5 ms·

Well, if you look at the rest of the list, Zuck's the only one who really stands out as a "they sure couldn't have got that more wrong".

Vivtek 15y ago
Netflix.
- redthrowaway 15y ago
  I'm not sure Torvalds should be there, either. Sure, Linux long ago outgrew the need for him as chief evangelizer, but when Linus speaks, the software world's ears perk up. He's still incredibly influential, if no longer the Atlas of the FOSS movement (with apologies to Dr. Stallman).
zoomzoom 15y ago
i dunno. Linus putting out git and reed hastings with instant both seem pretty important these days.
- SoftwareMaven 15y ago
  To the average reader of CNN, git is a piece of software they've never heard of, much less understand why it's better. Linus never stopped being important to the software community, but git doesn't make him more important to the non-software community.
  - ericd 15y ago
    I guess that just leaves starting the OS that powers most of the web.
  - pbreit 15y ago
    Github is more important than git so I guess that leaves figuring out how important linus or git was to the origin of github. Is here something about git specifically that made it more suitable for github than say mercurial or bazaar? Or was it timing or happenstance?
    - xilun0 15y ago
      It's debatable whether github is more important than git or not. Despite the impression a reader of this site could have that (hype and with an user interface copy pasted from the prototype hype fashion simple user interface of the moment, with Big Buttons tm included) hosted services are the best thing since sliced bread and will replace everything, the world is interestingly neither centered around that, and it's indeed very ironic to value importance of centralized services more than the decentralized tool it embraces and extend, given many of the advances in the source code management area and development workflow directly come from the decentralized aspects. That Hg also exist does not make git less important than github, no more than the fact that sourceforge exists make github less important than git.
      - pbreit 15y ago
        While I happen to think the Github UI is quite nice, it's a minor aspect of Gihub's importance. Github basically invented "social coding" which I would argue has been a genuine phenomenon unmatched by BitBucket, Launchpad, et al (or Sourceforge). Git (and Mercurial) didn't offer substantial advancements over Bitkeeper (save licensing) and Git's popularity was solidified with it being chosen for Linux. While reasonable people may disagree on the merits of Git, Hg and Bazaar, it's difficult to put BitBucket and Launchpad in Github's circle. While it may be ironic to value the importance of centralization on this topic, it's unwise to not to value it. Downvote? Really?
        xilun0 15y ago
        How would you define "social coding"?
InclinedPlane 15y ago
Netflix CEO, Linus. Both are as relevant or more relevant than ever. Netflix is getting to be as big a force, in revenues and viewership, as any big cable company. Linux is very much still relevant in the server world and in the mobile and tablet computing world (android). And Linus' Git is growing in popularity (github?) and influence. It's questionable whether the Vodaphone CEO is "relevant", but Vodaphone is definitely still a major competitor, they make more money than google and amazon combined.
- Adaptive 15y ago
  Yes, plus Linus is relevant and important for both linux and git. Git has been hugely, positively disruptive in a way no Dvcs was prior. And anyone (cnn evidently) that thinks Linux developers are fungible misses the point of having a fierce, opinionated, blunt semi-dictator running the show. Great things can happen. He's the anti-steve jobs.
  - spitfire 15y ago
    "fierce, opinionated, blunt semi-dictator running the show." That doesn't sound like the anti-Steve Jobs to me. His complete lack of (aesthetic) taste might make him the anti-steve jobs though.
    - lurker19 15y ago
      He is the anti-Steve Jobs on the axis of closed/open systems. He is similar on other axes, which is what anti means for stuff like physic particles.
    - LaGrange 15y ago
      He has aesthetic taste, just for other things. He's the Steve Jobs of system internals.
    - apetresc 15y ago
      What gives you the idea he is missing aesthetic taste? You do realize that Linus (or any of the kernel devs) are not in any way responsible for the decisions groups like Gnome or KDE may make, right?

Vivtek 15y ago

Netflix.

redthrowaway 15y ago
I'm not sure Torvalds should be there, either. Sure, Linux long ago outgrew the need for him as chief evangelizer, but when Linus speaks, the software world's ears perk up. He's still incredibly influential, if no longer the Atlas of the FOSS movement (with apologies to Dr. Stallman).

zoomzoom 15y ago

i dunno. Linus putting out git and reed hastings with instant both seem pretty important these days.

SoftwareMaven 15y ago
To the average reader of CNN, git is a piece of software they've never heard of, much less understand why it's better. Linus never stopped being important to the software community, but git doesn't make him more important to the non-software community.
- ericd 15y ago
  I guess that just leaves starting the OS that powers most of the web.
- pbreit 15y ago
  Github is more important than git so I guess that leaves figuring out how important linus or git was to the origin of github. Is here something about git specifically that made it more suitable for github than say mercurial or bazaar? Or was it timing or happenstance?
  - xilun0 15y ago
    It's debatable whether github is more important than git or not. Despite the impression a reader of this site could have that (hype and with an user interface copy pasted from the prototype hype fashion simple user interface of the moment, with Big Buttons tm included) hosted services are the best thing since sliced bread and will replace everything, the world is interestingly neither centered around that, and it's indeed very ironic to value importance of centralized services more than the decentralized tool it embraces and extend, given many of the advances in the source code management area and development workflow directly come from the decentralized aspects. That Hg also exist does not make git less important than github, no more than the fact that sourceforge exists make github less important than git.
    - pbreit 15y ago
      While I happen to think the Github UI is quite nice, it's a minor aspect of Gihub's importance. Github basically invented "social coding" which I would argue has been a genuine phenomenon unmatched by BitBucket, Launchpad, et al (or Sourceforge). Git (and Mercurial) didn't offer substantial advancements over Bitkeeper (save licensing) and Git's popularity was solidified with it being chosen for Linux. While reasonable people may disagree on the merits of Git, Hg and Bazaar, it's difficult to put BitBucket and Launchpad in Github's circle. While it may be ironic to value the importance of centralization on this topic, it's unwise to not to value it. Downvote? Really?
      - xilun0 15y ago
        How would you define "social coding"?

InclinedPlane 15y ago

Netflix CEO, Linus. Both are as relevant or more relevant than ever. Netflix is getting to be as big a force, in revenues and viewership, as any big cable company. Linux is very much still relevant in the server world and in the mobile and tablet computing world (android). And Linus' Git is growing in popularity (github?) and influence. It's questionable whether the Vodaphone CEO is "relevant", but Vodaphone is definitely still a major competitor, they make more money than google and amazon combined.

Adaptive 15y ago
Yes, plus Linus is relevant and important for both linux and git. Git has been hugely, positively disruptive in a way no Dvcs was prior. And anyone (cnn evidently) that thinks Linux developers are fungible misses the point of having a fierce, opinionated, blunt semi-dictator running the show. Great things can happen. He's the anti-steve jobs.
- spitfire 15y ago
  "fierce, opinionated, blunt semi-dictator running the show." That doesn't sound like the anti-Steve Jobs to me. His complete lack of (aesthetic) taste might make him the anti-steve jobs though.
  - lurker19 15y ago
    He is the anti-Steve Jobs on the axis of closed/open systems. He is similar on other axes, which is what anti means for stuff like physic particles.
  - LaGrange 15y ago
    He has aesthetic taste, just for other things. He's the Steve Jobs of system internals.
  - apetresc 15y ago
    What gives you the idea he is missing aesthetic taste? You do realize that Linus (or any of the kernel devs) are not in any way responsible for the decisions groups like Gnome or KDE may make, right?