Editing Linus Torvalds

{{Short description|Creator and lead developer of the Linux kernel (born 1969)}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Linus Torvalds
| image              = Lc3 2018 (263682303) (cropped).jpeg
| caption            = Linus Torvalds in 2018
| birth_name         = Linus Benedict Torvalds
| birth_date         = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1969|12|28}}
| birth_place        = [[Helsinki]], Finland
| alma_mater         = [[University of Helsinki]] (M.S.)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/linus-torvalds/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709010531/http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/bios/Linus%2CTorvalds/ |url-status=live |archive-date=9 July 2010 |title=Linus Torvalds 2008 Fellow }}</ref>
| nationality        = {{flatlist|
* Finnish
* American<ref>{{cite web |url=https://lwn.net/Articles/404729/ |title=Citizen Linus |access-date=2024-12-10}}</ref>
}}
| known_for          = [[Linux]], [[Git]]
| employer           = [[Linux Foundation]]
| occupation         = [[Software engineer]]
| children           = 3
| parents            = [[Nils Torvalds]] (father)<br />
Anna "Mikke" Torvalds (née Törnqvist, mother)
| spouse             = Tove Torvalds
| relatives          = Sara Torvalds (sister)<br />[[Leo Törnqvist]] (grandfather)<br />[[Ole Torvalds]] (grandfather)
}}

'''Linus Benedict Torvalds''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|iː|n|ə|s|_|ˈ|t|ɔːr|v|ɔː|l|d|z|audio=en-us-Linus Torvalds.oga}} {{respell|LEE|nəs|_|TOR|vawldz}},<ref>{{YouTube|s8EKVNcD1ko|"Linus Torvalds: Why Choose a Career in Linux and Open Source"}}</ref> {{IPA|sv-FI|ˈliːnʉs ˈtuːrvɑlds|lang|Sv-Linus_Torvalds.ogg}}; born 28 December 1969) is a Finnish<!--READ before changing this: [[MOS:NATIONALITY]]: "In cases of public or relevant dual citizenship, or a career that spans a subject's emigration, the use of the word 'and' reduces ambiguity."--> software engineer who is the creator and<!-- How long? --> lead developer of the [[Linux kernel]]. He also created the [[distributed version control]] system [[Git]].

He was honored, along with [[Shinya Yamanaka]], with the 2012 [[Millennium Technology Prize]] by the [[Technology Academy Finland]] "in recognition of his creation of a new [[open source]] [[operating system]] for [[computer]]s leading to the widely used Linux [[Kernel (operating system)|kernel]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.technologyacademy.fi/blog/2012/04/19/laureates/ |url-status=dead |title=Technology Academy Finland&nbsp;– Stem cell pioneer and open source software engineer are 2012 Millennium Technology Prize laureates |work=Technologyacademy.fi |date=19 April 2012 |access-date=24 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140117031012/http://www.technologyacademy.fi/blog/2012/04/19/laureates/|archive-date=17 January 2014}}</ref> He is also the recipient of the 2014 [[Computer Pioneer Award|IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computer.org/portal/web/pressroom/Linus-Torvalds-Named-Recipient-of-the-2014-IEEE-Computer-Society-Computer-Pioneer-Award|title=Computer-Pioneer-Award|access-date=5 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504034244/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/pressroom/Linus-Torvalds-Named-Recipient-of-the-2014-IEEE-Computer-Society-Computer-Pioneer-Award|archive-date=4 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the 2018 [[IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award]].<ref name="ibuka_rl">{{cite web|url=https://www.ieee.org/documents/ibuka_rl.pdf|title=List of IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award recipients|date=3 April 2017|website=[[IEEE]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180328151733/https://www.ieee.org/documents/ibuka_rl.pdf|archive-date=28 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Life and career ==
=== Early years ===
Torvalds was born in [[Helsinki]], Finland, on 28 December 1969, the son of journalists Anna and [[Nils Torvalds]],<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]]</ref> the grandson of statistician [[Leo Törnqvist]] and of poet [[Ole Torvalds]], and the great-grandson of journalist and soldier [[Toivo Karanko]]. His parents were campus radicals at the [[University of Helsinki]] in the 1960s.<!--Torvalds was bullied in school because of the political views of his father. [13]--> His family belongs to the [[Swedish-speaking Finns|Swedish-speaking minority]] in Finland. He was named after [[Linus Pauling]], the Nobel Prize–winning American chemist, although in the book ''[[Rebel Code]]: Linux and the Open Source Revolution'', he is quoted as saying, "I think I was named equally for [[Linus van Pelt|Linus]] the [[Peanuts]] cartoon character", noting that this made him "half Nobel Prize–winning chemist and half blanket-carrying cartoon character".<ref name="moody">{{Cite book|last=Moody|first=Glyn|title=Rebel Code: Linux and the Open Source Revolution|publisher=Perseus Books Group|year=2002|page=[https://archive.org/details/rebelcodeinside000mood/page/n351 336]|url=https://archive.org/details/rebelcodeinside000mood|url-access=registration|isbn=0-7382-0670-9}}</ref>

