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It seems like a really silly hill to die on, but then this whole debate seems like a boring pissing match. My only thought on finishing the article was, “what a

It seems like a really silly hill to die on, but then this whole debate seems like a boring pissing match. My only thought on finishing the article was, “what a waste of my time this was,” and that was just reading it, not living it. Maybe there’s some strategic value to making a big deal of something trivial like this, but I don’t see it. I just come away from this thinking Stallman is a controlling, thin-skinned, dick. If that was his plan, then as they say, mission accomplished. I couldn’t care less about the politics, it’s the personality that’s offensive.

dec0dedab0de 8y ago
* I couldn’t care less about the politics, it’s the personality that’s offensive.* Fair enough, though for me the personality is what I like. It's the same way I feel about ESR, even if I don't agree with whatever point is being made, I enjoy intelligent outspoken brashness.
- scottie_m 8y ago
  I enjoy that when the intelligence and brashness has a point other than stroking its own ego. Linus for example, is an example of the positive (imo) face of what you’re talking about, because it’s not about something petty from nearly 30 years ago and his desire to be in some kind of control. You know that even when he’s harsh and outspoken, odds are he’s making a really good and relevant point. I’m not seeing that here, just a lot of heat and no light.
  - pasabagi 8y ago
    Really? To be honest, Linus also comes across as an egomaniac. Sometimes, he says what must be said. Mostly, he's just extremely abusive. The problem with BDFL positions is it removes the sort of checks and bounds that people need, to stop them growing into assholes. The advantage is, for better or worse, they tend to have the kind of vision and consistency that allows a project to thrive. I think it'd be nice if they had a HR department they had to answer to, or something like that.
    - icebraining 8y ago
      I don't think Torvalds grew into anything; the Tanenbaum–Torvalds debate from '92 already had quotes like: your job is being a professor and researcher: That's one hell of a good excuse for some of the brain-damages of minix. I can only hope (and assume) that Amoeba doesn't suck like minix does.

dec0dedab0de 8y ago

* I couldn’t care less about the politics, it’s the personality that’s offensive.* Fair enough, though for me the personality is what I like. It's the same way I feel about ESR, even if I don't agree with whatever point is being made, I enjoy intelligent outspoken brashness.

scottie_m 8y ago
I enjoy that when the intelligence and brashness has a point other than stroking its own ego. Linus for example, is an example of the positive (imo) face of what you’re talking about, because it’s not about something petty from nearly 30 years ago and his desire to be in some kind of control. You know that even when he’s harsh and outspoken, odds are he’s making a really good and relevant point. I’m not seeing that here, just a lot of heat and no light.
- pasabagi 8y ago
  Really? To be honest, Linus also comes across as an egomaniac. Sometimes, he says what must be said. Mostly, he's just extremely abusive. The problem with BDFL positions is it removes the sort of checks and bounds that people need, to stop them growing into assholes. The advantage is, for better or worse, they tend to have the kind of vision and consistency that allows a project to thrive. I think it'd be nice if they had a HR department they had to answer to, or something like that.
  - icebraining 8y ago
    I don't think Torvalds grew into anything; the Tanenbaum–Torvalds debate from '92 already had quotes like: your job is being a professor and researcher: That's one hell of a good excuse for some of the brain-damages of minix. I can only hope (and assume) that Amoeba doesn't suck like minix does.