Bruno Lowagie is a name you’re probably not familiar with, but he’s the man behind the open-source software iText, which is used by millions of users worldwide today. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at who Bruno Lowagie is and how he became the mastermind behind iText.

Born and raised in Belgium, Lowagie had a passion for computers from an early age. He started programming at the age of 12, and by 16, he had already created and sold his first software program. He went on to pursue a degree in computer science at the University of Ghent, where he graduated with honors.

After graduating, Lowagie got his first job as a software engineer at the renowned company, Barco. During his time at Barco, he had a chance encounter that would change the course of his career. As he was working on an interactive whiteboard, he realized that he needed a program to generate PDFs. However, he found that there was no existing software that could do what he needed. That’s when he decided to create his own PDF library, and iText was born.

Lowagie initially created iText as a personal project, but he soon realized its potential and decided to make it open-source. iText quickly gained popularity, and Lowagie became overwhelmed by the response. He decided to quit his job at Barco and start his own company, iText Group NV.

iText Group NV quickly became a success, and Lowagie started to expand the functionality of iText. He added features such as support for encryption, digital signatures, and HTML to PDF conversion. iText became the go-to PDF library for developers worldwide, and today it’s used by big-name companies such as PayPal, Dell, and the European Commission.

Aside from iText, Lowagie is also an accomplished author, having written a book on iText that has been translated into several languages. He’s also a speaker at software conferences around the world, where he shares his knowledge on PDF technology and software development.

Lowagie’s success with iText has not gone unnoticed, and he’s been recognized with several awards for his contributions to the software industry. In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious DotNet Award for the best open-source project in the "PDF, Office and Reporting Tools" category.

Looking back, Lowagie is proud of his accomplishments with iText. He attributes his success to his passion for software development and his dedication to creating a tool that developers love to use. He believes that iText’s success is a testament to the power of open-source software and the importance of giving back to the community.

In conclusion, Bruno Lowagie’s story is one of perseverance and dedication to his craft. His creation of iText has changed the way developers generate PDF documents, making it easier and more accessible than ever before. Thanks to his hard work and determination, millions of users worldwide can now easily create and manage PDF documents with ease.