Playboy And...Linux?

The article's been up for only a little bit, but a huge number people have e-mailed that Playboy's Gillan has done a column on Linux. It's a typical media piece, explaining Linux but being featured in Playboy, I think, means that we've conquered the media. And I have, of course, no comment on what the sheer number of submissions must mean about our readers. *grin*

Comments

Hooray for filters at work!

[TheGreek]

So I'm sitting here at work, and I reload Slashdot. Ooh! New article! Playboy article on Linux! I temporarily forget where I am and click through: BLOCKED BY SURFWATCH. I wonder if my supervisor's going to believe me when I say I was just trying to look at an article. :P

Playboy Icon for future news storys

[MrBlack]

I personally would like to see the slashdot crew add the playboy bunny icon to the list of news icons, so slashdot readers can be informed more quickly of linux-related playboy news as it breaks.

Playboy Programmers ?

[ScottyLad]

I was quite surprised to see your article posted here. Having never read Playboy (yes, honestly!) I thought it was all pictures and no words. I was even pleasantly surprised to discover that the article was well researched and well written. (I'll leave out my personal bias towards Debian).

What did get me thinking is why a magazine full of tits'n'ass would want to waste valuable picture space on a nerdy topic like Linux (I maintain it's "Lie-nucks" though - ask Linus;-)). Then I realised it's all tied in with the telecommuting revolution. Many years ago, no self-respecting programmer would contemplate coding before growing an uneven beard, and donning a cardigan and sandals before mumbling incoherently should any annoying coworkers interrupt. As Time has advanced, we have started working from home. As very few people actually code in COBOL anymore, the requirement for uneven beards and sandals has disappeared, but also this has drawn us towards Playboy.

Coding from home isn't like work anymore, all you need is a cold cup of coffee and sit down at your workstation and get on with it. Usually it's not until the first time the doorbell goes that I realise I'm actually sat naked at my desk - by the time I pull some pants on and answer the door the caller has gone. (This is the telecommuting equivilant of all those annoying co-workers) Obviously someone at Playboy has made the perfectly reasonable assumption that there are an army of naked men sitting naked at their desks doing work nobody seems to understand. After further research, Playboy discovered that the vast majority of these naked men were chanting about some kind of god called "Torvalds" Undeterred by the god-like status of our idol, the enterprising magazine decided to book Linus as their centrefold. Imagine the editors horror when a Scandinavian male software engineer turns up for the shoot. Realising that the average reader of Playboy might be somewhat shocked at the site of a full frontal Linus Torvals on the centre pages, they hastily changed their plan and asked the great Open Source Master what alternative article they could possible post.

That, my friends, is the honest truth on how Playboy come to be writing articles on Linux ;-)

When a felon's not engaged in his employment, or maturing his felonious little plans, his capacity for innocent enjoyment is just the same as any honest mans - Gilbert and Sullivan