4 ms·

Can someone explain what Linus meant by "running out of fingers and toes"? EDIT: Ah I got the joke - he meant DIGITS!

chomp 4y ago
Linus used to post to Google+, so a lot of the original posts are gone to the wind, however, he originally said that he'd bump major versions when the numbers get too big, i.e. he runs out of fingers and toes to count the minor version. Here's an article for reference (2015): https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/02/linux-version-dilemma-linus-torvalds-is-running-out-of-fingers-and-toes/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/02/linux...
smashed 4y ago
The last release number was 5.19. Linux 6.0 could have been versioned as 5.20 but Linus chose 6.0 out of thin air. Nothing more nothing less.
- usr1106 4y ago
  4.20 exists, but 3.20 and 5.20 don't. I don't think there is any meaning to the numbers. It has been "the next release" since the 2.15 branch has been abandoned.
awill 4y ago
you have 10 fingers and 10 toes. 10+10=20. So instead of 5.20, he named it 6.0
- GoblinSlayer 4y ago
  But 20 is countable with fingers and toes.
  - berkut 4y ago
    Not if you start from 0 :)
    - aarobot 4y ago
      Wouldn't 0 just be all toes and fingers clenched?
    - GoblinSlayer 4y ago
      Counting with fingers is 1-based. Linus made an off by one error :)
stusmall 4y ago
It is a reference to how children sometimes count on their fingers. It's an old, lame joke that if someone needs to count higher than 10 they can use their toes too. He's making that joke at himself.
- collegeburner 4y ago
  i would think a kernel dev would know to count higher by using binary on his fingers :)
  - viraptor 4y ago
    Yeah, but also clever enough to know bumping the version is less annoying - the old intelligence/wisdom split :)
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- gorgoiler 4y ago
  Conundrum: our hands give us eleven symbols: various fingers and thumbs for 1 to 9, everything out for ten, and closed fists for zero. While the sociologists are off figuring out why this gave us a base ten number system instead of base eleven, the computer scientists are showing off how they can count to a thousand instead. (And also get thrown out of every bar where they order four of something.)
  - drewzero1 4y ago
    There are 4 kinds of people: those who count binary on their fingers, and the other three kinds can f--- off.
  - jabl 4y ago
    You can actually conveniently count to 12 with one hand. Use the tip of the finger, the first and second finger joints * 4 fingers = 12. Then use the thumb as the pointer to keep track. A base-12 number system would be advantageous because 12 is a "superior highly composite number". However, needless to say, despite the number theoretical advantages changing from our current base-10 system is essentially impossible.

Linus used to post to Google+, so a lot of the original posts are gone to the wind, however, he originally said that he'd bump major versions when the numbers get too big, i.e. he runs out of fingers and toes to count the minor version. Here's an article for reference (2015): https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/02/linux-version-dilemma-linus-torvalds-is-running-out-of-fingers-and-toes/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2015/02/linux...

smashed 4y ago

The last release number was 5.19. Linux 6.0 could have been versioned as 5.20 but Linus chose 6.0 out of thin air. Nothing more nothing less.

usr1106 4y ago
4.20 exists, but 3.20 and 5.20 don't. I don't think there is any meaning to the numbers. It has been "the next release" since the 2.15 branch has been abandoned.

awill 4y ago

you have 10 fingers and 10 toes. 10+10=20. So instead of 5.20, he named it 6.0

GoblinSlayer 4y ago
But 20 is countable with fingers and toes.
- berkut 4y ago
  Not if you start from 0 :)
  - aarobot 4y ago
    Wouldn't 0 just be all toes and fingers clenched?
  - GoblinSlayer 4y ago
    Counting with fingers is 1-based. Linus made an off by one error :)

stusmall 4y ago

It is a reference to how children sometimes count on their fingers. It's an old, lame joke that if someone needs to count higher than 10 they can use their toes too. He's making that joke at himself.

collegeburner 4y ago
i would think a kernel dev would know to count higher by using binary on his fingers :)
- viraptor 4y ago
  Yeah, but also clever enough to know bumping the version is less annoying - the old intelligence/wisdom split :)
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
gorgoiler 4y ago
Conundrum: our hands give us eleven symbols: various fingers and thumbs for 1 to 9, everything out for ten, and closed fists for zero. While the sociologists are off figuring out why this gave us a base ten number system instead of base eleven, the computer scientists are showing off how they can count to a thousand instead. (And also get thrown out of every bar where they order four of something.)
- drewzero1 4y ago
  There are 4 kinds of people: those who count binary on their fingers, and the other three kinds can f--- off.
- jabl 4y ago
  You can actually conveniently count to 12 with one hand. Use the tip of the finger, the first and second finger joints * 4 fingers = 12. Then use the thumb as the pointer to keep track. A base-12 number system would be advantageous because 12 is a "superior highly composite number". However, needless to say, despite the number theoretical advantages changing from our current base-10 system is essentially impossible.