4 ms·
Are we seriously putting Linus in the same category as Newton
by jXCw1N0jtH3 8y ago
Are we seriously putting Linus in the same category as Newton
- ekianjo 8y agoIts an analogy, not a classification. If you want to go by that logic then no one can be in the same category as Newton as he was the ultimate genius who revoutioned maths and physics singlehandedly.
- Cyph0n 8y agoEuler, Al-Khawarzmi, Gauss, Darwin, Maxwell, Einstein, von Neumann, Fourier, Laplace, Aristotle, Ampere, Descartes, Kepler, etc. Linus does not fit in that list.
- cdelsolar 8y agoWhy not?
- ozborn 8y agoHe's not really a scientist - at least one as theory heavy as the names above. However, his work with linux and git is at least comparable to that of other big scientific names known more for their engineering impact - like Van Leeuwenhoek. I'd also say the impact of Linus is greater, in part because of his insistence on making Linux GPL early on, rather than the secretive approach taken by someone like Van Leeuwenhoek.
- Alex3917 8y agoI mean Galileo arguably did more, he just doesn't get as much credit for being smart because his discoveries aren't at all difficult to understand.
- dragonsky67 8y agoI'm not sure that the comparison is completely invalid. Linus, via Linux has IMHO had a fairly profound impact on the world.
- cscurmudgeon 8y agoNewton was much more humble. Shoulders of giants and all.
- jmmcd 8y agoNewton wasn't so humble! He said that, but only as part of a deliberate insult to one of his rivals, who was short.
- cscurmudgeon 8y agoAt least he was capable of clever insults.
- sjwright 8y agoNo, because that would be an insult to Linus. Newton had a bunch of clever insights but he was also convinced that the christian bible was an elaborate cryptic code which could be deciphered to predict the future. Total nut job.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]