Talk:Linus Torvalds

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[edit] Birthplace

Uh, Olso is the capital of NORWAY. So was he born in Oslo (Norway), or Stockholm (Sweden) ? For an encyclopedist, the author of this article could do a little wee bit of research, or even know these things... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 86.17.235.137 (talk • contribs) 20:13, 24 September 2006 (UTC).

Thank you for pointing that out. The version you read was the result of a misinformation edit done by 84.182.122.8. I have reverted it back to the correct form. Capi 20:14, 24 September 2006 (UTC)
Why does it now say he was born in both Helsinki, Finland, and Tulsk, Ireland? Atamasama 15:16, 1 February 2007 (UTC)
Also the above information was caused by vandalism, that was already reverted. Cate | Talk 16:54, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Tove Torvalds

Why have the link to Tove_Torvalds under his pic redirect to his page? Shouldn't there either be a Tove Torvalds stub (she's a semi-notable karate champion, according to this article), or no Tove link at all?


Yea, is this done by a Finn that believes that the wife is an appendage to the husband? If so, then this setup works... However, since she is an accomplished person herself and this is an encyclopedia there should not a redundant link back to her husband's webpage when you open her page. I will try to open a new page so that future Wikipedians can edit or build her page. Stevenmitchell 19:52, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

Actually why is there a need to link to her page? Why is she relevant to Wikipedia beside being Linus wife... for being a "semi-notable karate champion"? Who is interested in her bio? AdrianTM 20:14, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

Can someone confirm that Tove Torvalds has been Karate champion six times? It was in the article with a question mark besides it; I took it out because it didn't seem appropriate as it was

Don't worry, I confirmed it myself (see www.netshooter.com/linux/halloween4.html)

--Lezek

It's in his autobiography, which is loaned to my mentor right now... but the coauthor mentions that Tove is disappointed in Linus' attitude towards fitness. Pakaran 01:44, 15 Oct 2003 (UTC)

[edit] Finnish-American?

He is listed as Finnish-American on the Finnish-American article. Does he have a US passport? It only says he stayed in the US a couple of years, and that wouldn't make him American, would it?

He has been living in the US since 1997, which is sufficient time to get a green card, wait for 5 years and be naturalized as a US citizen. I thought of taking a look at the US government's naturalization records, but those require the consent of the (living) citizen in question. So Torvalds would have to volunteer any information about his naturalization as a US citizen, if he has in fact done so.Kevinp2 (talk) 04:05, 1 February 2008 (UTC)
This link seems to indicate that he was in the process of applying for a green card in 2000. Kevinp2 (talk) 04:10, 1 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] "Tørvalds"

Can we have more detail on this being the "original orthography"? I saw three weblinks that use it, though Linus never uses it himself - David Gerard 15:45, 19 Jul 2004 (UTC)

If it is not Torvalds then it must be Törvalds and not Tørvalds. 'ø' is used in danish and norwegian language but in swedish uses 'ö' for the same sound. But if you search for 'Törvalds' site:.se and 'Törvalds' site:.fi you will not get any results so I guess no-one in Sweden nor Finland has the surname 'Törvalds'. TraxPlayer 21:48, 20 Jul 2004 GMT+1
The "Tørvalds" in the web searches is in fact Linus. Presumably that's why the person who added it thought it was the original orthography - David Gerard 12:11, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)
That sounds like a joke...

' —Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.158.109.175 (talk) 10:18, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Nø realli! She was Karving her initials on the møøse with the sharpened end of an interspace tøøthbrush given her by Svenge–her brother-in-law–an Oslo dentist and star of many Norwegian møvies: "The Høt Hands øf an Oslo dentist", "Fillings of Passion", "The Huge Mølars of Horst Nordfink"....

[edit] Robert Hooke

Does the diversion on Robert Hooke belong here? Ejrrjs | What? 22:55, 13 Jan 2005 (UTC)???

[edit] Pronunciation

Would: IPA: /linus tʼorvaldz/ this be OK?

Waiting for some expert, I would rather propose: [ 'lɪ:nʉs: 'tʰʊ:rˌval:ʦ ]
--Johan Magnus 10:07, 30 Apr 2005 (UTC)
Except that Finland Swedish lacks [ʉ]. The Finland Swedish short u is pronunced [u]. Not even Sweden Swedish has a [ʉ] for a short u, since it's rather [ɵ]. Norwegian has [ʉ], though.
Jens Persson (213.67.64.22 14:05, 2 July 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Opinion on GPL3/DRM