His interest in computers began with a [[VIC-20]]<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]], pp. 6–7</ref> at the age of 11 in 1981. He started programming for it in [[BASIC]], then later by directly accessing the [[6502]] CPU in [[machine code]] (he did not utilize [[assembly language]]).<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Linus Torvalds, David Rusling | date = 30 September 2016 | title = LAS16-500K3: Fireside Chat with David Rusling and Linus Torvalds | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuAebQvFnRI | access-date = 8 October 2016| location = 24:10 | publisher = Linaro
}}</ref> He then purchased a [[Sinclair QL]], which he modified extensively, especially its operating system. "Because it was so hard to get software for it in Finland", he wrote his own assembler and [[text editor|editor]] "(in addition to [[Pac-Man]] graphics libraries)"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://opensource.googleblog.com/2010/09/geek-time-with-linus-torvalds.html |title=Geek Time with Linus Torvalds|first=Ellen|last=Ko|date=27 September 2010|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref> for the QL, and a few games.<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]], pp. 41–46</ref><ref>Torvalds, Linus: ''GMOVE''. Program listing. In ''[[MikroBitti]]'' 11/1986, p. 63.</ref> He wrote a ''[[Pac-Man]]'' clone, ''Cool Man''. 

Torvalds attended the [[University of Helsinki]] from 1988 to 1996,<!--Copied from Finnish WP. I've read the/his book and I'm sure it mentioned his university time, not sure the ref is for that sentence or just preceding: Torvalds began his university studies at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Science Department of Computer Science. His became a major in computer science. He studied in the first year of very active, what is not in his words, after this happened. He also joined the Spektrum, a student organization in mathematics, physics, chemistry and computer science, which Wednesday evening to celebrate came to her social life important occasions. [17]--><ref>Torvalds & Diamond 2001, p. 38, 94.</ref> graduating with a master's degree in [[computer science]] from the NODES research group.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/group/nodes/ |title=NODES research group |publisher=Cs.helsinki.fi |date=16 October 2008 |access-date=13 March 2010 |archive-date=21 February 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221041803/http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/group/nodes/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> His academic career was interrupted after his first year of study when he joined the [[Finnish Navy]] [[Nyland Brigade]] in the summer of 1989, selecting the 11-month officer training program to fulfill the [[Conscription in Finland|mandatory military service of Finland]]. He gained the rank of [[second lieutenant]], with the role of an [[artillery observer]].<ref>[[Linus Torvalds#Torvalds|Torvalds]], p. 29</ref>

In 1990, Torvalds resumed his university studies, and was exposed to Unix for the first time in the form of a [[Digital Equipment Corporation|DEC]] [[MicroVAX]] running [[ULTRIX]].<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]], p. 53</ref> Later, he bought computer science professor [[Andrew Tanenbaum]]'s book ''[[Operating Systems: Design and Implementation]]'', in which Tanenbaum describes [[MINIX]], an educational stripped-down version of [[Unix]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-04 |title=5.08: features |url=http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/5.08/linux_pr.html |access-date=2025-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904031913/http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/5.08/linux_pr.html |archive-date=4 September 2015 }}</ref>

On 5 January 1991<ref name="first_interview">{{cite web |url-status=dead |url=https://www.abc.se/~m9339/linux/linuxdoc/linuxnews03a.html |title=The nightmare continues |work=Linux News |publisher=Abc.se |date=5 January 1991 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981205221105/https://www.abc.se/~m9339/linux/linuxdoc/linuxnews03a.html |access-date=13 March 2010|archive-date=5 December 1998 }}</ref> he purchased an [[Intel 80386]]-based [[IBM PC clone]]<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]], p. 60</ref> before receiving a copy of [[MINIX]], which in turn enabled him to begin work on Linux.
=== Linux ===
{{Main|History of Linux}}
The first Linux prototypes were publicly released on the Internet in late 1991 from an [[FTP]] server at his university.<ref name="moody" /><ref>{{cite newsgroup |title= What would you like to see most in minix? |last=Torvalds |first=Linus Benedict |date=25 August 1991 |newsgroup= comp.os.minix |message-id= 1991Aug25.205708.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI |url= http://groups.google.com/group/comp.os.minix/msg/b813d52cbc5a044b?dmode=source | quote=I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones.}}</ref> Version 1.0 was released on 14 March 1994.<ref name="kern1p0-release">{{cite news|url=https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v1.0/|title=Kernel 1.0 Source Code Release|access-date=27 October 2008}}</ref>

Torvalds first encountered the [[GNU Project]] in the autumn of 1991 when another Swedish-speaking computer science student, Lars Wirzenius, took him to the University of Technology to listen to free software guru [[Richard Stallman]]'s speech. Because of the talk and pressure from other contributors, Torvalds would ultimately switch his original license (which forbade commercial use) to Stallman's [[GNU General Public License]] version 2 (GPLv2) for his [[Linux kernel]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wirzenius |first1=Lars |title=The early days of Linux |url=https://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/928581/841b747332791ac4/ |access-date=14 April 2023 |work=LWN.net}}</ref>

