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Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

theregister.co.uk

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Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#41

Post by bananarepdev »

wingerlang wrote: post #19
VeejayRampay wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You somehow make it unclear whether or not Linus not being a multi-billionaire is a good or a bad thing. Are you saying that because he didn't try to monetize his code as much as he could have, it somehow makes his opinion less valuable? The man created Linux AND git, it doesn't matter whether or not he's got billions. He's got something more important than that, a legacy.

> He's got something more important than that, a legacy. Why is that important?

It's just my opinion, but given the current values of the Western socienties, producing something that greatly improves your knowledge area or industry is perceived as a more noble goal than accumulating wealth. It can get you in a history book at least.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#42

Post by Svenskunganka »

anjc wrote: post #7

Someone who should be a multi billionaire says to ignore marketing and sales and just work. Edit: I'm not saying that he WANTS to be a multi billionaire, but the fact is that he has attained disproportionately less value than he's created. By rights he should be one of the wealthiest people in tech. He might have 150m but that's peanuts given what he's done. The wealth of the guy who made Instagram dwarfs that. The g…

As a Scandinavian I'd like to think that the culture Linus was brought up in influences what he personally sees as "success". Considering he grew up under the belt of the Nordic model, he might consider success completely different from someone brought up in the US for example, where the American Dream™ has long been the status-quo where amount of money equals amount of success.

I'm sure Linus is living a very comfy, happy life - even though his Net Worth isn't greater than the guy who made Instagram.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#43

Post by edblarney »

frederikvs wrote: post #39

It's funny how he says "Don't do this big 'think different'... screw that", apparently without realising that Apple did exactly what he's talking about. Almost all of Apple's big innovations were stolen from other places, and then they shut up, and got to work : making it work properly, making it user friendly, making it sexy, and then selling it. Apple's slogan may have been "think different", and they have the imag…

They didn't steal anything, they often entered markets that others were already in, as most companies do, and often they did it better.

The iPod was evolutionary. The iPhone - their #1 source of revenue - was a fairly big leap forward.

'Think Different' is a marketing slogan, not a modus operandi.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#44

Post by VeejayRampay »

anjc wrote: post #31
VeejayRampay wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my opinion, a legacy like that of Linus means that he's produced a piece of software that has positively impacted the lives of people. It's important because he's actually delivered on the famous SV con-artist promise of "making the world a better place". Not directly, as in curing diseases or revolutionizing energy production or consumption, but in ways that help people in developing countries access information…

Positively impacting lives is surely important. That's besides the point. My point is that working without selling is not a viable strategy for 99% of people. Hell it barely worked for him in terms of earnings, and he's one of the most impactful people in tech history.

It's not besides THE point, it's besides YOUR point, big difference.

Suppose that what matters is to monetize your work. Then by that metric, Linus is immensely successful (personal worth of over 100 million dollars, which likely puts him in the high brackets).

Now suppose (like I do) that the metric that actually matters is sharing the result of your work so that others will build upon that and end up creating even greater things. Well, by that other metric, Linus is still a HUGE winner.

So we're basically both right (unless of course we're ready to discuss obvious falsehoods such as "Having 100 million dollars means it barely worked for you").

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#45

Post by dualogy »

anjc wrote: post #7

Someone who should be a multi billionaire says to ignore marketing and sales and just work. Edit: I'm not saying that he WANTS to be a multi billionaire, but the fact is that he has attained disproportionately less value than he's created. By rights he should be one of the wealthiest people in tech. He might have 150m but that's peanuts given what he's done. The wealth of the guy who made Instagram dwarfs that. The g…

You and "the instagram and whatsapp guys" simply use a different denominator for wealth than perhaps Linus, theregister readers, or many of us here.

You're talking first of all there about valuations (aka pie-in-the-sky) not cash-in-the-bank-or-matress anyway or other encumbered "assets" not money. These usually only get "converted" when in a mad rush to beat the avalanche of other "assets" seeking rapid conversion on a massive scale due to black swans, and then good luck converting those "billions" into (purchasing-power-equivalent, in-the-bank) billions.

> Obviously everything isn't about money, and Torvald's legacy will be timeless.

