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There's this one famous guy that flew to space and started something related to Linux. Oh, that's right: Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth's African startup sold for

by wheels 19y ago

There's this one famous guy that flew to space and started something related to Linux. Oh, that's right: Ubuntu. Mark Shuttleworth's African startup sold for US$575 million. That's not exactly Google or Microsoft, but nothing to shake a stick at.

mynameishere 19y ago
Pretty peculiar looking African. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth. Might as well use Cecil Rhodes as a disproof of Africa's lack of enterprise. Nonetheless, I agree with the article, and every time the question of Africa's woes come up, I'm the first to point out that Bill Gates and Bono (and the 1000s like them) are destructive, and that the proper approach to the problem is investment rather than charity. Whatever potential is there will emerge eventually, no matter what the local VC scene is like.
- wheels 19y ago
  To be perfectly honest, that's a pretty racist comment. Mark Shuttleworth was born in Africa, educated in Africa, started his business in Africa and proudly refers to himself as African.
  - mynameishere 19y ago
    born in Africa Whoop educated in Africa Eee started his business in Africa Frickin proudly refers to himself as Africa Do. I got a dog that I named "duck". Now let's take him to the vet and see what the vet calls him.
    - wheels 19y ago
      I'm not sure that implying black people and white people are separate species is the best way to make your point.
      - mynameishere 19y ago
        I'm not sure that your inability to understand a straighforward analogy is the best way to refute my point. When the subject of Africa comes up, it has been the long and disastrous habit to look at every variable, any variable, except the obvious ones: The differences between people. Now, here we are saying, "There are examples of successful Africans that we can use as models for the whole continent, for example...such-and-such a white person." It makes people feel good to have proven that Africans are equal to Europeans through such a method, but it is a rather bold absurdity. Not to mention statistically meaningless. Not to mention a bit insulting to the indigenous people.
        mynameishere 19y ago
        Hey, by the way, I'm curious if any of the people downmodding me are going attempt to actually, you know, show me how I'm wrong. I'm willing to admit I'm wrong, but wheels' responses are pretty limp. I mean, check out my "racist" comment again: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=174987 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=174987 ...where exactly is the racism in that? Lots of people upmodded his ad hominem [1] attack on it, but I frankly can't sleuth out anything that would be considered "racist" even by the most liberal of PC standards. Maybe it's time everyone sat back and [just a suggestion] used our brains? [1] For the forgetful: http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html
        pchivers 19y ago
        I think your downmodding has more to do with your snarky tone then the content of your argument.
        wheels 19y ago
        Here's the deal: You've made the case that the reason that Mark Shuttleworth can't be African is because of his color. But African-ness is not a skin color, it's an issue of identity. For instance, I consider myself "American", though I neither live in America nor am I Native American. You then backed that up with a terrible analogy about different kinds of animals. You then extended that to say that because he's white, he can't serve as a roll-model for other people from the same place that he's from. Is there a difference between black and white communities in South Africa? Of course. Might one of those be at an advantage in the business community? Naturally, given the recent emergence from apartheid in the last couple of decades. Is that genetic? No. Fucking. Way. Implying that it is is the essence of racism. If you look at world history you notice quite quickly that cultures wax and wane in their world political / economic influence. It's only been a few hundred years since northern europe was a complete backwater and classical arab culture was the center of learnedness around that part of the world. The middle east is a mess these days. What changed? Did white people steal the "rule the world" gene? Of course not. Appropriately, "Ubuntu", is the African concept of unity of all peoples and races. It is no accident that Mark chose that name for the project. For you to come along and claim that he has no right to his identity because he's what you think is the wrong color for an African is pretty wonky.
wumi 19y ago
Shuttleworth's VC firm "here be dragons" http://www.hbd.com/ http://www.hbd.com/
- baha_man 19y ago
  'In ancient times, unexplored territories were marked 'Here Be Dragons' on maps and only the bravest of explorers dared venture there - often when they did, they discovered lush lands, rich with treasure and promise.' - Well, the ones who weren't killed by tropical diseases or angry natives may have done. The name 'Here be dragons' reminds me of 'Dragons' Den' on the BBC, but I found out the other day that the original version was a Japanese program called 'Money Tiger', which sounds better to me.