After a visit to [[Transmeta]] in late 1996,<ref name="linuxonlinebio">{{cite web|url=http://www.linux.org/info/linus.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040626044423/http://www.linux.org/info/linus.html |archive-date=26 June 2004 |title=Linux Online&nbsp;– Linus Torvalds Bio |publisher=Linux.org |access-date=13 March 2010}}</ref> Torvalds accepted a position at the company in California, where he worked from February 1997 to June 2003. He then moved to the [[Open Source Development Labs]], which has since merged with the [[Free Standards Group]] to become the [[Linux Foundation]], under whose auspices he continues to work. In June 2004, Torvalds and his family moved to [[Dunthorpe, Oregon]]<ref name="Rogoway">{{cite news |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2005/06/linus_torvalds_incognito_inven.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140709153804/http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2005/06/linus_torvalds_incognito_inven.html|archive-date=9 July 2014 |title=Linus Torvalds, Incognito Inventor |first=Mike |last=Rogoway |newspaper=[[The Oregonian]] |date=7 June 2005 |access-date=8 July 2014 |quote=A sort of anti-celebrity, he is plainly ambivalent about fame and content to stay nestled at home in a tony cluster of million-dollar houses atop the densely forested hills of the Dunthorpe neighborhood.}}</ref> to be closer to the OSDL's headquarters in [[Beaverton, Oregon|Beaverton]].

From 1997 to 1999, he was involved in [[86open]], helping select the standard binary format for [[Linux]] and [[Unix]]. In 1999, he was named by the ''[[MIT Technology Review]]'' [[TR100]] as one of the world's top 100 innovators under age 35.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.technologyreview.com/tr35/profile.aspx?TRID=495 |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20110329015921/http://www.technologyreview.com/TR35/Profile.aspx?TRID=495 |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 March 2011 |title=1999 Young Innovators Under 35: Linus Torvalds, 29 |magazine=[[Technology Review]] |year=1999 |access-date=14 August 2011 }}</ref>

In 1999, [[Red Hat]] and [[VA Linux]], both leading developers of Linux-based software, presented Torvalds with [[stock option]]s in gratitude for his creation.<ref name=r1/> That year both companies [[went public]] and Torvalds's share value briefly shot up to about US$20&nbsp;million.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.11/linus_pr.html|title=Leader of the Free World|last=Rivlin|first=Gary|access-date=14 June 2008|magazine=Wired}}</ref><ref name="unauthbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.linfo.org/linus.html|title=Linus Torvalds: A Very Brief and Completely Unauthorized Biography|work=The Linux Information Project|publisher=Bellevue Linux Users Group|date=24 January 2006|access-date=22 October 2010}}</ref>

His personal mascot is a penguin nicknamed [[Tux (mascot)|Tux]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html|title=Re: Linux Logo prototype.|date=9 May 1996|first=Linus|last=Torvalds|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120530044051/http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/9605/0855.html|archive-date=30 May 2012}}</ref> which has been widely adopted by the Linux community as the Linux kernel's mascot.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linux.org/info/penguin.html |title=Why a Penguin? |access-date=19 May 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070113035356/http://www.linux.org/info/penguin.html |archive-date=13 January 2007 }}. linux.org</ref>

Although Torvalds believes "[[open source]] is the only right way to do software", he also has said that he uses the "best tool for the job", even if that includes [[proprietary software]].<ref>{{YouTube|4XpnKHJAok8|Linus Torvalds at Google, on Git}}, 9:50–10:00</ref> He was criticized for his use and alleged advocacy of the proprietary [[BitKeeper]] software for version control in the Linux kernel. He subsequently wrote a free-software replacement for it called [[Git]].

In 2008, Torvalds stated that he used the [[Fedora Linux]] distribution because it had fairly good support for the [[PowerPC]] processor architecture, which he favored at the time.<ref name="LinusFedora">{{cite web|url=http://www.simple-talk.com/opinion/geek-of-the-week/linus-torvalds,-geek-of-the-week/|title=Linus Torvalds, Geek of the Week|date=17 July 2008|access-date=3 August 2009|last=Morris|first=Richard|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100110045635/http://www.simple-talk.com/opinion/geek-of-the-week/linus-torvalds%2C-geek-of-the-week/|archive-date=10 January 2010}}</ref> He confirmed this in a 2012 interview.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tuxradar.com/content/interview-linus-torvalds-linux-format-163 | title=Interview with Linus Torvalds from Linux Format 163 | date=29 November 2012 | website=TuxRadar | publisher=Linux Format | access-date=3 February 2014 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119045740/http://www.tuxradar.com/content/interview-linus-torvalds-linux-format-163 | archive-date=19 January 2014 }}</ref> Torvalds abandoned GNOME for a while after the release of [[GNOME 3.0]], saying, "The developers have apparently decided that it's 'too complicated' to actually do real work on your desktop, and have decided to make it really annoying to do". He then switched to [[Xfce]].<ref>{{citation|author=Ricky|title=Linus Torvalds Ditches GNOME For Xfce|date=4 August 2011|url=https://digitizor.com/linus-torvalds-ditches-gnome-for-xfce/|work=Digitizor|access-date=8 November 2011|archive-date=11 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150411094010/http://digitizor.com/2011/08/04/linus-torvalds-ditches-gnome-for-xfce/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, Torvalds resumed using GNOME, noting that "they have extensions now that are still much too hard to find; but with extensions you can make your desktop look almost as good as it used to look two years ago".<ref>{{cite web|date=7 November 2012|title=Torvalds: I want to be nice, and curse less, but it's just not in me|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/07/passion_of_torvalds/|access-date=2 January 2013|publisher=The Register|archive-date=13 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151113202510/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/07/passion_of_torvalds/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Heath|first=Nick|title=Linus Torvalds switches back to Gnome 3.x desktop|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-switches-back-to-gnome-3-x-desktop/|website=ZDNet|access-date=22 April 2019|archive-date=3 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220203130301/https://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-switches-back-to-gnome-3-x-desktop/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Linux Foundation]] currently sponsors Torvalds so he can work full-time on improving Linux.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linuxfoundation.org/about|title=About Us|publisher=The Linux Foundation|access-date=19 June 2013}}</ref>

