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Paul Davis (programmer)
open-in-new
<p>Paul Davis (formerly known as Paul Barton-Davis) is a British-American software developer best known for his work on audio software (<a href="/facts/JACK_Audio_Connection_Kit/WAM1ALrW">JACK</a>) for the <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a> operating system, and for his role as one of the first two programmers at <a href="/facts/Amazon.com/YzUTUVE8">Amazon.com</a>. </p><p>Davis grew up in the <a href="/facts/English_Midlands/8mgY3qAe">English Midlands</a> and in <a href="/facts/London/KozCCsy9">London</a>. After studying <a href="/facts/Molecular_biology/YgqU35ub">molecular biology</a> and <a href="/facts/Biophysics/l9u5gqCy">biophysics</a>, he did post-graduate studies in <a href="/facts/Computational_biology/GxgNfwcX">computational biology</a> at the <a href="/facts/Weizmann_Institute_of_Science/NXBYn55W">Weizmann Institute of Science</a> in <a href="/facts/Rehovot/RACLYFgq">Rehovot</a> and <a href="/facts/European_Molecular_Biology_Laboratory/uPTzUQB8">EMBL</a> in <a href="/facts/Heidelberg/jfbzRTo0">Heidelberg</a>. </p><p>He immigrated to the <a href="/facts/United_States/P0sCdLe5">U.S.</a> in 1989. He lived in <a href="/facts/Seattle/7lYIrCa6">Seattle</a> for seven years, where he worked for the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the <a href="/facts/University_of_Washington/36PG6qkG">University of Washington</a>, and several smaller software companies in Seattle. While in Seattle, he helped to get Amazon.com off the ground during the period 1994–1996, making critical contributions to Amazon's backend systems alongside <a href="/facts/Shel_Kaphan/nrKQLbk6">Shel Kaphan</a>, before subsequently moving to <a href="/facts/Philadelphia/2bFFCCTU">Philadelphia</a> in 1996. In 2019 he moved with his wife to Galisteo, NM </p><p>He went on to fund the development of various audio software for <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a>, including <a href="/facts/Ardour_(audio_processor)/UPJGqtgA">Ardour</a> and the <a href="/facts/JACK_Audio_Connection_Kit/WAM1ALrW">JACK Audio Connection Kit</a>. He works full-time on <a href="/facts/Free_software/IaoVtJXn">free software</a>. </p><p>He is also an <a href="/facts/Ultra-marathon/uwv3zpx1">ultra-marathon</a> runner and touring cyclist. </p>