4 ms·

I don't really care what Linus has to say on the Google vs Oracle verdict, a guy who created one of the worlds most useful operating systems that he doesn't eve

I don't really care what Linus has to say on the Google vs Oracle verdict, a guy who created one of the worlds most useful operating systems that he doesn't even really contribute to any more who would rather sit on his computer all day ranting about Github's implementation of Git, rant about Linux becoming bloated and now ranting about the Google vs Oracle case. I get Torvalds is a genius, but with the ending line in his G+ post, "Sometimes I really wish I wasn't always right. It's a curse, I tell you." it sounds like all of those caffeine fuelled late nights have deprived him of vital nutrients, he's nuts nowadays. I realise everything I just said is a rant, I'm a hypocrite at times. Side note: anyone else think Linus looks a bit like Nicholas Cage in his Google Plus profile picture?

pyre 14y ago
I took his last statement as sarcasm with a hint of hubris.
lobo_tuerto 14y ago
Or maybe he is just right. Or can you point otherwise?
- DigitalSea 14y ago
  He was the one who said he was right, shouldn't Linus be backing up his statements and proving why he thinks he is right instead of the other way around? Haha.
sophacles 14y ago
I'm not sure why you think Linus doesn't really contribute to his operating system anymore. He doesn't really write code, but that's because he's become too busy as a project manager for it - which is a different sort of contribution. Not sure what about this makes you so angry... Anyway, at least he earned his right to rant about git and linux, I mean, he sort of created them. And regarding Google v Oracle, he is a stakeholder in the verdict - if APIs are copyrightable, there will be people filing suits against linux on the way out of the courtroom. What did you do to earn your right to rant?
- DigitalSea 14y ago
  This isn't about Linus not being allowed to rant. I was merely stating that Linus is starting to come across as an old bitter programmer who hates everyone and everything. It's pretty unprofessional for a guy of his stature and influence to go on these ranting tirades, professionals don't air their disdain for things publicly unless there is a valid reason, he just comes across as a jerk regardless of whether or not he's earned the right to do so, it's unprofessional. If he's project manager for Linux, why was he surprised that that the Linux core is getting bloated? If he's a project manager, shouldn't he be managing the team to unbloat the operating system? I'd hardly call flaming your own team and operating system a contribution. Nothing about this makes me angry, Linus is a genius and he knows it which is why it frustrates me to see a guy like him resort to sometimes school yard words and ways of dealing with things. Linux itself has already been through what Google has, remember the whole Microsoft debacle? Regardless of the verdict, pretty much every software company that has felt threatened by Linux I'm sure has tried some kind of legal action in some way, shape or form. I earned my right to rant the day I got an internet connection, which was a very long time ago.
  - ktizo 14y ago
    I would have said that in his profession, openly airing your views without self-censoring is probably a qualification. To put it another way, discouraging geeks from ranting about what they think, can seriously damage the quality of your codebase.
  - mrdoob2 14y ago
    You seem to be pretty ignorant about the subject matter. I suggest you do some reading first.
  - koeselitz 14y ago
    He's not really a project manager for Linux, to clarify what was said above; he is the coordinator of development of the Linux kernel, the very heart of the GNU/Linux operating system. For what it's worth, this is the largest software project that has ever existed by several orders of magnitude; it's seen hundreds of changes to its source code per day for the past decade. This is not a small project, and managing it is not a figurehead role. Also, please note that Linus' way of interacting with other people online is, at least according to him, a calculated strategy which is part of his management style. For more details on this, it's instructive to read over his brief and entertaining (to me, anyway) document on kernel management style. [1] Here, he says revealingly that he doesn't think it's possible to be polite all the time, so it's better to try to criticize everyone equally "so evenly that nobody really ends up feeling like they get unfairly targeted. Make it inventive enough, and they might even be amused." He also says that politeness usually masks honesty, and that he doesn't think anybody is likely to trust you if you spend a lot of time being polite. I think a lot of this has to do with his character, but it's worth noting that he is not oblivious to the way he comes off. He believes he's come up with an effective strategy for managing the incredibly large and important project he's in charge of, and it's hard to argue that it hasn't had some spectacular results. Even if you disagree with how he approaches it - and I emphatically would not approach any management job the way he does - you have to admit that he's conscious of what he's doing and he believes it has a purpose. [1] http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/ http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/

pyre 14y ago

I took his last statement as sarcasm with a hint of hubris.

lobo_tuerto 14y ago

Or maybe he is just right. Or can you point otherwise?