In 2012, while giving a talk at [[Aalto University]], Torvalds said "fuck you" and raised his middle finger after critiquing the company [[Nvidia]], which specializes in GPU technology. He said Nvidia was, at the time, the single worst company he has dealt with in the development of the kernel. In the talk, he also discussed other elements of computing.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Garling |first=Caleb |title=Nvidia Responds to F-Bomb From Linus Torvalds |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/06/nvidia-linus-torvald/ |access-date=2024-12-13 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Savov |first=Vlad |date=2012-06-17 |title=Linus Torvalds: 'fuck you, Nvidia' for not supporting Linux |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/6/17/3092829/linus-torvalds-fuck-you-nvidia |access-date=2024-12-13 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref>

Torvalds is known for vocally disagreeing with other developers on the [[Linux kernel mailing list]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-16/the-creator-of-linux-on-the-future-without-him | work=Bloomberg | first=Ashlee | last=Vance | author-link=Ashlee Vance | title=The Creator of Linux on the Future Without Him | date=16 June 2015}}</ref> Calling himself a "really unpleasant person", he explained, "I'd like to be a nice person and curse less and encourage people to grow rather than telling them they are idiots. I'm sorry—I tried, it's just not in me."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/01/19/got_bugs_got_anger_just_get_them_out_says_linus_torvalds/|title=Buggy? Angry? LET IT ALL OUT says Linus Torvalds|first=Simon|last=Sharwood|website=The Register|date=19 January 2015|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/11/07/passion_of_torvalds/|title=Torvalds: I want to be nice, and curse less, but it's just not in me|first=Gavin|last=Clarke|website=The Register|date=7 November 2012|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref> His attitude, which he considers necessary for making his points clear, has drawn criticism from [[Intel]] programmer [[Sage Sharp]] and [[systemd]] developer [[Lennart Poettering]], among others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.slashdot.org/story/14/10/06/1837237/lennart-poettering-open-source-community-quite-a-sick-place-to-be-in|title=Lennart Poettering: Open Source Community "Quite A Sick Place To Be In"|publisher=Slashdot|date=6 October 2014|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=October 2022}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.networkworld.com/article/943950/linux-kernel-dev-sarah-sharp-quits-citing-brutal-communications-style.html|title=Linux kernel dev Sarah Sharp quits, citing 'brutal' communications style|first=Jon|last=Gold|publisher=Network World|date=5 October 2015|access-date=8 November 2015}}</ref>

On Sunday, 16 September 2018, the Linux kernel ''Code of Conflict'' was suddenly replaced by a new ''Code of Conduct'' based on the [[Contributor Covenant]]. Shortly thereafter, in the release notes for Linux 4.19-rc4, Torvalds apologized for his behavior, calling his personal attacks of the past "unprofessional and uncalled for" and announced a period of "time off" to "get some assistance on how to understand people's emotions and respond appropriately". It soon transpired that these events followed ''[[The New Yorker]]'' approaching Torvalds with a series of questions critical of his conduct.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/CA+55aFy+Hv9O5citAawS+mVZO+ywCKd9NQ2wxUmGsz9ZJzqgJQ@mail.gmail.com/|title=Linux 4.19-rc4 released, an apology, and a maintainership note|date=16 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/SubscriberLink/765108/f1a80a6d6a6ff0f4/|title=Code, conflict, and conduct|first=Jonathan|last=Corbet|publisher=[[LWN.net]]|date=18 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/after-years-of-abusive-e-mails-the-creator-of-linux-steps-aside|title=After Years of Abusive E-mails, the Creator of Linux Steps Aside|first=Noam|last=Cohen|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|date=19 September 2018|location=New York City|issn=0028-792X}}</ref> Following the release of Linux 4.19 on 22 October 2018, Torvalds returned to maintaining the kernel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/769111/|title=The 4.19 kernel is out|first=Jonathan|last=Corbet|publisher=[[LWN.net]]|date=22 October 2018}}</ref>

In 2024, Russian developers were excluded from the list of Linux kernel maintainers. Torvalds commented: "I'm Finnish. Did you think I'd be supporting Russian aggression?"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=whNGNVnYHHSXUAsWds_MoZ-iEgRMQMxZZ0z-jY4uHT+Gg@mail.gmail.com/|title=Re: [PATCH] Revert "MAINTAINERS: Remove some entries due to various compliance requirements." - Linus Torvalds|work=Kernel Mailing Lists|access-date=28 October 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241026165021/https://lore.kernel.org/all/CAHk-=whNGNVnYHHSXUAsWds_MoZ-iEgRMQMxZZ0z-jY4uHT+Gg@mail.gmail.com/|archive-date=26 October 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/Linus-Torvalds-Russian-Devs|title=Linus Torvalds on Russian Developers|date=2024}}</ref>