"Linus's opinion on GPL3 was interpreted as supporting the use of digital rights management[3]."
I think his opinion is more like this: he is for code freedom while the part of GPL3 that he reject is about machine freedom (not code) and that is irrelevant to Linus. He is not necessarily for DRM, he says that people will choose if they want a DRM machine or not, but he actaully says that he's only interested to have code modifications available. It's a little bit something else than "Linux is for DRM" as that line in article reads. AdrianTM 19:51, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Linux and GNU/Linux naming reverts

I have recently made these edits to the article, which were fully reverted 10 minutes later by AKMask without any discussion here whatsoever, under the reasoning of "rv, theres an entire article on this issue, and it is unrelated to Torvalds personally". I am well aware that there is an article on this issue. I fail to see how this is could be unrelated to Torvalds since he is obviously one of the key parties directly concerned in the matter, and has voiced his opinion on it numerous times. The Richard Stallman article, for example, has an even lengthier discussion of the GNU/Linux vs Linux naming issue. Furthermore, this article already mentioned it in the first place; I simply expanded on what is already said, to make it, in my opinion, both more readable than it was ("However some," ??) and provide more useful information for the reader, on what was already mentioned. I did not expand to make it 5 paragraphs worth of controversy, I added 2 or 3 sentences that leave the situation (for both sides) more accurately described. This article already reads semi-POV enough, with hardly any mention of any criticisms toward Linus; no mention in the article text of his tendency and subsequent reputation for flaming and personal attacks, of what happened in the whole Linux is obsolete debate, of those who disagree with the way he runs the Linux kernel and claim he is power hungry, smoothing of his comments regarding GNOME (which were basically him flaming them on their own mailing list)... Capi 15:30, 20 July 2006 (UTC)

Torvalds has commented on the issue a few times, Stallman makes it a central focus of his public speaking being the main reason the article's cover it differently. If you wish, after the 'or GNU/Linux' mention include a link to the main article, but this is not the place for a large digression on the topic. Id go so far to say that Stallman's page isn't either, but perhaps more on WHY he feels that should be the name, since he's so vocal about it. As for the power-hungry part, feel free to add that in with a source, I didn't notice that part :) -Mask 02:58, 21 July 2006 (UTC)
I've removed anything about the GNU/Linux controversy from the article anyway.--Chealer 04:28, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quote attributed to Linus

I'm not very familiar with this article, but I thought I'd mention in my reading I came across this quote which is attributed to Linus by Michael J. Jordan of the Linux Online Staff:

In these days when Ubuntu is hogging the spotlight (though much of this attention is truly merited), it's good to know that you can count on a distribution from the days when "men were men and they wrote their own device drivers" as Linus Torvalds once said.

For the complete context and source, see the Linux Online review of Slackware 11[1]. I thought it was a good quote; whether anyone thinks it is appropriate to include somewhere in the article or not is up to those who are familiar with this article. BigNate37(T) 20:31, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Vox??

Uh, not a regular editor or anything -- but what's with 'Linus Benedict "VoX" Torvalds'? It was introduced a few days ago, and the article has been edited since and no one removed it, so I'm just wondering -- what is the "VoX" for? There's no explanation, nor do any of the pages named Vox have any sort of reference to this. Just, y'know, wondering. Janux 19:15, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

I think it's just some funny vandalism. Personally I think all the Wikipedia should be "sprotected" so only registered user should be allowed edit, this way would eliminate 99.999% of the vandalism that we see. If that's agains Wikipedia's principle at least articles like Linux, Linux Torvalds, Microsoft that attract vandal funboism should be permanently protected against anonymous editors. But that's me and I don't make the policy here, drop me a line of if you want my support (vote) in this issue. -- AdrianTM 19:43, 26 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Taking a back seat

I could be wrong, but I thought I read recently that Linus was going to start taking a back seat in terms of Linux kernel development, and that he was going to hand over authority and responsibility to his underlings. Is that right, or have I picked that up wrongly? Adw2000 16:49, 4 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Linus Torvalds Image

Why are there now two images of Linus Torvalds with the same name (but one with a .jpg ext. and the other .jpeg) which are identical apart from being horizontally flipped?

One is used on this page and the other on the Linux page.

- The one used in this article.

- The one used in the Linux article (the original image).

User:Some_Person seems to have created the 2nd image, with the description: "flipped so he faces toward article". I don't know if this is justified or not, but surely both this article and the Linux article should be using the same image. It is quite odd seeing him flip from facing one direction to facing the other when going between the two articles. Canderra 20:16, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Fixed.--Chealer 02:07, 18 January 2007 (UTC)
The missing image above is now at commons:Image:Linus Torvalds flipped.jpg --Selket Talk 14:49, 2 May 2007 (UTC)
I believe the flipped image is not justified in this context. There may be aesthetic reasons to prefer an image that faces the article, but they are outweighed by the need for complete accuracy in an encyclopaedia. Torvalds is not symmetrical, so a flipped image of him is a distortion. Kanguole (talk) 00:58, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Article is a disaster!