by wheels 19y ago

mynameishere 19y ago

Pretty peculiar looking African. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Shuttleworth. Might as well use Cecil Rhodes as a disproof of Africa's lack of enterprise. Nonetheless, I agree with the article, and every time the question of Africa's woes come up, I'm the first to point out that Bill Gates and Bono (and the 1000s like them) are destructive, and that the proper approach to the problem is investment rather than charity. Whatever potential is there will emerge eventually, no matter what the local VC scene is like.

wheels 19y ago
To be perfectly honest, that's a pretty racist comment. Mark Shuttleworth was born in Africa, educated in Africa, started his business in Africa and proudly refers to himself as African.
- mynameishere 19y ago
  born in Africa Whoop educated in Africa Eee started his business in Africa Frickin proudly refers to himself as Africa Do. I got a dog that I named "duck". Now let's take him to the vet and see what the vet calls him.
  - wheels 19y ago
    I'm not sure that implying black people and white people are separate species is the best way to make your point.
    - mynameishere 19y ago
      I'm not sure that your inability to understand a straighforward analogy is the best way to refute my point. When the subject of Africa comes up, it has been the long and disastrous habit to look at every variable, any variable, except the obvious ones: The differences between people. Now, here we are saying, "There are examples of successful Africans that we can use as models for the whole continent, for example...such-and-such a white person." It makes people feel good to have proven that Africans are equal to Europeans through such a method, but it is a rather bold absurdity. Not to mention statistically meaningless. Not to mention a bit insulting to the indigenous people.
      - mynameishere 19y ago
        Hey, by the way, I'm curious if any of the people downmodding me are going attempt to actually, you know, show me how I'm wrong. I'm willing to admit I'm wrong, but wheels' responses are pretty limp. I mean, check out my "racist" comment again: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=174987 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=174987 ...where exactly is the racism in that? Lots of people upmodded his ad hominem [1] attack on it, but I frankly can't sleuth out anything that would be considered "racist" even by the most liberal of PC standards. Maybe it's time everyone sat back and [just a suggestion] used our brains? [1] For the forgetful: http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html http://www.paulgraham.com/disagree.html
        pchivers 19y ago
        I think your downmodding has more to do with your snarky tone then the content of your argument.
        wheels 19y ago
        Here's the deal: You've made the case that the reason that Mark Shuttleworth can't be African is because of his color. But African-ness is not a skin color, it's an issue of identity. For instance, I consider myself "American", though I neither live in America nor am I Native American. You then backed that up with a terrible analogy about different kinds of animals. You then extended that to say that because he's white, he can't serve as a roll-model for other people from the same place that he's from. Is there a difference between black and white communities in South Africa? Of course. Might one of those be at an advantage in the business community? Naturally, given the recent emergence from apartheid in the last couple of decades. Is that genetic? No. Fucking. Way. Implying that it is is the essence of racism. If you look at world history you notice quite quickly that cultures wax and wane in their world political / economic influence. It's only been a few hundred years since northern europe was a complete backwater and classical arab culture was the center of learnedness around that part of the world. The middle east is a mess these days. What changed? Did white people steal the "rule the world" gene? Of course not. Appropriately, "Ubuntu", is the African concept of unity of all peoples and races. It is no accident that Mark chose that name for the project. For you to come along and claim that he has no right to his identity because he's what you think is the wrong color for an African is pretty wonky.

wumi 19y ago

Shuttleworth's VC firm "here be dragons" http://www.hbd.com/ http://www.hbd.com/

baha_man 19y ago
'In ancient times, unexplored territories were marked 'Here Be Dragons' on maps and only the bravest of explorers dared venture there - often when they did, they discovered lush lands, rich with treasure and promise.' - Well, the ones who weren't killed by tropical diseases or angry natives may have done. The name 'Here be dragons' reminds me of 'Dragons' Den' on the BBC, but I found out the other day that the original version was a Japanese program called 'Money Tiger', which sounds better to me.