==== The Linus/Linux connection ====
{{Main|History of Linux#Naming}}

Initially, Torvalds wanted to call the kernel he developed ''Freax'' (a combination of "free", "freak", and the letter X to indicate that it was a Unix-like system), but his friend [[Ari Lemmke]], who administered the [[FTP]] [[server (computing)|server]] where the kernel was first hosted, named Torvalds' directory ''linux''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Moody|first=Glen|title=The Greatest OS That (Never) Was|url=https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.08/linux.html?pg=3&topic=|magazine=Wired|access-date=22 July 2013}}</ref>

== Authority and trademark ==
As of 2006, approximately 2% of the Linux kernel was written by Torvalds.<ref name="unauthbio"/> Despite the thousands who have contributed to it, his percentage is still one of the largest. However, he said in 2012 that his own personal contribution is now mostly merging code written by others, with little programming.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium-technology-prize-finalist-linus-torvalds/ |title=An Interview With Linus Torvalds |publisher=Tech Crunch |date=19 April 2012 |access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref> He retains the highest authority to decide which new code is incorporated into the standard Linux kernel.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ingo |first1=Henrik |title=Open Life: The Philosophy of Open Source (HTML book) {{!}} OpenLife.cc |url=https://www.openlife.cc/onlinebook/open-life-philosophy-open-source-html-book |website=www.openlife.cc |access-date=4 August 2020}}</ref>

Torvalds holds the ''Linux'' trademark<ref>{{citation |url=http://tess2.uspto.gov/ |title=Linux trademark |quote=IC 009. US 021 023 026 036 038. G & S: computer operating system software to facilitate computer use and operation. FIRST USE: 19940802. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19940802 |date=15 August 1994 |number=Serial number 74560867}}</ref> and monitors its use,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://slashdot.org/linux/00/01/19/0828245.shtml |title=Linus Explains Linux Trademark Issues |date=19 January 2000 |publisher=Slashdot.org |access-date=13 March 2010}}</ref> chiefly through the [[Linux Mark Institute]].

==Other software==
{{anchor|Other apps}}

=== Git ===
{{See also|Git#History}}
On 3 April 2005, Torvalds began development on Git, [[version control software]] that later became widely used. On 26 July 2005, he handed over Git's maintenance to Junio Hamano, a major project contributor.

{{anchor|Subsurface (software)}}
=== Subsurface ===
Subsurface is software for logging and planning [[Scuba diving|scuba dives]], which Torvalds began developing in late 2011. It is [[free and open-source software]] distributed under the terms of the [[GNU General Public License]] version 2. Dirk Hohndel became its head maintainer in late 2012.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Subsurface {{!}} An open source divelog|url=https://subsurface-divelog.org/|access-date=2021-12-17|website=subsurface-divelog.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=License page on the Github for Subsurface|url=https://github.com/subsurface/subsurface/blob/master/LICENSE|website=Github|date=19 April 2022}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
[[File:Linus Torvalds.jpeg|thumb|175px|Torvalds in 2002]]

Linus Torvalds is married to Tove Torvalds (née Monni), a six-time Finnish national [[karate]] champion, whom he met in late 1993. He was running introductory computer laboratory exercises for students and instructed the course attendees to send him an e-mail as a test, to which Tove responded with an e-mail asking for a date.<ref name="moody" /> They were later married and have three daughters, two of whom were born in the United States.<ref name="oreg100914">{{cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/siliconforest/2010/09/linus_torvalds_already_an_oreg.html |title=Linus Torvalds, already an Oregonian, now a U.S. citizen|last=Rogoway|first=Mike|date=14 September 2010|access-date=16 September 2010|newspaper=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref> The Linux kernel's ''reboot'' system call accepts their dates of birth (written in hexadecimal) as [[Magic number (programming)|magic values]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Torvalds |first=Linus |title=index : kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git |url=https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/tree/include/uapi/linux/reboot.h|work=[[Linux kernel]] |access-date=30 May 2013}}</ref><ref name="reboot2">{{cite web|url=http://man.flashnux.com/en/debian/6/6.0.1/man2/reboot.2.html |title=Debian's reboot(2) man page |access-date=16 August 2011}}</ref>

Torvalds has described himself as "completely [[irreligion|a-religious]]—[[atheist]]", adding, "I find that people seem to think religion brings morals and appreciation of nature. I actually think it detracts from both. It gives people the excuse to say, 'Oh, nature was just created,' and so the act of creation is seen to be something miraculous. I appreciate the fact that, 'Wow, it's incredible that something like this could have happened in the first place.{{'"}} He later added that while in Europe religion is mostly a personal issue, in the United States it has become very politicized. When discussing the issue of [[separation of church and state|church and state separation]], he said, "Yeah, it's kind of ironic that in many European countries, there is actually a kind of legal binding between the state and the [[state religion]]."<ref>{{cite web|title=Interview: Linus Torvalds|last=Richardson|first=Marjorie|work=[[Linux Journal]]|url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/3655|date=1 November 1999|access-date=2 April 2011}}</ref> In "Linus the Liberator", a story about the March [[LinuxWorld Conference and Expo|LinuxWorld]] Conference, Torvalds says: "There are like two golden rules in life. One is 'Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.' For some reason, people associate this with Christianity. I'm not a Christian. I'm agnostic. The other rule is 'Be proud of what you do.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite web |first1=David | last1=Diamond |title=Linus the Liberator |url=http://www0.mercurycenter.com:80/svtech/news/special/linus/story2.htm |website=SiliconValley.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010127010200/http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/special/linus/story2.htm |archive-date=27 January 2001 |access-date=28 February 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2004, Torvalds moved with his family from [[Silicon Valley]] to [[Portland, Oregon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Torvalds leaves Silicon Valley for Oregon |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/tech-industry/torvalds-leaves-silicon-valley-for-oregon/ |website=CNET |language=en}}</ref>

