Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Fathers of Linux Revealed: Tooth Fairy & Santa Claus

Posted by timothy on from the humor-trumps-ignorant-posturing dept.

An anonymous reader writes "The Alexis de Tocqueville Institute, which published the results of their very thorough investigation today, turned out to be right. Linus really isn't the father of the Linux operating system. After having been found out, Linus had no choice but to admit -- this is what he has to say: 'Ok, I admit it. I was just a front-man for the real fathers of Linux, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus.'"

7 of 739 comments (clear)

  1. Familiar pair for atheists. by Thinkit4 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Linus is on the Celebrity atheist list. I had a hunch when I heard the tooth fairy and Santa Claus being mentioned together. They are often examples given of non-existent beings (that grant wishes).

    --
    -I am an elective eunuch.
    1. Re:Familiar pair for atheists. by benploni · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Education has the highest correlation coefficient to lack of belief in a personal god. By most surveys, more than 90% of professional scientists don't believe in a personal god. It doesn't surprise me one bit that Linus is an atheist -- I already knew he was smart and educated.

  2. Linus key quote and hackers. by strredwolf · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So, if I quote Linus:

    Btw, I do believe that somebody took over adti.net.

    I don't think the Alexis de Tocqueville institute ever had humor (they certainly used to take themselves very seriously), but their site today is filled with jokes.

    Maybe they forgot to pay their DNS registration fee, and some enterprising person decided to play a joke on them? Or maybe their clocks are running a month-and-a-half late?

    Or is it really unintentional?

    Linus

    WHOIS of ADTI.NET says...

    Database last updated 17-May-2004 19:14:38 EDT.

    Hmmm... Linus may be right. The story broke the same day it updated. I wonder who's serving the old DNS.

    --

    --
    # Canmephians for a better Linux Kernel
    $Stalag99{"URL"}="http://stalag99.net";
  3. Re:The flaw in this argument... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    To be fair: Both Microsoft and Apple copied Xerox.

    You can read the story of how Xerox invited a number of companies (including Apple) to port Smalltalk to various hardware platforms. This exercise led directly to the Apple Lisa (the "Mother of All Macs"). No, they were not based on Smalltalk, but this introduced the WIMP metaphor to Apple.

  4. I've worked as a consulatant by Space+cowboy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... and we didn't try and tailor the report (3 months work for 5 people including world-wide travel) to our paymasters. Our view was that we were being paid to produce a report on what is (for a fairly major computer manufacturer) rather than what they would like things to be. They already know what they would like things to be...

    On the other hand, "hired guns" are mercenaries - they will do as you wish, when you wish, how you wish. The AdTI are hired guns. Some of us (the others :-) still have some self-respect and integrity - please consider each case on its merits...

    Simon.

    --
    Physicists get Hadrons!
  5. What do such people believe in, though? by lysium · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It has been my experience, from my limited discourse with Jesuits, Christian brothers, and Jewish scholars, that it is indeed possible for highly intelligent people to be highly religious. Or perhaps the proper word for such people is spiritual?

    When questioned about their beliefs, the scholars I mentioned describe ideas and concepts that are distinctly unorothodox. I suspect these people may have reached a personal understanding of the divine that would not be accepted by their respective communities. The ignorance of the lay community is a good thing, in this case, because the exact nature of their belief is not relevant to anything. The fact is they believe, and it provides a framework in which they can act in and upon the world.

    I also suspect that the higher levels of theological scholars, pantheistically speaking, are far more tolerant of objective truth than most believe they are...

    ===---===

    --
    Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
  6. Re:Non-religious morality by hesiod · · Score: 3, Interesting

    > It seems sad, however, to imagine looking out at our beautiful world and see it as nothing more than the result of quamtum fluctuations, all sound and fury signifying nothing

    So, if there is no God, you cannot feel awe for the amazing complexity and (perceived) efficiency? I'm atheist, but am still amazed by things, even though they are perfectly natural. Even when I understand the theory behind why a lightbulb works, I am still amazed that it does (when I choose to be mindful of such things). Perhaps I misunderstand your meaning.