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John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

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Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#21

Post by cameronfraser »

toisanji wrote: post #3

I thought he was working on AGI? Gave up already?

Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical polymaths and IMO if a single person is going to make any progress in AGI it's going to be someone like Leibniz or Euler.

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#22

Post by dgritsko »

Lammy wrote: post #17
s_dev wrote: post #16

Is it possible Occulus has a big need for such an OS and this is the cause of the contributions? Or is this Carmack being a hobbyist and simply making contributions for its own sake?

I assumed his use of an armadilloaerospace address was a signal that it isn't work-related.

He's basically retired at this point and working on things he finds interesting (which was AGI as of a few months ago; there was a blog post where he went into more detail).

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#23

Post by mikorym »

Is there any more context to OP's post? I guess someone just noticed in the mailing list, but it's not clear whether maybe John Carmark does this with all code everywhere in the universe. And then probably still has some interesting coffee break conversations...

On a different note. I am something of a Ubuntu fan and try to be more involved there. But then again the xBSDs where x = {Free, Open, Net, ...} are one of those things that always prods the back of your mind. It's a bit like topics in mathematics that always catch my attention, only to be forsaken for more mundane tasks. Then again, mathematics is a bit like the art of making everything mundane.

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#25

Post by jamesjyu »

cameronfraser wrote: post #21
toisanji wrote: post #3

I thought he was working on AGI? Gave up already?

Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical…

That's an interesting perspective: why do you believe that it will be an individual who will make a breakthrough, as opposed to a web of Carmack-like folks?

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#26

Post by marvin »

cameronfraser wrote: post #21
toisanji wrote: post #3

I thought he was working on AGI? Gave up already?

Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical…

> IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away

Just out of curiosity, would you have been willing to bet that something most people will agree on being AGI will not be developed before 2221 at the earliest?

Because given the history of science and technology since 1821, that seems like a statement that's just drawn out of thin air. "I don't know" would make sense. "Definitely not in the next 200 years" does not make much sense.

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#27

Post by polishTar »

chongli wrote: post #19
s_dev wrote: post #16

Is it possible Occulus has a big need for such an OS and this is the cause of the contributions? Or is this Carmack being a hobbyist and simply making contributions for its own sake?

John Carmack stepped down as consulting CTO of Oculus in November 2019.

Nit: In November, he stepped down as CTO. He still has a part part-time role at Oculus with the title of 'consulting CTO'

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#28

Post by Trasmatta »

wmichelin wrote: post #20

Here is your daily reminder to read "Masters of Doom", a book about the early days at ID Software. It's an amazing look into a really cool time in gaming and software as a whole. It's a great book, mostly about John Carmack and the guys at ID! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Doom

I love that book so much. It makes me sad sometimes that I missed those days of programming in the 90's.

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#29

Post by mikorym »

cameronfraser wrote: post #21
toisanji wrote: post #3

I thought he was working on AGI? Gave up already?

Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical…

Not to be judgmental, and to support your argument, but two points: I don't think we know how smart he is and I don't think it's that important. Euler was to me a balanced person as opposed to a extreme person like Grothendieck. So, to each their own.

Second point: I think almost everyone being promoted for being involved in AI or AGI are probably irrelevant in the longer run. Self driving cars are at this point something of a social problem rather than a clear mathematical problem. So, whether we solve the current list of business related AI problems is probably immaterial for mathematics, but important for public opinion. I haven't read or seen any projects that are even remotely close to AGI, unless someone is hiding something.

Whether some person x is doing (edit: working on) AGI I guess matters only in the social or business sense.

Re: John Carmack is reading and contributing to OpenBSD source code

#30

Post by yfiapo »

mikorym wrote: post #23

Is there any more context to OP's post? I guess someone just noticed in the mailing list, but it's not clear whether maybe John Carmark does this with all code everywhere in the universe. And then probably still has some interesting coffee break conversations... On a different note. I am something of a Ubuntu fan and try to be more involved there. But then again the xBSDs where x = {Free, Open, Net, ...} are one of t…

I don't see any additional context but this does appear to be a new thing. Two commits credited to Carmack in the OpenBSD source and they are dated 5/16/2020 and 5/17/2020.
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