In 2010, Torvalds became a United States citizen and [[Voter registration#United States|registered to vote in the United States]]. As of that year, he was unaffiliated with any U.S. political party, saying, "I have way too much personal pride to want to be associated with any of them, quite frankly."<ref name="oreg100914"/>

Linus developed an interest in [[scuba diving]] in the early 2000s and has achieved numerous certifications, leading him to create the Subsurface project.<ref>{{cite web |title=Divelog.blue Interviews: Linus Torvalds |url=https://divelog.blue/linus_torvalds.html |website=Divelog.blue |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200219135736/https://divelog.blue/linus_torvalds.html |archive-date=19 Feb 2020}}</ref>

== Awards and achievements ==
[[File:Linus-Torvalds_IEEE_Ibuka_Award_2018.jpg|thumb|right|Linus Torvalds receiving 2018 IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award from ICCE 2018 Conference Chair [[Saraju Mohanty|Saraju P. Mohanty]] and IEEE President James A. Jefferies at ICCE 2018 on 12 January 2018 in Las Vegas]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Awards and achievements
! Year !! Award !! Notes
|-
|2019
|[[Great Immigrants Award]]
|[[The Carnegie Corporation of New York]] honored Torvalds.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Linus Torvalds |url=https://www.carnegie.org/awards/honoree/linus-torvalds/ |access-date=June 27, 2024 |website=Carnegie Corporation of New York}}</ref>
|-
|2018
|IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award
|[[IEEE Masaru Ibuka Consumer Electronics Award]] is conferred by the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] for outstanding contributions to consumer electronics technology has been named in honor of the co-founder and honorary chairman of Sony Corporation, Masaru Ibuka. 2018 Ibuka award was conferred to Linus Torvalds "For his leadership of the development and proliferation of Linux."<ref name="ibuka_rl" />
|-
|2014
|IEEE Computer Pioneer Award
|On 23 April 2014, the [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]] named Torvalds as the 2014 recipient of the IEEE Computer Society's [[Computer Pioneer Award]]. The Computer Pioneer Award was established in 1981 by the IEEE Computer Society Board of Governors to recognize and honor the vision of those whose efforts resulted in the creation and continued vitality of the computer industry. The award is presented to outstanding individuals whose main contribution to the concepts and development of the computer field was made at least 15 years earlier.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computer.org/portal/web/pressroom/Linus-Torvalds-Named-Recipient-of-the-2014-IEEE-Computer-Society-Computer-Pioneer-Award|title=Linus Torvalds Named Recipient of the 2014 IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award|publisher=[[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers]]|date=23 April 2014|access-date=5 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504034244/http://www.computer.org/portal/web/pressroom/Linus-Torvalds-Named-Recipient-of-the-2014-IEEE-Computer-Society-Computer-Pioneer-Award|archive-date=4 May 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|2012
|Internet Hall of Fame
|On 23 April 2012, at [[Internet Society]]'s Global INET conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Torvalds was one of the inaugural inductees into the [[Internet Hall of Fame]], one of ten in the Innovators category and thirty-three overall inductees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.internethalloffame.org/inductees/year/2012 |title=2012 Internet Hall of Fame inductees 2012 |publisher=[[Internet Hall of Fame]] |access-date=24 April 2012 |archive-date=13 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121213033309/http://internethalloffame.org/inductees/year/2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
|-
|2012
|Millennium Technology Prize
|On 20 April 2012, Torvalds was declared one of two winners of that year's [[Millennium Technology Prize]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/linus-torvalds-wins-the-tech-equivalent-of-a-nobel-prize-the-millennium-technology-prize/10789 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420125910/http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/linus-torvalds-wins-the-tech-equivalent-of-a-nobel-prize-the-millennium-technology-prize/10789 |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 April 2012 |title=Linus Torvalds wins the tech. equivalent of a Nobel Prize: the Millennium Technology Prize. |publisher=ZDNet |date=19 April 2012 |access-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> along with [[Shinya Yamanaka]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120420004348.htm|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120422081904/http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120420004348.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 April 2012|title=Yamanaka wins Finnish award for iPS work : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri) |work=Yomiuri Shimbun |location=Japan |date=21 April 2012}}</ref> The honor is widely described as technology's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
|-
|2010
|C&C Prize
|He was awarded the [[C&C Prize]] by the [[NEC Corporation]] in 2010 for "contributions to the advancement of the information technology industry, education, research, and the improvement of our lives".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linus-Torvalds-awarded-2010-C-C-Prize-1122542.html |title=Linus Torvalds awarded 2010 C&C Prize |first=Chris |last=von Eitzen |work=The H |publisher=[[Heinz Heise]] |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=22 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024130712/http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linus-Torvalds-awarded-2010-C-C-Prize-1122542.html |archive-date=24 October 2010 }}</ref>
|-
|2008
|Hall of Fellows
| In 2008, he was inducted into the Hall of Fellows of the [[Computer History Museum]] in [[Mountain View, California]], "for the creation of the Linux kernel and the management of open source development of the widely used Linux operating system."<ref>{{Cite press release| url=http://www.computerhistory.org/press/2008-Fellows-Award-Announcement.html | title=The Computer History Museum Announces the 2008 Fellow Awards Recipients | publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] | date=18 June 2008 | access-date=22 October 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/bios/Linus,Torvalds/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709010531/http://www.computerhistory.org/fellowawards/hall/bios/Linus%2CTorvalds/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 2010 |title=Fellow Awards: Linus Torvalds |work=[[Computer History Museum]] |date=21 October 2008 |access-date=22 October 2010 }}</ref>
|-
|2005
|Vollum Award
|In August 2005, Torvalds received the [[Howard Vollum|Vollum Award]] from [[Reed College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.reed.edu/news_center/press_releases/2005-2006/082205LinuxCreator.html |title=Linux creator Linus Torvalds honored with Reed College's Vollum Award |publisher=Web.reed.edu |date=24 August 2005 |access-date=13 March 2010}}</ref>
|-
|2003
|Linus (Moon)
|In 2003, the naming of the asteroid moon [[Linus (moon)|Linus]] was motivated in part by the fact that the discoverer was an enthusiastic Linux user. Although the naming proposal referred to the mythological [[Linus (mythology)|Linus]], son of the muse [[Calliope]] and the inventor of melody and rhythm, the name was also meant to honor Linus Torvalds, and [[Linus van Pelt]], a character in the [[Peanuts]] comic strip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www2.ess.ucla.edu/~jlm/research/MBAs/Kalliope/index.html|author=Margot, Jean-Luc|title=Adaptive Optics Observations of Kalliope-Linus|year=2004|work=UCLA|access-date=30 August 2013}}</ref>
|-
|2001
|Takeda Award
| In 2001, he shared the Takeda Award for Social/Economic Well-Being with [[Richard Stallman]] and [[Ken Sakamura]].
|-
|2000
|Lovelace Medal
|In 2000, he was awarded the [[Lovelace Medal]] from the [[British Computer Society]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.14769|title=Talking to Torvalds|publisher=[[British Computer Society]]|date=September 2007|access-date=13 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002224451/http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=ConWebDoc.14769|archive-date=2 October 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
|1998
|EFF Pioneer Award
|In 1998, Torvalds received an [[EFF Pioneer Award]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://w2.eff.org/awards/pioneer/1998.php |title=Torvalds, Stallman, Simons Win 1998 Pioneer Awards |publisher=W2.eff.org |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101007125420/http://w2.eff.org/awards/pioneer/1998.php |archive-date=7 October 2010 }}</ref>
|-
|1997
|Academic Honors
|In 1997, Torvalds received his master's degree (Laudatur Grade) from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki. Two years later he received honorary doctor status at [[Stockholm University]], and in 2000, he received the same honor from his ''alma mater''.<ref>[[#Torvalds|Torvalds]], p. 28</ref>
University of Helsinki has named an auditorium after Torvalds and his computer is on display at the Department of Computer Science.
|-
|1996
|9793 Torvalds (Asteroid)
|In 1996, the asteroid [[9793 Torvalds]] was named after him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=9793|title=9793 Torvalds (1996 BW4)|access-date=22 November 2022}}</ref>
|}

