Role: Credited as creator/developer in the provided material. - Inception date recorded as 1992-03-12. ### Professional description - Occupation entries list him as an engineer and a computer scientist. - Nationality: United States. - GitHub presence: Username "williamjolitz" is recorded in the provided identifiers. ### Personal life - Spouse: Lynne Jolitz. ### Public records and identifiers - VIAF ID: 313295840. - Library of Congress authority ID: no2014169170. - Freebase ID and other database identifiers are recorded in source metadata. - Wikipedia title: William Jolitz; available in multiple language editions. ### Death and memorial - Death recorded as March 2022 in source material. - Preferred recorded date in the provided references is 2022-03-02. - Memorial references are cited in the source material documenting his passing. ### Summary of documented legacy - The documentary record supplied identifies William Jolitz principally through his development of the 386BSD operating system and through standard bibliographic and memorial records that preserve his professional identity. ## References 1. [Source](https://386bsd.org/memoriam) 2. [Source](https://minnie.tuhs.org/pipermail/tuhs/2022-April/025643.html) 3. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013