So why the heck bring it even up? =)

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#46

Post by anjc »

Svenskunganka wrote: post #42
anjc wrote: post #7

Someone who should be a multi billionaire says to ignore marketing and sales and just work. Edit: I'm not saying that he WANTS to be a multi billionaire, but the fact is that he has attained disproportionately less value than he's created. By rights he should be one of the wealthiest people in tech. He might have 150m but that's peanuts given what he's done. The wealth of the guy who made Instagram dwarfs that. The g…

As a Scandinavian I'd like to think that the culture Linus was brought up in influences what he personally sees as "success". Considering he grew up under the belt of the Nordic model, he might consider success completely different from someone brought up in the US for example, where the American Dream™ has long been the status-quo where amount of money equals amount of success. I'm sure Linus is living a very comfy,…

I've always assumed this about him. Again, I admire him greatly and I don't think that money trumps everything. I used the Instagram and Whatsapp examples just to demonstrate Linus' almost ridiculous lack of work->earnings.

I mean if a world-renowned workaholic genius can't automatically generate a fair amount of wealth from decades of creating some of the most used and influential software in the world, what does that imply for the rest of us?

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#47

Post by anjc »

dualogy wrote: post #45
anjc wrote: post #7

Someone who should be a multi billionaire says to ignore marketing and sales and just work. Edit: I'm not saying that he WANTS to be a multi billionaire, but the fact is that he has attained disproportionately less value than he's created. By rights he should be one of the wealthiest people in tech. He might have 150m but that's peanuts given what he's done. The wealth of the guy who made Instagram dwarfs that. The g…

You and "the instagram and whatsapp guys" simply use a different denominator for wealth than perhaps Linus, theregister readers, or many of us here. You're talking first of all there about valuations (aka pie-in-the-sky) not cash-in-the-bank-or-matress anyway or other encumbered "assets" not money . These usually only get "converted" when in a mad rush to beat the avalanche of other "assets" seeking rapid conversion…

> So why the heck bring it even up? =)

Because he's saying shut up and work? But working doesn't just...work...

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#48

Post by bad_user »

anjc wrote: post #37
bad_user wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On your deathbed, are you going to regret not making more money? If your basic needs have been met and your children have been well educated and aren't starving, then the answer is probably no. But many of us will regret not spending more time with our loved ones, or not leaving something of value behind, something we created. The truth is many of us aren't doing this for the money, because let's be honest, most of u…

Nice romantic view but the fact is that 95% of people in the western world can't afford society's perceptions of "basic needs". I'd wager that most people you hear talking about innovation, outside of Websummit and so on, are living hand-to-mouth and very much need to sell their ideas.

Those people you're talking about should move outside of Silicon Valley.

There's a whole world out there where you can live quite a comfortable lifestyle for a half or even a third of your average SV monthly income.

Seriously, money is a matter of hygiene and if you're feeling the need for more, it's time to make a serious change, like to change city or profession, because startups are a lottery.

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#49

Post by DigitalJack »

frederikvs wrote: post #39

It's funny how he says "Don't do this big 'think different'... screw that", apparently without realising that Apple did exactly what he's talking about. Almost all of Apple's big innovations were stolen from other places, and then they shut up, and got to work : making it work properly, making it user friendly, making it sexy, and then selling it. Apple's slogan may have been "think different", and they have the imag…

From NPR:

"When is copying flattery, when is it thievery, and when is it sheer genius? In this hour, TED speakers explore how sampling, borrowing, and riffing make all of us innovators."

http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/321797073/what-is...

Re: Linus Torvalds: Successful projects are 99% perspiration and 1% innovation

#50

Post by supremesaboteur »

anjc wrote: post #7

Someone who should be a multi billionaire says to ignore marketing and sales and just work. Edit: I'm not saying that he WANTS to be a multi billionaire, but the fact is that he has attained disproportionately less value than he's created. By rights he should be one of the wealthiest people in tech. He might have 150m but that's peanuts given what he's done. The wealth of the guy who made Instagram dwarfs that. The g…

He is worth $150 million and has an annual salary of $10 million : http://www.therichest.com/celebnetworth/celebrity-business/t...

I say he marketed himself well

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