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I'm always surprised to read about how awful the linux community sounds, given how great the product is. Does anyone familiar with the psych literature know if

by dlss 11y ago

I'm always surprised to read about how awful the linux community sounds, given how great the product is. Does anyone familiar with the psych literature know if Linus' behavior here might be causal of quality? Abrasiveness feels like it might cause conformity[1] effects or similar, which sounds like poison for a tech project... but then again, some of the best software I've seen has come from "proving someone wrong on the internet" so maybe it depends on the type of person? Any references would be appreciated. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asch_conformity_experiments

thesz 11y ago
Criticism: http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Asch's_Conformity_Study#Criticisms http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Asch's_Conformity_Study#Critic... The experiment is so badly constructed http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html that it is hard to imagine one takes results seriously.
crusso 11y ago
To me it's always seemed strange how there's an expectation that iconic leaders could have achieved all they achieved while being nice, polite, gentle, etc. You see it a lot when Steve Jobs is discussed - as though he could have been as docile and friendly as Woz and still accomplished all the same things. The truth is that the truly exceptional achievers are typically a-holes to deal with. Their uncompromising attitudes and relentless techniques for getting what they want rub many people the wrong way. Personally, I don't have to be good friends with these people or approve of how they interact with others in order to appreciate their contributions to technology and society in general.
forgottenpass 11y ago
I'm always surprised to read about how awful the linux community sounds, given how great the product is. Digging into the psych here is a wild goose chase because you're starting without a useful impression of what the kernel community is like. Unless you're already a kernel dev, you only hear about kernel maintenance if the drama blows up big enough to wind up in your periphery. The kernel community is about work, it's generally way too fucking boring for anyone other than Jon Corbet to report on. If you want to analyze the kernel culture, then the things that do show up on your radar are just anchoring your assumptions. Even if they turn out to be right, it's still bad craftsmanship to extrapolate from them alone.

by dlss 11y ago

thesz 11y ago

Criticism: http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Asch's_Conformity_Study#Criticisms http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/Asch's_Conformity_Study#Critic... The experiment is so badly constructed http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html http://www.simplypsychology.org/asch-conformity.html that it is hard to imagine one takes results seriously.

crusso 11y ago

To me it's always seemed strange how there's an expectation that iconic leaders could have achieved all they achieved while being nice, polite, gentle, etc. You see it a lot when Steve Jobs is discussed - as though he could have been as docile and friendly as Woz and still accomplished all the same things. The truth is that the truly exceptional achievers are typically a-holes to deal with. Their uncompromising attitudes and relentless techniques for getting what they want rub many people the wrong way. Personally, I don't have to be good friends with these people or approve of how they interact with others in order to appreciate their contributions to technology and society in general.

forgottenpass 11y ago

I'm always surprised to read about how awful the linux community sounds, given how great the product is. Digging into the psych here is a wild goose chase because you're starting without a useful impression of what the kernel community is like. Unless you're already a kernel dev, you only hear about kernel maintenance if the drama blows up big enough to wind up in your periphery. The kernel community is about work, it's generally way too fucking boring for anyone other than Jon Corbet to report on. If you want to analyze the kernel culture, then the things that do show up on your radar are just anchoring your assumptions. Even if they turn out to be right, it's still bad craftsmanship to extrapolate from them alone.