Petri Kutvonen

Early Life and Family

PET­RI KUT­VO­NEN was born in 1953 in Helsinki at the old Midwifery College on Neitsyt­polku Street. His parents, Lyyli Maria née Parpola and Martti Alek­san­teri Kut­vo­nen, were both educators. His mother taught German and English at the Hel­sinki Lyceum, which only accepted male students at the time, while his father was an artist and a lecturer in graphic arts at the College of Art and Design, now part of the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture. The family lived in Hel­sinki, first on Pursi­miehen­katu ¹ near Viis­kulma, then on Kap­tee­nin­katu and finally on Perustie in Munkki­niemi. They always spent part of the summer in Orivesi, in Northern Häme, on the farm that had once belonged to Petri’s maternal grandparents. At that time, the farm belonged to Petri’s uncle Eino Parpola.

Education and Early Influences

Petri’s education began with the Salvation Army Sunday School, when he was three years old. It was there that he met his first crush, Lahja. However, he left because he disliked like the loud brass music played there. He had positive kindergarten ex­pe­ri­ences and attended Puna­vuori (also known as Snellman) Primary School for one year, then Tehtaan­katu Primary School for another year. Petri’s second year at school went quite well and his parents decided that he should apply to the Suoma­lainen Yhteis­koulu (SYK), widely considered to be one of the best Finnish schools. Children usually enter this school at the age of nine. Petri took the entrance exam and was selected. He spent the next 10 years there, covering grades 3 to 9, as well as three years of general upper secondary education.

Petri’s time at the SYK was a period of significant personal growth, during which he established enduring friendships and under­went a process of introspection and self-discovery. He studied a wide range of subjects, including history, literature, physics, chemistry, mathematics and languages, such as German, Swedish and English. He came of age and learned how to communicate with members of the opposite sex. While romantic relationships between students are not un­com­mon in co-educational schools, they are often kept hidden and rarely lead to anything permanent.

Notable teachers at SYK included Eero Laaksovirta, also known as “Mosse” (1910 – 1982), who taught chemistry; Tuure Vierros (1927 – 2012), who taught history; and Yngve Lehtosaari (1930 – 1994), who taught mathematics. As well as being an excellent teacher, Laaksovirta was a charismatic individual. While his teaching methods were not always those approved by the National Board of Education, his occasionally unconventional chemical demonstrations always captured everyone's attention. Vierros was not only a teacher, but also a novelist known for his literary works * about Finnish history. Petri learned most of the events and dependencies of history from him. Lehtosaari was an excellent mathematics teacher. He could explain even the most complex issues clearly, but he was also very meticulous when necessary. Petri graduated with good grades, enabling him to enrol directly at the University of Helsinki’s * Faculty of Science to study computer science.

Introduction to Computers

Petri’s interest in computers was sparked in the spring of 1971, when he took his first computer course in his penultimate school year. This may have been the first course of its kind in Finnish schools. He wrote his first program in BASIC on a General Elec­tric GE-615 computer provided by Nokia Elec­tron­ics. As well as introducing him to computers, the course also brought him into contact with his future teacher, colleague and friend, Timo Alanko *.

Following his matriculation examinations in spring 1972, he had the opportunity to work with a Hewlett-Packard HP2114B mini­com­put­er, thereby enhancing his pro­gram­ming proficiency.

Studying and Working at the Department of Computer Science

Petri embarked on a multi-decade career in computer science and IT management, which left an indelible mark on both the academic and information tech­nol­o­gy landscapes of Finland. His story began at the Department of Computer Science of the University of Helsinki, where he was first introduced to computer science in a vibrant academic environment.

He began his professional journey at the University of Helsinki in 1975, working there for over four decades until his retirement in 2019. During this time, he held various roles, but he is best remembered for his time as IT Manager in the Department of Computer Science.

At the University of Helsinki, he became deeply involved in both teaching and research. His first steps into academia involved working as a teaching assistant and researcher, specialising in the com­plex­i­ties of operating systems and distributed systems. This period was pivotal in establishing his understanding of how computer systems could be designed for optimal performance and functionality.

Military Service

Petri completed the first part of his military service, at a relatively advanced age, in the Uusimaa Ranger Battalion (UudJP) in Santahamina, followed by the remainder in the Coastal Ranger Battalion (RannJP) in Upinniemi. He was honourably discharged as a lance corporal.

Researching and Working

In the early 1980s, he co-authored several influential papers with colleagues such as Timo Alanko * and Ilkka Haikala * (1952 – 2010). Together, they explored methodologies for measuring program behaviour, making significant contributions to our understanding of virtual memory systems. One of their most important works, “Program Restructuring in Segmented Virtual Memory”, published in 1981, explained how programs could be optimized for better memory usage in segmented environments, a topic that was far ahead of its time.

Petri and Ilkka also developed a number of software tools for academic projects and research. These included early text processing software running on the university’s available hardware — both on Burroughs mainframes and, later, on Nokia MIKKO 3 minicomputers as part of the MOPO multi-function system. They also developed a computer graphics system for the DEC PDP-15 that was written in FORTRAN IV and used LISP (!) as a user interface language.

Petri’s interest in distributed systems led him to delve deeper into open distributed processing (ODP). He became a chief systems analyst at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, where he was responsible for managing IT infrastructure and developing systems to support the growing academic research community. This work included designing systems that could facilitate interaction between different computing nodes, which was crucial at a time when networking was just becoming standard in computing.

