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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.'"

4 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. 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.

  3. 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!