== Media recognition ==
[[Time (magazine)|''Time'' magazine]] has recognized Torvalds multiple times:
* In 2000, he was 17th in their [[Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century]] poll.<ref>{{Cite magazine| url=http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/century.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103164600/http://www.time.com/time/time100/poc/century.html | archive-date=3 January 2007 | magazine=Time | title=The 2010 Time 100 | access-date=7 May 2010 | url-status=dead}}</ref>
* In 2004, he was named one of the most influential people in the world by ''Time'' magazine.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994026,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070523120001/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,994026,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 May 2007|title=Linus Torvalds: The Free-Software Champion|last=Lessig|first=Lawrence|author-link=Lawrence Lessig|date=26 April 2004|magazine=[[Time magazine]]|access-date=3 October 2006}}</ref>
* In 2006, the magazine's Europe edition named him one of the revolutionary heroes of the past 60 years.<ref name=r1>{{Cite magazine|last=Gumbel |first=Peter |url=http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2006/torvalds.html |title=Linus Torvalds |magazine=Time |date=13 November 2006 |access-date=13 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090930195123/http://www.time.com/time/europe/hero2006/torvalds.html |archive-date=30 September 2009 }}</ref>

''[[InfoWorld]]'' presented him with the 2000 Award for Industry Achievement.<ref>{{cite news |author=Nicholas Petreley |title=This year's Award for Industry Achievement goes to the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds |work=InfoWorld |date=17 January 2000 |page=82}}</ref> In 2005, Torvalds appeared as one of "the best managers" in a survey by ''[[BusinessWeek]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/05_02/B39150502manager.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050101011249/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/05_02/B39150502manager.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 January 2005 |title=The Best & Worst Managers of the Year |work=Bloomberg BusinessWeek |date=10 January 2005 |access-date=13 March 2010 }}</ref> In 2006, ''[[Business 2.0]]'' magazine named him one of "10 people who don't matter" because the growth of Linux has shrunk Torvalds's individual impact.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2006/06/21/technology/10dontmatter.biz2/index.htm |title=10 people who don't matter |publisher=CNN |date=22 June 2006 |access-date=13 March 2010}}</ref>

