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This article mainly addressed his politics. Crazy or not in the political world, he's a superb software engineer.

erikbye 9y ago
Which software has he engineered superbly?
tptacek 9y ago
Really? Download "reposurgeon" sometime and look at that code (note that it is one of the few examples of substantial code that Raymond has both designed and implemented in the public record for the past several years --- and that Raymond promotes it diligently; for instance, he took what felt like close to 10 minutes out of an NTPsec talk to discuss it). He's _a_ software engineer, there's little question about that. But there are a great many of those.
- jstimpfle 9y ago
  After a quick skim, looks clean to me. Can you be more precise, what are your complaints?
- mirceal 9y ago
  13000 lines of python in one file! what could go wrong!
gpvos 9y ago
Superb, I wouldn't say. He is okay though.
mwfunk 9y ago
He’s someone who has written a fair amount of software in his spare time (which is all of it, since his wife’s been supporting him for decades). He’s written some (IMO, at the time) entertaining writings on software development, but I don’t know if the work he has chosen to do or the circumstances under which he does it really qualifies him as a superb engineer. Fundamentally he’s kind of a bullshitter, and it seems like every time I thought he made a good point about something he screws it up by using that point to make some other point that is totally off the rails. He’s disappointing because he seems to have talent and potential to really contribute a lot more than he has, but he just can’t stop drinking his own Kool Aid long enough to be a positive force. IMO, after observing this guy for 25+ years now, as a software developer and a writer on software development, everything he’s done has been 3 steps forward and 2-4 self-inflicted steps back. In politics it’s more like 3 steps back just for starters. I really wish he didn’t have whatever form of narcissism that drives him, because he’s clearly got some talents that could have been used in infinitely more effective and constructive ways over the last few decades. I’ve got to think that there’s some part of him that understands this, that’s always been the most frustrating thing about him. So much squandering of talent, just so he can pat himself on the back all the time. I’d say this applies just as much to his software-related work as it does to his politics. I thought he was great for like 5 years, up until the quadruple whammy of the Hitler thing, his “I’m your worst nightmare” Comdex story that he was so proud of (or maybe that was at CES?), “Thoughts on Sudden Wealth”, and the whole aggrieved shitpiece he wrote about proudly tormenting some poor random Microsoft HR person over the phone. For a lot of people, you only find out what really drives them when you see how they respond to success (or their own perception of success). He revealed A LOT in those years and has doubled down on it ever since.
- emodendroket 9y ago
  While you're throwing stuff into the list, his articles about race (where he decides he isn't a racist; he just hates poor blacks for being "lumpenproles") and sexual relationships (he describes himself as a "natural alpha male" or something like that) are really, completely awful.
- spraak 9y ago
  Can you link said essays (Hitler etc.)? I didn't know this about them.
- jstimpfle 9y ago
  I'm not sure what I think about evaluating people on a public forum in this way, without them knowing. But anyways, I've read quite a few of his writings and watched at least one of his talks, and could not agree more. Good description.

Which software has he engineered superbly?

Really? Download "reposurgeon" sometime and look at that code (note that it is one of the few examples of substantial code that Raymond has both designed and implemented in the public record for the past several years --- and that Raymond promotes it diligently; for instance, he took what felt like close to 10 minutes out of an NTPsec talk to discuss it). He's _a_ software engineer, there's little question about that. But there are a great many of those.

jstimpfle 9y ago
After a quick skim, looks clean to me. Can you be more precise, what are your complaints?
mirceal 9y ago
13000 lines of python in one file! what could go wrong!

gpvos 9y ago

Superb, I wouldn't say. He is okay though.

mwfunk 9y ago

He’s someone who has written a fair amount of software in his spare time (which is all of it, since his wife’s been supporting him for decades). He’s written some (IMO, at the time) entertaining writings on software development, but I don’t know if the work he has chosen to do or the circumstances under which he does it really qualifies him as a superb engineer. Fundamentally he’s kind of a bullshitter, and it seems like every time I thought he made a good point about something he screws it up by using that point to make some other point that is totally off the rails. He’s disappointing because he seems to have talent and potential to really contribute a lot more than he has, but he just can’t stop drinking his own Kool Aid long enough to be a positive force. IMO, after observing this guy for 25+ years now, as a software developer and a writer on software development, everything he’s done has been 3 steps forward and 2-4 self-inflicted steps back. In politics it’s more like 3 steps back just for starters. I really wish he didn’t have whatever form of narcissism that drives him, because he’s clearly got some talents that could have been used in infinitely more effective and constructive ways over the last few decades. I’ve got to think that there’s some part of him that understands this, that’s always been the most frustrating thing about him. So much squandering of talent, just so he can pat himself on the back all the time. I’d say this applies just as much to his software-related work as it does to his politics. I thought he was great for like 5 years, up until the quadruple whammy of the Hitler thing, his “I’m your worst nightmare” Comdex story that he was so proud of (or maybe that was at CES?), “Thoughts on Sudden Wealth”, and the whole aggrieved shitpiece he wrote about proudly tormenting some poor random Microsoft HR person over the phone. For a lot of people, you only find out what really drives them when you see how they respond to success (or their own perception of success). He revealed A LOT in those years and has doubled down on it ever since.

emodendroket 9y ago
While you're throwing stuff into the list, his articles about race (where he decides he isn't a racist; he just hates poor blacks for being "lumpenproles") and sexual relationships (he describes himself as a "natural alpha male" or something like that) are really, completely awful.
spraak 9y ago
Can you link said essays (Hitler etc.)? I didn't know this about them.
jstimpfle 9y ago
I'm not sure what I think about evaluating people on a public forum in this way, without them knowing. But anyways, I've read quite a few of his writings and watched at least one of his talks, and could not agree more. Good description.