DigitalSea 14y ago
He was the one who said he was right, shouldn't Linus be backing up his statements and proving why he thinks he is right instead of the other way around? Haha.

sophacles 14y ago

I'm not sure why you think Linus doesn't really contribute to his operating system anymore. He doesn't really write code, but that's because he's become too busy as a project manager for it - which is a different sort of contribution. Not sure what about this makes you so angry... Anyway, at least he earned his right to rant about git and linux, I mean, he sort of created them. And regarding Google v Oracle, he is a stakeholder in the verdict - if APIs are copyrightable, there will be people filing suits against linux on the way out of the courtroom. What did you do to earn your right to rant?

DigitalSea 14y ago
This isn't about Linus not being allowed to rant. I was merely stating that Linus is starting to come across as an old bitter programmer who hates everyone and everything. It's pretty unprofessional for a guy of his stature and influence to go on these ranting tirades, professionals don't air their disdain for things publicly unless there is a valid reason, he just comes across as a jerk regardless of whether or not he's earned the right to do so, it's unprofessional. If he's project manager for Linux, why was he surprised that that the Linux core is getting bloated? If he's a project manager, shouldn't he be managing the team to unbloat the operating system? I'd hardly call flaming your own team and operating system a contribution. Nothing about this makes me angry, Linus is a genius and he knows it which is why it frustrates me to see a guy like him resort to sometimes school yard words and ways of dealing with things. Linux itself has already been through what Google has, remember the whole Microsoft debacle? Regardless of the verdict, pretty much every software company that has felt threatened by Linux I'm sure has tried some kind of legal action in some way, shape or form. I earned my right to rant the day I got an internet connection, which was a very long time ago.
- ktizo 14y ago
  I would have said that in his profession, openly airing your views without self-censoring is probably a qualification. To put it another way, discouraging geeks from ranting about what they think, can seriously damage the quality of your codebase.
- mrdoob2 14y ago
  You seem to be pretty ignorant about the subject matter. I suggest you do some reading first.
- koeselitz 14y ago
  He's not really a project manager for Linux, to clarify what was said above; he is the coordinator of development of the Linux kernel, the very heart of the GNU/Linux operating system. For what it's worth, this is the largest software project that has ever existed by several orders of magnitude; it's seen hundreds of changes to its source code per day for the past decade. This is not a small project, and managing it is not a figurehead role. Also, please note that Linus' way of interacting with other people online is, at least according to him, a calculated strategy which is part of his management style. For more details on this, it's instructive to read over his brief and entertaining (to me, anyway) document on kernel management style. [1] Here, he says revealingly that he doesn't think it's possible to be polite all the time, so it's better to try to criticize everyone equally "so evenly that nobody really ends up feeling like they get unfairly targeted. Make it inventive enough, and they might even be amused." He also says that politeness usually masks honesty, and that he doesn't think anybody is likely to trust you if you spend a lot of time being polite. I think a lot of this has to do with his character, but it's worth noting that he is not oblivious to the way he comes off. He believes he's come up with an effective strategy for managing the incredibly large and important project he's in charge of, and it's hard to argue that it hasn't had some spectacular results. Even if you disagree with how he approaches it - and I emphatically would not approach any management job the way he does - you have to admit that he's conscious of what he's doing and he believes it has a purpose. [1] http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/ http://lwn.net/Articles/105375/