> I wonder if other -- perhaps more minor -- achievements that displayed engineering excellence like the Apollo Program, invention of the transistor, the first

> I wonder if other -- perhaps more minor -- achievements that displayed engineering excellence like the Apollo Program, invention of the transistor, the first compiler etc. espoused this same "enabling" culture. You might be surprised. While I don't know about those particular projects, I know that, for example, Admiral Rickover was direct and blunt with those in the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion programme. He didn't suffer fools kindly, or at all. But then, he had the health and safety of his men, the nation and the world to worry about. I'd take a few hurt feelings over another Therac-25. > It is about marginalization, which is pushing (or keeping) qualified people away. No, mariginalisation is about pushing or keeping away people rejected by the group. When it keeps the unqualified away, it's a good thing. In the pursuit of excellence, even someone who's excellent on an absolute scale may not be excellent enough. A team of the best dozen engineers in the world will necessarily not include the 13th-best engineer: he is incredibly good, but he's just not good enough for that team. Is the kernel team marginalising the good enough along with the bad? I honestly don't know.