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The Evolution of Linux

Posted by michael on from the opposable-thumbs dept.

Taiko writes: "Kerneltrap.org has posted some of the more interesting messages from a recent kernel mailing list discussion. It started with a post on proper indentation, but turned into something a bit more. There are some posts by Linus and Alan Cox about the nature of design, computer science, Linux development, evolution, and more. Quite interesting and funny."

3 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. Great stuff! by Prop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I enjoy reading Linus' thoughts so much.

    All around him, people try to make him or Linux more than it really is - and invariably, Linus brings it down a notch and puts it in perspective

    It's amazing that this guy gets constantly hero-worshiped, his baby created billion dollars of wealth (at one point, at least), and yet just keeps his feet firmly planted

    Compare that to the clowns that get high and mighty because they rUleZ at Quake, or on some IRC channel ... The geek community could learn a LOT from trying to emulate Linus' behaviour.

  2. Ecosystem biased against small players? by cygnusx · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Reading this lkml thread, I had the distinct feeling that you could replace Sun with Apple in Linus' posts and much of it would still be true.

    You heard them above. Sun is basically inbreeding. That tends to be good
    to bring out specific characteristics of a breed...


    Following that thread, can I now propose Linus' Law:

    Any software system with a large enough user base can rely on the accumulated experience of its users to add features, and also picking ideas from smaller systems now and then (at a very low incremental effort).

    Corollary. The onus is on the smaller players to come up with new features to distinguish themselves from the masses -- but ultimately it's no-win for them because their *really useful* ideas will be subsumed into more popular systems anyway ... only a matter of time.

    I need sleep and I'm quite possibly not thinking straight, but am I right in thinking this would create enormous pressures for specialized players like Sun and Apple (and Be, as they found out) in the long term?

    If that is the case, where does that leave the "small is beautiful" rule? Does it mutate to "small is beautiful, provided you are part of a *big* idea that has incredible amounts of 'traction'"?
  3. Re:science and engineering by the+eric+conspiracy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Science provides the tools that engineers use to build stuff.

    Science provides a lot of dandy tools. Engineers like tools.

    Engineers would be useless without science to provide new raw materials.

    Baloney. We (engineers) were building all sorts of impressive stuff long before the invention of science. Check out the Great Pyramid and Yu the Great.