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Rare Jon 'maddog' Hall Video Interview

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the lots-of-finger-quoting dept.

lisa 'lisah' h writes "Looking natty in a yellow Tux vest, Linux dignitary John 'maddog' Hall agreed to a rare video interview with Robin 'Roblimo' Miller after speaking at a conference in Jacksonville, FL. The two chatted about the mobile phone project OpenMoko, his volunteer work with Linux International, and beer."

16 of 19 comments (clear)

  1. fraught peace by Robert+Y.+Frost · · Score: 3, Funny

    Two tankards filled with a yellow brew,
    Parched but my thirst was not limitless.
    Twixt nectar choose, sweet honeydew?
    In time, the colder one I drew,
    And that was frosty pissness.

    1. Re:fraught peace by moderatorrater · · Score: 1

      :'( beautiful, just beautiful. To think we used to call you people trolls. :'(

    2. Re:fraught peace by Brian+Gordon · · Score: 1

      All we have to do is set up slashdot's robotic overlord in an abandoned movie theater and have it read aloud first posts. When inevitably one of them contains the word "fire", we can legally censor them.

  2. "Linux dignitary" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny


    "Linux dignitary"? Is that like "MCSE"?

    1. Re:"Linux dignitary" by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yeah, but it pays a lot less.

      --
      My blog
  3. Free Software by Trogre · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ahhh, one of my favourite quotes from this guy:

    Of course we had free software back in the '60s. But back then we called it "software".

    --
    "Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
  4. The Midichlorian count is high in this one by Jugalator · · Score: 4, Informative

    Whatever you do, don't mess with this guy and his beard of respectable size.

    If you ever feel overly nerdy when using Linux, just give the men behind the OS a thought and you'll feel much better!

    --
    Beware: In C++, your friends can see your privates!
  5. Language inventor or serial killer by Nazlfrag · · Score: 1

    Take the quiz!

  6. I'm such a wuss by xrayspx · · Score: 1

    I saw his Jeep at my local supermarket a few weeks ago and was going to head back in and find him, or stick around until he headed out and offer him a 6-pack...Something.

    I didn't want to look like that much a fanboy dorkass though, and wisely let it go. Would have been nice to thank the guy though I guess.

    --
    I like music
    1. Re:I'm such a wuss by Codifex+Maximus · · Score: 1

      Nah, I'd just wave and say hey Jon. Treat him like everyone else. He's a regular guy and pretty dang friendly if I remember correctly. Met him in Dallas back in 1999 or so at a Unix User's Group meeting; he patiently answered all of our questions. Can't for the life of me figure out why they call him maddog when he's so laid back and relaxed. :/

      --
      Codifex Maximus ~ In search of... a shorter sig.
    2. Re:I'm such a wuss by pixr99 · · Score: 2, Informative

      Can't for the life of me figure out why they call him maddog when he's so laid back and relaxed. :/

      You're right, he's very laid back. A long time ago, I asked him why they call him maddog. He told me the story over beer and pizza. If I recall correctly, he was teaching at a community college at the time and became enraged by something the administration had pulled. He reacted accordingly and his students dubbed him "maddog." Perhaps somebody with a fresher memory can fill in the details (or correct me).

      I'll tell you what though, I've never met a kinder, more generous, more patient man. He's the reason I got into Linux. He spent the time to help me get my PC running Linux (it wasn't easy back in '95), gave me a hard copy Linux manual and, by example, taught me what Free Software was all about. And at the time, he was in charge of the UNIX Software Group at Digital!

    3. Re:I'm such a wuss by greedyturtle · · Score: 1

      You should have asked him to order your food for you...

    4. Re:I'm such a wuss by xrayspx · · Score: 1

      Hah yeah, nah, I'm not easily intimidated by developers, but I really didn't want to appear as some wackjob stalker. I should have camphone'd our vanity plates next to each other though. Ah well.

      --
      I like music
    5. Re:I'm such a wuss by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 1

      I saw his Jeep at my local supermarket a few weeks ago and was going to head back in and find him, or stick around until he headed out and offer him a 6-pack...Something.

      My god, man, it's a Jeep - they're designed so you can just leave a six-pack on the front seat.

      --
      My God, it's Full of Source!
      OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  7. maddog by Vorpix · · Score: 1

    i'll always be fond of maddog, as it was a book he wrote, "Red Hat Linux for Dummies" in 1999 that gave me my first real introduction to Linux. it fostered an intense curiosity into open source software and Linux that remains with me to this day.

    --
    frog blast the vent core
  8. Kind of short by CNERD · · Score: 1

    Disappointingly short at only 5 minutes. He did a really interesting interview on FLOSS last year, that people might find more interesting.