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Open Source is Not a Career Path

codermarc writes ""If you're getting into open source because you see it as a career path, you're doing something wrong." It's not that Linux creator Linus Torvalds thinks open-source programmers should work for peanuts (he doesn't), but rather that they should be properly motivated. Call it software with a soul, if you like. Only the truly passionate need apply."

7 of 378 comments (clear)

  1. fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    bla

    1. Re:fp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      ________)
      (, / /)
      /___, _ (/_ ___
      / (_(_(__/(__ (_/_(_)(_(_
      (_/ .-/
      (_/

  2. Space by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Joke: When Nasa first started sending up astronauts, they quickly discovered that ball-point pens would not work in zero gravity. To combat the problem, scientists spent a decade and 12 billion dollars to develop a pen that writes in zero gravity, upside down, underwater, on almost any surface including glass and at temperatures ranging from below freezing to 300 C.

    The Russians used a pencil... ;-)

  3. well, fuck by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    see subject

  4. Re:Getting into IT as a career path is stupid by Mornelithe · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    "Learnt" is fine. It's uncommon in American English, but probably the standard spelling in British English.

    Maybe you should study English a little more.

    --

    I've come for the woman, and your head.

  5. Re:Getting into IT as a career path is stupid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic
    I'm a native speaker of english, *I* define what is valid and correct usage of the language. It is the duty of linguists to document and and record the change in common usage of the language over time, not to specify what is and isn't "correct" usage. So if you were attempting to imply that I had somehow incorrectly used my native language you are incorrect, in that it is impossible for a native speaker to incorrectly use their own language. If this were not so we'd all still be speaking like Shakespeare.

    Hmm, I almost could've sworn that you were actually a non-native speaker when you said "uni". I've never heard an American refer to a university uni---on the other hand, Germans do call a "Universitaet" "Uni" as a nickname of sort (and it changes the gender too....).

    But then, English is not such homogenous language prescriptive grammarians would have us believe, although I believe you are in error on this particular point: your usage "learnt" is actually the archaic past tense of the verb "learn" and is on its way out---i.e. you are on the losing side, for that particular usage, unless you meant to sound archaic, which doesn't seem to be the case.

    (Well... O.K. I did a little look-up, and it looks like it's not considered "archaic" per se, but Merriam-Webster's does list as being chiefly British usage---so, your mixing of a British form of the past tense with a chiefly American writing (well, I have no concrete proof that you are American, as you don't use any conspicuous words like "color" (or "colour") and I'm not too well-versed in rather subtle differences between British English and American English; however, your mention of "law firm" does indicate that you are familiar with the overly-litigious culture of U.S.A.) is actually disharmonious, and well, considering that "learned" can actually be pronounced as "learnt" (with voiceless alveolar plosive at the end), especially when it comes right before another "t" sound (as in your writing), your spelling "learnt" might be indicative of simple "bad spelling". Of course, I'm not saying that "bad spelling" (otherwise known as "perversion") can stick around and become standard a few decades later, but I think it's very unlikely "learnt" will stick around in America just because one person uses it that way.)

    Now, don't get me wrong---I do consider myself on the side of descriptive grammarians, but a part of being descriptive grammarian is, well, being able to describe, not just BS my way through---a person espousing the ideals os descriptive linguistics without being able to triumph over prescriptive grammarians is, well... I'll let you guess.

    Anyway, I just noticed that this is highly OT. I'd better hit that AC button.

  6. Re:Getting into IT as a career path is stupid by thrash242 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Yes, but it's only used (at least with any sort of regularity) in British English.

    Besides, I think "learnt" sounds funny, like something a hick would say, ie: "I dun learnt me some math-e-maticks in skewl!" In fact, I can't help but say it to myself in just this manner and chuckle every time I read it. *shrug*