In summer 2004, viewers of [[YLE]] (the Finnish Broadcasting Company) placed Torvalds 16th in the network's [[Suuret Suomalaiset|100 Greatest Finns]]. In 2010, as part of a series called ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|The Britannica Guide]] to the World's Most Influential People'', Torvalds was listed among ''The 100 Most Influential Inventors of All Time'' ({{ISBN|9781615300037}}).<ref>{{cite web|title=Linus Torvalds named one of the 100 most influential inventors |work=[[The H]] |url=http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linus-Torvalds-named-one-of-the-100-most-influential-inventors-922622.html |date=4 February 2010 |access-date=15 February 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208151509/http://www.h-online.com/open/news/item/Linus-Torvalds-named-one-of-the-100-most-influential-inventors-922622.html |archive-date=8 February 2010 }}</ref>

On 11 October 2017, the Linux company [[SUSE S.A.|SUSE]] made a song titled "Linus Said" about the origin of the Linux kernel.<ref>{{Citation|last=SUSE|title=Linus Said – Music Parody (Momma Said)|date=11 October 2017|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHNKTlz1lps| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/oHNKTlz1lps| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|access-date=22 October 2017}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book | ref = Torvalds | last1 = Torvalds | first1 = Linus | last2 = Diamond | first2 = David | title = Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary | publisher = [[HarperCollins]] | year = 2001 | location = New York City, United States | isbn = 0-06-662072-4 | url = https://archive.org/details/justforfun00linu }}<ref>* {{Cite web |last1=Loney |first1=Matt |title=Exclusive: Linus Torvalds tells his story |publisher=[[ZDNet]] |date=10 April 2001 |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/exclusive-linus-torvalds-tells-his-story/ |access-date=9 August 2017 }}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/books/red-hats-off-to-a-low-maintenance-son/174579.article |last=Valsamidis |first=Tony |title=Red Hats off to a low maintenance son. |work=[[Times Higher Education Supplement]] |number=1575 |date=7 February 2003 |page=28 }}
* {{Cite magazine |last1=Wayner |first1=Peter |title=Just for Fun, by Linus Torvalds and David Diamond; Rebel Code, by Glyn Moody |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |date=1 May 2001 |url=https://www.wired.com/2001/05/just-for-fun-by-linus-torvalds-and-david-diamond-rebel-code-by-glyn-moody/ |access-date=9 August 2017 }}</ref>
* {{cite book |last=Himanen |first=Pekka |title=The Hacker Ethic and the Spirit of the Information Age. |quote=Prologue: Linus Torvalds; Epilogue: Manuel Castells |publisher=Random House |year=2001 |url=https://archive.org/details/hackerethic00pekk |url-access=registration |isbn=951-0-25417-7}}
* Moody, Glyn: Rebel Code. Engl. the beginning of work: Rebel Code. Eng. Riikka Toivanen and Heikki Karjalainen. In January 2001. {{ISBN|951-31-2003-1}}.
* Nikkanen, Tuula: The Linux story. Satku, 2000. {{ISBN|951-762-990-7}}.

== See also ==
* [[Linus's law]]
* [[Tanenbaum–Torvalds debate]]
* [[List of pioneers in computer science]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last1 = Himanen |first1 = Pekka |last2 = Torvalds |first2 = Linus |last3 = Castells |first3 = Manuel |title = The Hacker Ethic |publisher = Secker & Warburg |year = 2001 |isbn = 0-436-20550-5 }}

== External links ==
{{sisterlinks|d=Q34253|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|wikt=no}}
* {{BLF|8594|Linus Torvalds|author=Jukka Paakki |year=2011|URN=NBN:fi:sls-5464-1416928958070 }}
* [http://torvalds-family.blogspot.com/ Linus' blog] at [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]] (last post in 2011)
* [https://www.allbusiness.com/linus-torvalds-and-his-five-entrepreneurial-lessons-4315737-1.html Linus Torvalds and His Five Entrepreneurial Lessons] at [[AllBusiness.com]]
* {{Cite journal|last1=Young |first1=Robert |date = March 1994|title= Interview with Linus, the Author of Linux |journal= [[Linux Journal]] |issue=#1 |url= https://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2736 }}
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1123917 NPR Fresh Air episode]
* [https://www.cs.helsinki.fi/docs/NodesTenYearsEversion.pdf Ten years of NODES]
* [https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-18419231 Linus Torvalds: Linux succeeded thanks to selfishness and trust]
* [https://itwire.com/business-it-news/open-source/no-highs,-no-lows-linus-torvalds-on-25-years-of-linux.html  No highs, no lows: Linus Torvalds on 25 years of Linux]

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{{s-bef|before = [[Michael Grätzel]]}}
{{s-ttl|title = [[Millennium Technology Prize]] winner|years = 2012}}
{{s-aft|after = [[Stuart Parkin]]}}
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