Paul Davis (programmer)

Paul Davis (formerly aka Paul Barton-Davis [http://equalarea.com/paul/name.html] ) is best known for his work on audio software for the Linux operating system, and for his role as one of the first two programmers at Amazon.com.

Davis grew up in the Midlands and in London. After studying molecular biology and biophysics, he emigrated to the U.S. in 1989. He lived in Seattle for seven years, before moving to Philadelphia in 1996.

In Seattle, he became one of the two programmers who helped start Amazon.com, but left soon after the company began. He went on to fund the development of various audio software for GNU/Linux, including Ardour and the JACK Audio Connection Kit. He became one of the few people to work full-time on free software, and one of the few to do so without being an employee of a commercial entity. In previous jobs, Paul worked at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Schlumberger Cambridge Research, ScenicSoft, and the Computer Science and Engineering Department at the University of Washington.

He is also an ultra-marathon and touring cyclist. High points have included the 298 mile Cannonball in 14:01, and a 5 week tandem camping tour from Amsterdam to Athens.

His first wife was muscle physiology researcher Elisabeth Barton, and Davis used the name Barton-Davis between about 1991 and 2001 [http://equalarea.com/paul/name.html] . They had one daughter, Hannah Barton.

In October 2004, he married artist and massage therapist Julie Deery, and lives with their three children -- Evan, Rachel and Hannah.

External links

* [http://ardour.org/ the Ardour site]
* [http://jackaudio.org/ the JACK homepage]
* [http://equalarea.com/paul his own home page]