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Linus Interview
For New York City /.'ers, Linus Torvalds is on WBAI, 99.5 FM, starting right now, midnight, Feb. 9-10. The program lasts 90 minutes, but I don't know how long Linus will be on. Apparently it's a call-in type show. If you're unlucky enough not to live in New York, there's a RA stream of the radio broadcast available at http://www.wbaifree.org/.
Really rough notes, hopefully someone will fix it up and fill the gaps. THis was my first time hearing him. Thought he was really quite funny.
... commercial community brings ... linux was good technology, interesting, but not very good... vendors
Asks how many are linux users and how many just wandered in the street.
Doesn't like to talk, he's a programmer.
Been forced to be the poster boy of linux.
forced to OSS, should be Stallman
doesn't like softball questions,
no questions, slideshow
geared his speech to wall street, all the audience linux users
fragmentation is bogeyman of unix, when is linux fragemnation...
infighting between unix vendors, instead of improving code
lost the market
fragmentation is not so bad [good vs bad fragmentation]
-linux succeeded in supercomputer, to small and feeble [computers]
-succeeded in internationalization
supercomputers look like fridges
linux runs on supercomputers and fridges
talks about a web browser on a fridge, prevents people from getting people fatter
fragmentation allows supercomputer linux vendors and fridge linux vendors
everyone saying java is dying [missed why he said that]
modularity, modularity, modularity
bad fragmenation: technical fragmentation
don't improve fridge linux, improve the base linux
linux is anti-fragmenting, forces everyone to live together, even if they don't want too
community, community, community: forces companies to go to great lengths to avoid looking bad
in front of the community
more high-brow values? not a clash between community and companies... companies have values (the
better ones) linux is not supposed to be anti-commercial... pt of linux, nice to use and control
what they're using.... every good company should do this cuz of happy customers
exchange of ideas has worked in science (end of shamanism), should work for comp.sci
programs written by shamans, now a better system
technology for technology sake isn't very good, lose sight
another perspective
have helped linux become a system people want to use
much of the work done is in userland... prettier, easier to use, linus hasn't worked on it, he doesn't
know pretty if it hit him on the head
new devices, new bugs, commercial people do the boring stuff
talked about the "development kernel" so it took long to make it productized
doesn't want to be long between releases
linux 2.4 next version of kernel:
balance between servers and small computers
pre-phase, going back to California and start pre 2.4
only bug fixes, expects to take a few months
filesystem, infrastructure reworked - scaling
"got asses kicked on some benchmarking"
some mobile stuff/transmetta and making linux friendlier to these
3-d stuff for supposedly CAD, really for games
Audience questions:
Q. some cable magazine guy: linux on settops, cable a major player for linux?
A. was not a fan for special applications, but now realizes that special applications (doing
one thing) is the way to go. Linux is suited because of modularity and open source
though his crystal ball is broken for last 9 yrs
open model is good for embedded devices
Q. linuxsecurity.com lack of journaling filesystem and the different standards
A. wonderful world of standards! 2 filesystems that are production quality, vendors are already
... let them battle out, often it's timing (perfect)... standards should be driven by market
forces
Q. Bruce Perrens, he wants to play DVD
A. doesn't like the dvd situation; DVD wants to control the market by locking them
... hopes they lose the court case, he watches dvd himself
out of the technical people's hands
gutterface