Considering who this guy is the article should be a featured article. Where are the Linux zealots to polish it up and fill it with tons of content? C'mon! Fill her up.-BiancaOfHell 13:35, 6 February 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Cool Man?

Does anybody have a screenshot or copy of the game Cool Man? An image of it would look good in his article.

[edit] Name

How is Linus Torvalds' name pronounced? Since I am from the United States, I would pronounce it ['lɪn.ʊs 'tɔɹ.vɒɫdz] (sounding like Linux, only with /s/), ['laɪ.nəs 'təoɹ.valdz], or [ˈlɪn.ʊs tɔɹˌvɒɫdz] Is it one of those, or is it different? ionas68224|talk|contribs|email 21:39, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

Did you try the pronunciation link? -- AdrianTM 22:48, 15 July 2007 (UTC)
I don't have the .ogg vorbis player. I am afraid that it has too many bites and will crash my system. ionas68224|talk|contribs|email 07:11, 16 July 2007 (UTC)
I assume you run Windows, here's a how-to for installing the codec: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ogg.htm -- AdrianTM 12:46, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

Sounds to me like IPA: [ˈliːnɵs ˈtuːrvauts]. kwami 01:57, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] "Linus was inspired by Minix"

It looks like somebody doesn't like this sentence. Look what Linus said in his book "I learned what I liked about the operating system [Minix],-- and, more importantly, what I didn't like" also "and because the Minix file system was well-documented anyway--I made my file system compatible with the Minux file system" also "My original goal was to create an operating system taht I could eventually use as a replacement for Minux" -- doesn't that sound like an inspiration (learned pluses and minuses of the OS, used a compatible file system)? I'm not in love with this sentence, I would accept other formulation, but not when I'm accused of vandalism for a good-faith edit. -- AdrianTM 04:00, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

No. WP:SYNTH. That simple --L--- 04:08, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
I don't think WP:SYNTH means what you think it means, where is "A" and where is "B" what synthesis? -- AdrianTM 04:10, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
A- His book says that he learned what he did and didn't like about MINIX. B- Wherever you got your definition of inspiration from. C= His book says this, which means that he was inspired. --L--- 04:12, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
For the record: from here one of the meanings: "prompt: serve as the inciting cause of; "She prompted me to call my relatives" " -- that's the meaning that I used the word, even if Linus was "DISGUSTED" by Minix that prompted him to do Linux, if he didn't read the book about Minux of Tanenbaum he might have not done it, he also used Minux file system specification (and for this I have a clear reference) that's a clear inspiration in any sense of the word. However, I think the solution used by MediaMangler is better. -- AdrianTM 06:24, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't see how "based on Minix" is any less a violation of WP:SYNTH unless you can cite a source for that specific phrase. Certainly that phrase does not appear in the cited "Linux vs. Tannenbaum" source. On the contrary, that source specifically states that "MINIX is a microkernel-based system. ... LINUX is a monolithic style system." I can't see how you can justify citing that as a source for the claim that Linux is based on Minix when both Linus and Tannenbaum assert that the two kernels are based upon two entirely different paradigms. MediaMangler 09:08, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

I edited this article to use similar phrasing to that used in the Linux article. I hope this will settle the dispute, since it just makes the simple, factual statement that he developed Linux as a replacement for MINIX. MediaMangler 09:18, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
He designed his system using MINIX, although he changed things he didn't like about it. Somewhat in the same way that Conservapedia uses Wikipedia as a base a lot of the time, even though they turn out almost completely different. I do agree that your version is more precise, however. --L--- 13:48, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
You and I seem to have different understandings of the meaning and implication of the phrase "based on", just as you and AdrianTM seem to have different understandings of the meaning and implication of the phrase "inspired by". I strongly suspect that all three of us intend to impart the same meaning, the words just keep getting in the way. --MediaMangler 14:26, 2 August 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for your edit, this is much better, "based" didn't make much sense to me. -- AdrianTM 06:22, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] First name references to Linus Torvalds compromise neutral POV

While I have long been aware of the conventional reference to "Linus" in the free software community, that is not nearly enough justification to do it anywhere in Wikipedia. It seems to be a bit of an affectionate and thus biased reference that the vast majority of readers should not at all be expected to understand or agree with. It makes as much sense as referring--in Wikipedia--to Richard Stallman as RMS.

It is inconsistent with usage in the Linux article and probably other important articles. It is also inconsistent with references to many other people with relatively unusual first names and of far greater fame and influence, such as Elvis Presley. Presley was also always known to everyone by his first name and yet Wikipedia scrupulously refers to him by his last name. Important exceptions include: first names of top historical figures, say Jesus, Mohammed, and Leonardo; one-word names, such as Aristotle; and stage names such as Cher.

