People like Linus, Carmack, and DHH aren't famous because of their code - they're famous because of their products. I think Zed could've ended this sentence at

People like Linus, Carmack, and DHH aren't famous because of their code - they're famous because of their products. I think Zed could've ended this sentence at aren't famous. If you ask anyone who doesn't closely follow tech who these folks are, you're likely to get blank stares. Maybe they'll recognize one of the names, but not be able to list specific achievements. As plink says, these people are famous within their communities. Just like I don't know who designed the stability systems on my car, someone else might not know who designed the graphics engine for Doom. I do find it interesting that Zed writes a piece about how there are no famous programmers, while simultaneously being voted to the top of HN and (again, in his sphere) being a fairly well-known name.