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Top comment on YT: > I love Linus so much. He has opinions and doesn't hold back with them. Yep, this is the steve jobs era people that were straightforward.

Top comment on YT: > I love Linus so much. He has opinions and doesn't hold back with them. Yep, this is the steve jobs era people that were straightforward. Linus can be a lot better with his initial reaction "It's horrible" but you can see through the outer shell that he is a really reasonable person and doesn't come across as this evil lord archetype people push on him. His knee-jerk reactions are so outlandish that after a while you just dismiss them as comedy. Our society is eradicating people with strong opinions. It's is a huge loss.

paulmd 6y ago
I wouldn't characterize a tendency for hyperbolic excess to be a good thing even if it's just rhetorical. You can see in any thread mentioning his opinions that nobody really digs for the deeper meaning, they just take him at face value. His comments on AVX-512 are a great example. He later toned them down after his ridiculous excess was challenged, just like you say. But nobody ever brings that up when the topic is discussed, just "HAY GUYS DID U KNOW LINUS SAID AVX-512 IS JUST BENCHMARKETEERING AND NEEDS TO DIE A PAINFUL DEATH!?!?". And now apparently it's such a worthless waste of silicon that AMD is implementing it on Zen4 too... cause Lisa Su loves spending a bunch of silicon on a "few meaningless benchmark wins" too apparently. It's like the old adage, "a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has got its pants on". Well, the ridiculous hyperbole gets halfway around the world before the correction gets its pants on too. Nobody ever hears his retractions, just the initial hyperbole. First impressions matter.
- twodave 6y ago
  How different is this from people spouting off their political party lines without really understanding the platform? It's human nature. We should not be required to let morons doing moronic things dissuade us from our natural reactions and feelings. I personally enjoy the way Linus tends to lead with his emotional reaction and then explain the layers behind it. I get the impression he often backtracks from his initial position because he's just giving the topic more thought, which is a mature response. The fact that he's a well-known figure doesn't excuse him from the privilege of being a human who learns.
  - paulmd 6y ago
    > The fact that he's a well-known figure doesn't excuse him from the privilege of being a human who learns being a well-known leader does convey a certain expectation of emotional maturity and moderation. Hyperbolic and mercurial individuals are generally considered to be a poor fit for leadership positions. Yes, it may be human nature to react emotionally, but this is something most people grow out of at a fairly young age, and we certainly expect our leaders to be reasoned and measured about their reactions.
    - twodave 6y ago
      I guess I don't really disagree with you. Still, there's value in knowing how people really feel about a topic, and with Linus that's rarely in doubt.

paulmd 6y ago

I wouldn't characterize a tendency for hyperbolic excess to be a good thing even if it's just rhetorical. You can see in any thread mentioning his opinions that nobody really digs for the deeper meaning, they just take him at face value. His comments on AVX-512 are a great example. He later toned them down after his ridiculous excess was challenged, just like you say. But nobody ever brings that up when the topic is discussed, just "HAY GUYS DID U KNOW LINUS SAID AVX-512 IS JUST BENCHMARKETEERING AND NEEDS TO DIE A PAINFUL DEATH!?!?". And now apparently it's such a worthless waste of silicon that AMD is implementing it on Zen4 too... cause Lisa Su loves spending a bunch of silicon on a "few meaningless benchmark wins" too apparently. It's like the old adage, "a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has got its pants on". Well, the ridiculous hyperbole gets halfway around the world before the correction gets its pants on too. Nobody ever hears his retractions, just the initial hyperbole. First impressions matter.

twodave 6y ago
How different is this from people spouting off their political party lines without really understanding the platform? It's human nature. We should not be required to let morons doing moronic things dissuade us from our natural reactions and feelings. I personally enjoy the way Linus tends to lead with his emotional reaction and then explain the layers behind it. I get the impression he often backtracks from his initial position because he's just giving the topic more thought, which is a mature response. The fact that he's a well-known figure doesn't excuse him from the privilege of being a human who learns.
- paulmd 6y ago
  > The fact that he's a well-known figure doesn't excuse him from the privilege of being a human who learns being a well-known leader does convey a certain expectation of emotional maturity and moderation. Hyperbolic and mercurial individuals are generally considered to be a poor fit for leadership positions. Yes, it may be human nature to react emotionally, but this is something most people grow out of at a fairly young age, and we certainly expect our leaders to be reasoned and measured about their reactions.
  - twodave 6y ago
    I guess I don't really disagree with you. Still, there's value in knowing how people really feel about a topic, and with Linus that's rarely in doubt.