Slashdot Mirror
Linus Torvalds Explodes at Red Hat Developer
sfcrazy writes "Quite a lot of people raised their eyebrows the way ex-Red Hat developer Matthew Garrett made Microsoft the 'universal' control of any desktops PCs running with UEFI secure boot. Though the intentions of Garrett were clear — to enable GNU/Linux to be able to run Linux on Windows 8 certified PCs with secure boot; it was clearly putting Microsoft in a very powerful position. Linus, while a supporter of secure boot, exploded at Garrett and Howells when they proposed its inclusion in the kernel. Linus responded: 'Guys, this is not a d*#@-sucking contest. If you want to parse PE binaries, go right ahead. If Red Hat wants to deep-throat Microsoft, that's *your* issue. That has nothing what-so-ever to do with the kernel I maintain. It's trivial for you guys to have a signing machine that parses the PE binary, verifies the signatures, and signs the resulting keys with your own key. You already wrote the code, for chissake, it's in that f*cking pull request.'"
Update: 02/25 17:24 GMT by U L : The headline/article are misleading, since mjg seems to agree that the patch is a bit complicated : "(I mean, *I'm* fine with the idea that they're *@#$ing idiots and deserve to be miserable, but apparently there's people who think this is a vital part of a business model)". The issue at hand is a set of patches to load and store keys inside of a UEFI PE binary which is then passed to the kernel, which then extracts the keys from the binary. It's absurd, it's messy, and it's only needed because Microsoft will only sign PE binaries so not supporting it makes restricted boot even more difficult to support.
Well.. we have found Steve Ballmer's account name on Slashdot apparently...
He claims to love Linux, but what he really loves is himself.
Kinda puts that whole 'dick-sucking contest' comment in a whole new light, doesn't it?
I'd love to see the two having an argument.
Now hold on, everyone criticizes GNOME, and why condemn Linus for making a perfectly valid observation about the OpenBSD team?
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
The more I learn about the developers within the tight circle of the Linux kernel the more elite and prickish they sound. That doesn't mean they aren't talented and can do a good job it's just a different environment than one I'd ever want to work in. It's extremely hostile with many competitors (windows, apple) trying to get you to conform so they control you.
Linus is that grizzly old man in the log cabin who owns 20,000 acres of timber that the logging companies desperately want. Except he has a gun, and he never wears any pants.
And I speak for all of us when I say, I'm jealous of Linus's talent, success, and natural authority, but most of all, I hate his ability to cut through bullshit and put supercilious poseurs like me in their place.
Perhaps the desktop will be relevant again someday. By then Linux will be ready for it.
As an OpenBSD user and enthusiast for 12 years, I find your remarks very offensive. Linus is NOT an asshole, Theo de Raadt is the one True Asshole, and that why we love him.
I dunno... If you read the entire conversation in context it's not that bad and seems more like a slight fist shaking rather than explosion.
He talks about "dick sucking", so of course it involves both a fist shaking and an explosion.
No, he moved to America.
I haven't seen a single photo of him with an assault rifle and mullet.
What? He's totally right: Linus jerks himself in front a mirror, that's common knowledge.
Always loved Woody Allen's quote: "Don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone you love."
the year of linux on the desktop might magically materialize
What's a "desktop" grandpa?
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
UEFI and Secure Boot are the end of Linux as we know it. Linux will no longer be a free and open operating system, and will instead become a pet project of Microsoft.
That's just the way it is. It was a fun experiment, but it is over, and Linux lost. Now Linux will be able to be run only by the good graces of Microsoft, with a key signing fee, of course.
This would've been a more interesting article, if it discussed the merits or lack thereof, of the RedHat change in the Linux kernel.
The "drama" the article discusses is of no value to anyone, but the likes of Nerd TMZ (if there was such a thing).
Can we please stop posting articles such as these? And if someone does post one, can we NOT promote them onto the front page?
In Soviet Russia, I ruled you
That's not cussing, it's Perl. Relax guys.
Table-ized A.I.
No, he moved to America.
I haven't seen a single photo of him with an assault rifle and mullet.
Now you have.
"How do I change screen resolution in BSD?"
"It depends, are you using MacOS X, or another type of BSD?"