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Linus gets Golden Nica Award

Posted by Hemos on from the recognition-where-it's-due dept.

Ignatius writes "The jury of the Prix Ars Electronica - one of Europe's most influential computer art festivals - awarded the 1999 Golden Nica in the category .net to Linus Torvalds. One of the most important arguments for the jury was the fact that Linux is the first product to come out of the cyberspace of the Internet, which has had an enormous impact on the "real" world. "

8 of 39 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Art, eh?-- I can see it by BigD42 · · Score: 4

    I wouldn't go so far as to say that the code is art. I do feel that there is an art to programming though, one I am only begining to appreciate.

    The art in Linux is not necessarily an estheticly pleasing form of art but rather art in its rawist form. The core of art is not pretty pictures and soothing music, but freedom of thought. The ability to think out of the box (I hate that phrase) and to see things in ways that nobody else has ever perceived. This is more then obvious if you walk into the modern art section of a museum. I once saw a piece on display that was a large piece of graph paper called "The City" in a very respected art museum. The piece wasn't beautiful by any means, but I would have _never_ thought of it. And this is where the art lies.

    Linux is a lot like this. One student saw the Internet as more then just a way to talk about computers but rather a way to work with others to build software. This was a different way to operate then what was the norm in 1991. Although he was not the first to do this, his idea appears to have awakened a large number of people to this alternate frame of mind. They are lifted out of their way of thinking and introduced to a new way to develop software. This new awareness to ones surroundings/environment is often the goal of great art.

    Does Linus deserve all the credit, _of_course_not_. Richard Stallman and others had been operating like this for years by the time Linus got started and here is where the media hype enters the picture. The large wave of Linux newbies (of which I am guilty of belonging) have been first introdued to open source/free software development though their use of Linux so it has had the most direct impact on perceptions of software.

    So too all the free software pioneers and developers, this award is as much yours as anyone elses. You're all artists, just don't get all pretentious now.

    --
    --- Linux... a college project gone horribly right
  2. open source products by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5

    Not to belittle the importance of Linus' contributions, I disagree slightly with the following:

    the first product to come out of the cyberspace of the Internet, which has had an enormous impact on the "real world."

    There were products before the Linux kernel that "came out of the cyberspace..." which had an impact on the "real world." How could the net have even allowed the development of the Linux kernel without all the code from BSD, Sendmail, the MIT X group, or NCSA, just to name a few.

    1. Re:open source products by edhall · · Score: 4
      ...the majority of the source code passing was done via tapes.

      Nope.

      FTP (and for the ARPANET-deprived, UUCP) were used for exchanging files years before many Slashdot readers were born. Coordination was accomplished and patches (to be hand-applied) exchanged via email. Tapes were only used for the final distribution (where the slow speeds of ARPANET or modem-based file transfers made high-volume data transfer impractical).

      Linux is certainly the first large project accomplished by such a large international group via the Internet, but it is hardly the first project constructed via network collaboration. In fact, much of the GNU software that Linux was built upon was developed in this way.

      -Ed

    2. Re:open source products by Tardigrade · · Score: 4

      While the net was definitely important in creating those items (Sendmail is useless without the net; Networking is integral to X; comments were passed via the net; etc...), the majority of the source code passing was done via tapes. Most of these items were also done monolithically.

      If these some of these items had been developed later in the net history, they very well might have received this prize. Linux was in the right place, and the right time to capitalize on the capabilities of the net that these prior works allowed. These other products have received their own awards. This particular award was not created for them, but for the works those items allow to be created.

  3. Coding as art by Jonas+�berg · · Score: 5
    Only a few days ago I discussed this very topic with some of my friends. I've always felt that programming is a craftsmanlike task. It's not that far fetched really because programming is infact a way to express yourself. If you compare two source trees from different authors, you'll soon see the differences in their code. It might be clearly visible, like indenting the code with two spaces instead of eight, or using strict K&R style formatting. Then it might also be differences in the pure logic or some other design issues.


    Someone else mentioned in this thread that it is also so that the Linux kernel gives artists the freedom to perform their art without interference from proprietary software vendors. Some also say that the GNU Project did this, but thats crediting the GNU Project a little too much. The Linux kernel was one of the first (and now, certainly one of the most successful) to give users a completely free system by combining a free kernel with the GNU tools (and other utilities).


    What one could argue with in their explanation is when they say that Linux was the first to come out of collaboration between Internet users. This is quite clearly not so since such collaboration had taken place many years before Linus even began thinking about Linux. So thats an area where they really could have used some more background research. All in all, it's not that bad after all, they're just being ignorant of new technology. So the next step for us who know better would probably be to educate them; not flame them.


    But bear in mind! This is most likely a result of the influence of the Linux hype wave. A friend once told me that the best way to be famous, is to be famous for being famous. Thats whats happening now, and be sure that interest in Linux will surely begin to fade before long. But even if it does, Linux will always be Linux; GNU will always be GNU. We have come here to create a completely free operating system, and by god we're gona do it!

  4. Award is for all who Helped by mudpup · · Score: 5


    Digging into the award site you will find....

    "The Jury of the .net category awards the 1999 Golden Nica to Linus Torvalds as representing all of those, who have worked on this project in past years and will be participating in it in the future."

    Congrulations everybody, goodwork.

    --
    Who owns your data?
  5. Source as Art by mhatle · · Score: 4

    As a programmer and system designer I really appreciate other people thinking that source code is a work of art. The solutions (and solutions to the solutions) are very much a creative expression of the authors.

    Congrats Linus and all programmers who have ever touch the Linux source.

  6. What a shame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5

    It seems like the Prix Art Electronica has completely sold out. This was once a prestigious award that honored people who contributed amazing and often breakthrough works of computer art. You had to actually submit your work to the festival and have it peer reviewed by some of the most respected computer artists at that time. John Lasseter was just at the beginning of his career when he received the Golden Nica for his computer animated films Luxor Junior and Red's Dream. You all know and cherish him today as the leading figure behind Toy Story and A Bug's Life.

    This festival seems to have degenerated into an agglomeration of political correctness. In recent years most of the awards for computer animation/visual effects have been gobbled up by big Hollywood productions (Terminator II, Dragonheart and Titanic come to mind). Today it seems that the Prix has lost most of its appeal for computer artists all over the world.

    The decision to award the Golden Nica to Linus Torvalds is just the last straw that breaks the camel's back. What in god's name has Linus ever produced that could be characterized as a work of art? Has the Linux kernel even been formally submitted to the festival? Why honour him now and not some eight years ago when Linux was first released and could still be considered somewhat interesting?

    Even though I'm not surprised that they continue following the trail of hype, fashion fads and overall zeitgeist compliance I must admit that I'm still very dissappointed in my fellow countrymen at the Prix Ars Electronica.