Can anyone explain why all first-name references to Torvalds should not be corrected in this article and in others?

I didn't think about this issue, but I think in many instances it makes sense to use the first name, for example "Linus is married to Tove Torvalds" is better than "Torvalds is married to Tove Torvalds" don't you think? I will try to add both names where it makes sense. -- AdrianTM 18:14, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
Thanks, and sorry for my newbie oversights. I replaced another first name with a pronoun. More generally, unambiguous pronouns help readability anyway of course. -- Freed42 19:06, 15 August 2007 (UTC)
Fixed I think. One note on the "Can anyone explain why all first-name references to Torvalds should not be corrected in this article and in others?" this is Wikipedia, you can edit yourself if you find an error or if you want to improve, don't ask other people to do it (also, don't forget to sign your posts) -- AdrianTM 18:20, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

This has nothing to do with NPOV, it's just an MOS issue. Of course the people that use Linux probably think of Stallman as RMS and Torvalds as Linus, and of course the people writing an article about a major influence in Linux are going to be people that use linux. It has nothing to do with bias, it's just a habit. --lucid 08:59, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] sentence: he wrote 2 % of the code

Firstly, how do you measure that? Number of bytes submitted? Number of bytes originally submitted that stayed in the code? I don't believe it is that easy to measure and the text does not tell. Secondly, the source for the sentence about the 2 percent (http://www.nndb.com/people/444/000022378/), lacks any authority, is badly researched, lacks sources... 2 percent can give you the idea that other people, many people(?), contribute to the kernel except for Linus, but what more? I am for removing the sentence or just putting it as it should be, that there are some dedicated people, the code is managed, by whom (links!). and that's it, without any strange numbers. --Ben T/C 13:16, 30 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm always up for removing anything that's unsourced. However, I just discovered a source (Linus' half auto-biography, Just For Fun) that might help out with some of the unsourced info, so for at least the next couple weeks, I'd prefer a {{Fact}} tag to outright removal. (Although this is just one girl's opinion, others may vary) spazure (contribs) (review) 08:51, 5 September 2007 (UTC)
As long as it isn't anything contentious, (example: The Sorcerer Linus and the beast worked together to overthrow Mammon would go, "Linus has a kid" would be fine) I'd agree with you. Alternatively, there's also <!-- comment tags --> we can put around unsourced statements, that way it's easy to source them later on, without showing people controversial content --lucid 08:56, 5 September 2007 (UTC)
Well, yes. I try to use WP:AGF to mean WP:assumecommon sense, as well ;-) spazure (contribs) (review) 09:00, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] An amusing coincidence

We've been calling Linus Linux's "benevolent dictator" for years. His middle name also happens to be a contraction of that--"Benedict." How amusing.  :-) --Mr z (talk) 22:26, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Linus Torvalds facts

what's "unencyclopaedic" about it? there's a full Chuck Norris Facts article, where the Linus Torvalds facts are mentioned. so why shouldn't they be mentioned in Linus Torvalds's own article? --Linuxfanboy (talk) 16:53, 15 March 2008 (GMT+1)

Perhaps I'm biased because I just don't think they're funny, and recognize some of them as rehashed Real Programmer jokes or manglings of actual Torvalds quotes. Anyway, the Chuck Norris thing is primary. Where's the evidence that the Torvalds spin-off is notable, beyond a few blogs and mailing list posts? Kanguole (talk) 00:55, 16 March 2008 (UTC)
well they're circlin' around various IT-related forums, blogs, mails and whatever - just like it started out with the Chuck Norris facts. I've seen heaps of these Linus facts in Norway. and there's even a dedicated page that's collecting them. either way, I don't see the harm in mentioning them. oh and yeah, I think they're funny so I guess we're equally biased haha. Linuxfanboy (talk) 14:35, 16 March 2008 (GMT+1)

[edit] Orders, decorations, and medals of Finland

Has Torvalds been given any orders, decorations, and medals of Finland? – Kaihsu (talk) 22:18, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Stock options

The article claims he earned 20 million from stock options, using http://www.bellevuelinux.org/linus.html as a source. It isn't cited there. For a claim this important there should be a more reliable source, such as a press release or more likely interview. Thus, I'm removing it for now. Superm401 - Talk 20:10, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

  • Why don't you just look the damn factoid up before removing it Gumbel, Peter (2006). Tovalds Linus Torvalds: By giving away his software, the Finnish programmer earned a place in history]. 60 Years of Heros. TIME. Retrieved on 2008-06-14.