Influental persons

Some of the people who have had a significant impact on Petri’s life have already been mentioned. Among them, professor Martti Tienari (1935 – 2013) must be included. As one of the pioneers of computing and computer science in Finland and head of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki for many years, he was able to observe and contribute greatly to the development of the field in Finland.

Another influental person worth mentioning is Donald E. Knuth (born 1938), a professor emeritus at Stanford University. Altough Petri only met him once, his influence through his books has been significant. In 1974 Knuth received the ACM Turing Award *, which is informally considered the Nobel Prize of computer sci­ence.

In 1990 Petri had the opportunity to attend a conference in Nurem­berg, Germany. While he conference in itself was fairly interesting, the most impressive part of the event was a guest lecture by Professor Konrad Zuse * (1910 – 1995). His greatest achieve­ment was the Z3, the world’s first freely programmable computer. It was functional, program-controlled and Turing-complete, and became operational in May 1941. However, Zuse mainly talked about Faust’s deal with Mephisto­pheles *, the exchange of Faust’s soul for unlimited knowl­edge. Zuse felt a certain responsibility for his achievement. He probably didn’t know about this, but it was right around this time (1989–1990), Tim Berners-Lee * was at CERN developing the Word Wide Web, which would enable the Internet as we know it today.

Europe gets connected to the Internet

Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, Petri played a significant role in bringing Internet to Finland. He was part of the team that secured the FI top-level domain for Finnish institutions, including setting up the Helsinki.FI domain for the University of Helsinki. This initiative about more than just connecting computers; it opened up a new world of communication and collaboration for academia in Finland. Petri also collaborated closely with Juha Hei­nä­nen from Tampere University of Tech­nol­o­gy to ensure that Finnish universities were among the first in Europe to gain access to the global Internet network. That was established on December 1, 1988, at approximately 7:45 p.m. Finnish time, when the first Internet messages crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the Nordic NORDUnet ² network.

The Nordic internet connectivity builders also decided to support the Lithuanian country coude LT. Thus, following the re-establishment of the state of Lithuania, but before the collapse of the Soviet Union, a root name server for the LT domain was running in the server room of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. Petri and others involved did not tell about this to the university administration because Lithuanian independence was still fragile at the time, and cautious officials might have demanded them to retreat.

New Infrastructure and Advanced Policies

In his role as an IT Manager, he managed to introduce several technological advancements to the University’s infrastructure which used to be mainframe centered. He was instrumental in providing new laptop computers to for loan for all computer science freshmen, ensuring that every new student had access to the latest technology, which was quite progressive for the time. His management style was always centered around fostering an environment where technology could enhance learning and research without being a barrier.

In his role as IT Manager, he introduced several technological advancements to the university's infrastructure, which was previously mainframe-centred. He played a key role in providing new laptops for loan to all Computer Science fresmen, ensuring that every new student had access to the latest technology, which was quite progressive for the time. He always fostered an environment where technology could enhance learning and research without being a barrier.

His career also saw him collaborating with notable figures in tech, including giving support to Linus Torvalds * during his his early days * with Linux. This involvement was not just technical but also motivational, encouraging Linus and other young minds to push and break boundaries in software development. Petri worked alongside Teemu Kerola as a supervisor and reviewer of Linus Torvalds’ Master’s thesis “Linux: a Portable Operating System” (PDF, 60 pages) in 1996.

On Finland's Independence Day on 6 December 2012, Petri was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland by the then President of Finland, Sauli Nii­nistö.

Retirement

After almost fortyfive years at the University of Helsinki, in 2019, Petri decided to retire. His retirement was not just an end but a transition to new ventures. He turned his attention towards genealogy, a long-standing interest, and started documenting the history of his family *. He also continued to engage with technology, albeit from a different perspective, focusing on personal projects and advising on IT infrastructure for smaller entities.

Following his retirement, he sustained his involvement with the tech community through professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, where he disseminates insights and remains apprised of developments in the field of information technology. His expertise in cryptography and security management has also led to him offering counsel on personal cybersecurity, reflecting his lifelong commitment to ensuring technology is both accessible and secure.

Throughout his career, he has published numerous scientific articles reflecting his contributions to computer science. His work has consistently sought to establish a connection between sophisticated technological developments and their practical, everyday application, with a view to ensuring that advancements in computing serve to enhance human capability and connectivity.

Today, he looks back at a career where he has achieved a great deal, from pioneering the Internet in Finland to shaping the IT landscape of one of its premier universities, all while nurturing the next generation of tech enthusiasts and professionals.

Private life

Petri’s first marriage was to Solveig Kurtén in 1980. Their civil ceremony took place at the registry office during a lunch hour, with only two witnesses present. The marriage was officially dissolved in 1983 with a divorce.

In August 1992, Petri and Lea Summanen * were married in the Munkkiniemi church in the presence of relatives and friends. The wedding was followed by a reception in Villa Linudd in Tarvaspää. They have now been happily married for over three decades in a marriage that is still going strong. Petri and Lea are the parents of a daughter named Susanna *, who has a flair for the visual arts (like her paternal grandfather) but is currently pursuing other avenues.

Health issues

Petri has suffered from renal dysfunction since the late 1990s. He managed to cope for a long time with medication alone while waiting for a kidney transplant. However, in the autumn 2024, his condition had deteriorated so much that he had to start having three weekly blood dialysis treatments.

         Helsinki, August 19, 2025

         Petri Kutvonen

 

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