Interview with Linus Torvalds from NYT Magazine

aelfric35 writes "David Diamond drills Linus on topics from filesharing (sharing is good) to SCO (trying to claim paternity on his child) to his rivalry with Bill Gates (doesn't care enough to be a nemesis) in next week's New York Times Magazine."

Comments

Re:Here is the text...

[Anonymous Coward]

I've notified NYT that you've posted their copyrighted works illegally. I'm sure ./ will have to remove your post after they receive a cease and desist order. The registration is in place to protect the NYT's property, not for you to smile at while you circumvent it.

Re:Funny

[kfg]

I thought it was pretty well understood that RMS is the "Free Software" ideological leader ( who as it happens is also a technological visionary ), ESR is the "Open Source(tm)" spokesperson for pragmatism (and also a technological visionary), and that Linus' rallying cry is, was and likely always shall be:

"Show me the code."

To the extent that he is the "ideological" leader of anyone I know it's always for his basic folksy refusal to be anyone's ideological leader. We like him. We don't "follow" him.

Did I miss a meeting or a memo or something?

KFG

Look Man

[Greyfox]

Technology is a fickle mistress. The minute you lose your focus on it, it starts to leave you. Most people just take what they want from it (A lot of money, usually) and then move on to focus on other things. I see a lot of aging programmers with families, content to do the least they can do without getting fired, until such time as their skills are no longer marketable.

Some people want more from technology than a one night stand, more than the brief two or three year period where youthful enthusiasm overcomes the need for comfort in a lonely world. Sure the people who choose that road will mostly die cold and alone in a gutter somewhere, but by god they'll have ridden the lady technology for all she was worth! And, ultimately, isn't that as valid a path as anything else you could choose?

Re:Look Man

[kfg]

"I see a lot of aging programmers with families, content to do the least they can do without getting fired, until such time as their skills are no longer marketable."

To be at least somewhat fair to at least some of these aging programers they have been taught to act like this by the companies they work for.

Remember, most of older guys got into it for technology and the joy of it. There was no money in particular "back in the day." If you didn't do it for the love it there was no reason to do it all.

Get kicked around, treated like shit, turned into a code monkey and generally be made to understand you're a disposable cog in the machine and it's easy to go through the motions, take the checks as long as they last and cover your own ass.

As they say, no one else will.

Most of these guys had young wives, young children and young mortgages before they learned the score and then got stuck.

There are a few of us who have decided it's better to walk the razor's edge, and there is often a price to pay. Fabian Pascal even has trouble just writing and talking about technology these days, let alone getting "a good job" because of his absolute dedication to the technology, rather than buzzword compliant commercial products. RMS is, well. . .RMS. Thompson, Ritchie, Stroustop et al have given us Plan 9. . .and nobody seems to care.

It ain't easy being gree. . .er, a geek.

Although it isn't exactly the path I've chosen for myself I'm not inclined to over criticise those older guys just trying to make it to retirement in one piece.

KFG

Re:Here is the text...

[Bored Huge Krill]

can somebody please explain to me why this was modded down? The post makes a perfectly correct, and fair point. I don't see any redundancy in pointing it out *each* and *every* time somebody pulls this crap.

Please, people, you're giving us a bad name. I wince every time I hear somebody say something like "Linux people don't respect copyrights". I do. Please don't give anybody reasons to think otherwise. Posting copyrighted material here just because "registrations suck" is utterly, completely, inexcusable, and you should be ashamed of yourself if you think it's ok

Krill

Mod parent up, mod moderator down

[jerryasher]

The registration is there because the NYTimes wants it there. The copyright is theirs.

The GPL depends on copyright.

Don't infringe on copyright. Fair use is not the reposting of the entire article, especially when the registration makes it plain the NYTimes does not want it reposted.

And what is with the moderators modding that down?

Re:Linus has a great bottom line

[EvilTwinSkippy]

Sages do not display themselves, therefore they are illuminated.
They do not define themselves, therefore they are distinguished.
They do not make claims, therefore they are credited.
They do not boast, therefore they advance.
Since, indeed, they do not compete, the world cannot compete with them.

Loa Tsu, Chapter 22, The Tao Te Ching

Re:Here is the text...

[mcrbids]

what is the purpose of having registration on the NYT site anyway??

By requiring a login/pw, NYT gets a "copyright protection device" and therefore gives them the additional weight of the DMCA against anybody who copies their material.

You sir, are in fact of law, providing a "Copyright Protection Circumvention Device" actionable under the DMCA by posting this on /. - did you think of that?

Re:Downfall of MS

[Spackler]

Bill and Steve have never shown much ability running a business.

Ummm, wow. Dude, I'm not crazy about them either. However, if you think that becoming the richest guy in America, and your company has 40 Billion in the bank indicates someone without "ability running a business", you are an idiot. You don't have to like him, and you don't have to like his tactics. However, the end results are EXACTLY what running a business is about. Grow up.