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Linus torvalds on security

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Re: Linus torvalds on security

#51

Post by icebraining »

javert wrote: post #31
jlawer wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That dark and exaggerated sense of humour is common at least amongst Brits, Irish, Aussies & Kiwis. However I wouldn't say it isn't in the US. Most Boston & some New York stand-up comedians I have seen seem to have a similar personality. Maybe this is self selecting, but the US comedians I have seen from these areas tend to have that same personality. I really don't think this is a big deal..

I'm not talking about comedians, for pete sake. I'm talking about software development in a professional context.

So why are you talking about professional context on a story about a post in a personal profile on a social network?

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#52

Post by redthrowaway »

jnazario wrote: post #48

every now and then linus peeks in at what passes for linux, freaks out, gets pissed off at the state of things, vents, and everyone chimes in. so i'll chime in. this is what you get when you are laissez-faire about how things operate in the land you helped create and ignore issues (via guidance and suggestions) for years on end. this happened with wifi some years ago, too, and didn't get attention until linus got a l…

>this is just one reason why i stopped using linux day to day over ten years ago, happily.

It's gotten a whole lot better in the last 10 years.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#53

Post by icebraining »

javert wrote: post #35
jlawer wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who has had professional help to go through what I will only refer to as "the dark patch of my life" I think your over reacting. This might be a cultural thing but as an Aussie, this is viewed as pure exaggeration and has NO connection to reality. If there is no connection to reality then why get upset about it? If there is no intention for a slight then why care? Maybe this is one of the subtle cultural d…

There is a connection to reality. What Linus is saying is: if you don't agree with me, you're an incompetent developer, get out of the way and shut up, and I don't want to hear any counter-argument. It's a means of quality enforcement, to some degree. OK. But there is a point where it goes too far. I don't insist on political correctness. I haven't complained about Linus' normal insults but he's telling people to kil…

You should read Your Mother's Tongue: Book of European Invective. You'd be surprised (and in your case, probably shocked) at what people call each other without any intention of actually insulting them.

For example, here in Portugal and in informal situations, it's reasonably common for a person to use an expression that essentially calls their mother a whore because they made something that somewhat annoyed you. Of course, no one is actually insinuating their mother sells her body for money, it's just an expression.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#54

Post by 16s »

donniezazen wrote: post #49

I find it funny, how effortlessly Linus trashes people.

Seems to be part of the free OS culture. Everyone trashes someone. Theo and the OpenBSD devs think Linux is garbage written by people who don't understnd Unix. All of the free OS guys have someone they make fun of regularly. It's a bit silly I think, but that's just how it is.

"Look at them, they use C++... ha ha ha idiots. Oh look at them, they use Linux... utter and complete bloated garbage compared to real Unix."

Wash, rinse, repeat.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#55

Post by jnazario »

redthrowaway wrote: post #52
jnazario wrote: post #48

every now and then linus peeks in at what passes for linux, freaks out, gets pissed off at the state of things, vents, and everyone chimes in. so i'll chime in. this is what you get when you are laissez-faire about how things operate in the land you helped create and ignore issues (via guidance and suggestions) for years on end. this happened with wifi some years ago, too, and didn't get attention until linus got a l…

>this is just one reason why i stopped using linux day to day over ten years ago, happily. It's gotten a whole lot better in the last 10 years.

use it on servers at work, it's gotten horribly confusing in terms of configs. real scary, inconsistent mess.

i don't use it as my primary machine or dev machine any more.

i'd say i'm pretty up to date with it (and alternatives) and still disagree with you. "whole lot"? i disagree.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#56

Post by tygorius »

javert wrote: post #38
tygorius wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been there, done that, got the meds. It taught me the valuable distinction between normal mood swings and out-of-whack brain chemistry. Seriously, if you have a strong bout of suicidal thoughts in reaction to flippant remarks such at Torvalds's then you need to bring this up to a mental health professional because your current coping mechanism isn't working . If you're merely tut-tutting with disapproval however I si…

Your speculation on and advice about my mental health is rude and insulting. I'm not merely "tut-tutting". I don't think telling people to commit suicide because of a legitimate technical disagrement or hurdle is acceptable. If you disagree, put up a reasoned argument or shut up.

Sorry. No aspersions on your mental health were intended. I was using "you" in the general, hypothetical sense. You and I are not the only ones reading this thread.

One of the things I learned from depression was that one (not "you") could intellectually realize that a stimulus was trivial and yet still have a near-overpowering emotional response. People in such a situation would be well advised to deal with the underlying electochemical issues instead of thinking their depression is merely the result of circumstances and something they can just conquer with more will power.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#57

Post by mayanksinghal »

16s wrote: post #54
donniezazen wrote: post #49

I find it funny, how effortlessly Linus trashes people.

Seems to be part of the free OS culture. Everyone trashes someone. Theo and the OpenBSD devs think Linux is garbage written by people who don't understnd Unix. All of the free OS guys have someone they make fun of regularly. It's a bit silly I think, but that's just how it is. "Look at them, they use C++... ha ha ha idiots. Oh look at them, they use Linux... utter and complete bloated garbage compared to real Unix."…

If not overdone, I think it is fun. The community will mature at some point in future, but currently the evangelists comprise of not professionals whose jobs are to get these platforms/softwares to more people but passionate fans and contributors who believe in the product and think that their's is the best of them all. It does lead to an unnecessary increase in tension in the community but it also means that those who are involved will be true to their beliefs and contribute to their distro/software/platform in a much more personal and devoted way.

And it is not like commercial software community is never involved with any flamewars. When they do it, they do it for marketing and they do it professionally [1]

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4EbCkotKPU

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#58

Post by bmj »

batista wrote: post #21
Duff wrote: post #13

He is wrong about date/time setting. Most computers have automatic time sync, and consistent time stamps are important for many business purposes. Giving end users the ability to manipulate time can cause significant issues. Is it overkill for Linus's kids? Yes. But OpenSUSE wasn't put together for his kids.

He is wrong about date/time setting. Most computers have automatic time sync, and consistent time stamps are important for many business purposes. Giving end users the ability to manipulate time can cause significant issues. On a laptop ? A seriously doubt it. Make the bloody distro learn to differentiate between a server and a personal installation, and change the settings accordingly.

Why does it matter if it's a server? I reckon, if it's a server, the only people that should have that sort of access to it should be trusted to change the time.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#59

Post by Duff »

batista wrote: post #21
Duff wrote: post #13

He is wrong about date/time setting. Most computers have automatic time sync, and consistent time stamps are important for many business purposes. Giving end users the ability to manipulate time can cause significant issues. Is it overkill for Linus's kids? Yes. But OpenSUSE wasn't put together for his kids.

He is wrong about date/time setting. Most computers have automatic time sync, and consistent time stamps are important for many business purposes. Giving end users the ability to manipulate time can cause significant issues. On a laptop ? A seriously doubt it. Make the bloody distro learn to differentiate between a server and a personal installation, and change the settings accordingly.

I'm fine with that. i'm just saying, that isn't the way things work right now.

Re: Linus torvalds on security

#60

Post by thetroll »

donniezazen wrote: post #49

I find it funny, how effortlessly Linus trashes people.

same here. Linus is a man with strong opinions, so i guess the kind of language he uses helps reflects that.

and i find it funny that people get upset so much over it. some "political correctness" crap. look, you don't control what other people say or does, but you can control how that affects you. if you're going to seriously get upset about someone telling you to "kill yourself", you should get yourself a psychiatrist. because you really just might.

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