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Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

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Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#91

Post by nirvdrum »

gchpaco wrote: post #50
why-el wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It always puzzled me why his commits (and in fact standard commits) ought to start with a verb that is not in its past form. When I started using git four months ago (such a newbie), I would write something like "Fixed this" instead of "Fix this". Anybody with more insights on this? I am just curious.

If you think of the change set as the subject, so the question is 'what does this do?' and the answer is 'fix X' then it makes more sense. Past tense suggests you might be thinking of it as a journal or something that you're not supposed to do with git due to rebase etc.; each commit ought to stand on its own. That said I don't think this is significant enough to add up to a compelling reason either way.

Sorry, pardon the ignorance, but how does past tense imply something that would be affected by rebase? It may not be linear history, but it definitely happened in the past. I guess I always looked at more as: "here's a patch", "what did you do?" If it's just a tomato/tomato thing (yeah, that doesn't come out well in text), just let me know.

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#92

Post by cedsav »

marcamillion wrote: post #68

I don't mean to be overly critical, but is it just me or are the 'godfathers' of computer science starting to sound like cranky old men? I mean....ok....this pull request being inferior to the way HE (the creator of Git) imagined it (or implemented it) is a bit petty imho. What's with the complaining? I am sure this is not the first time I have heard him complaining about something on Github or some other 'new techno…

Maybe you're missing the importance of proper commit messages and the fact that github doesn't seem to steer users toward good habits. Given the size of his projects and the number of contributors, I find it reasonable to demand well documented and informative logs. As a developer, you have to be considerate of the time of people who have to decipher your work and intent. Obviously, it'd be better if the UI was prompting you to do so, so you don't have to suffer the wrath of the "opinionated" project owner ;-)

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#93

Post by [deleted] »

JonahBraun wrote: post #84
ricardobeat wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The fact that his comment is capped at 74/80 characters and signed only corroborate your feelings.

Looks like he replied through email rather than the github interface. His mail client would have formated the email and signature.

[deleted]

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#94

Post by marcamillion »

1qaz2wsx3edc wrote: post #86
yonester wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I totally agree. The past few links on HN to comments by Tovald have been full of inflammatory, juvenile language. I'm sure the guy is intelligent and certainly deserves a place in CS hall-of-fame, but I think the way he carries himself in these forums has tarnished his reputation.

I feel like Tovald should watch DHH's railsconf talk on progress & the 'old' mentality. This feels alarmist, but he like any other githubber gets to choose what gets accepted or rejected.

Funnily enough...DHH's talk is EXACTLY the first thing that came to mind when I saw Torvald's comment.

Who cares if Torvalds has 'more' technical chops than DHH...DHH might be more abrasive, but it is a good abrasive. He is always pushing the community forward and encouraging Rails developers to be a little better. He is not afraid to embrace new technologies and give credit where its due.

Can't tell when last I have seen these older guys do the same.

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#95

Post by stcredzero »

gchpaco wrote: post #50
why-el wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It always puzzled me why his commits (and in fact standard commits) ought to start with a verb that is not in its past form. When I started using git four months ago (such a newbie), I would write something like "Fixed this" instead of "Fix this". Anybody with more insights on this? I am just curious.

If you think of the change set as the subject, so the question is 'what does this do?' and the answer is 'fix X' then it makes more sense. Past tense suggests you might be thinking of it as a journal or something that you're not supposed to do with git due to rebase etc.; each commit ought to stand on its own. That said I don't think this is significant enough to add up to a compelling reason either way.

so the question is 'what does this do?' and the answer is 'fix X' then it makes more sense.

Better to say "fixes" then, so it's distinguishable from the use in a phrase as an imperative. "We need to fix this."

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#96

Post by webcowboy »

marcamillion wrote: post #68

I don't mean to be overly critical, but is it just me or are the 'godfathers' of computer science starting to sound like cranky old men? I mean....ok....this pull request being inferior to the way HE (the creator of Git) imagined it (or implemented it) is a bit petty imho. What's with the complaining? I am sure this is not the first time I have heard him complaining about something on Github or some other 'new techno…

"The truth shouldn't be sugarcoated."

Okay, fine. The way he handled this particular issue seems like a dick move. Being one of the godfathers of computer science isn't a license to act like a jerk.

There's no question he's right, but there's nice-right and jerk-right.

This sort of response seems like it only inhibits people's desire to get involved.

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#97

Post by marcamillion »

Karunamon wrote: post #83
marcamillion wrote: post #68

I don't mean to be overly critical, but is it just me or are the 'godfathers' of computer science starting to sound like cranky old men? I mean....ok....this pull request being inferior to the way HE (the creator of Git) imagined it (or implemented it) is a bit petty imho. What's with the complaining? I am sure this is not the first time I have heard him complaining about something on Github or some other 'new techno…

Linus is kind of infamous for his rants and have been for years (especially on the mailing lists.. I've seen him tear into people for willful ignorance on the kernel dev lists more than once). I've never really seen them as cranky because they're spot on. Cranky old men usually don't have anything other than opinion behind their rantings.. Linus can at least defend his position. Given his contributions to the world o…

Well...this debate always seems to come down to...do we let geniuses just do whatever the hell they want. The answer is...I am not sure.

Either way, there are many decisions that people make that comes down to style preference and sure the 'purists' might think it is a watering down of programming....but it makes it more appealing to new developers. I can see Torvalds ranting on Ruby as not a 'real' language....I don't know if he has done so...but I wouldn't be surprised if he did.

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#99

Post by newman314 »

bad_user wrote: post #38
bermanoid wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You only love the style because he has enough on his side to back it up. Anyone else that acted like Linus does on a regular basis would be considered childish and arrogant. I'd take Github's version of any feature, any day, over the official git version, any time they differed - Git is a notoriously user-hostile piece of software interface-wise, and pretty much the only thing it has going for it on the usability fro…

Git is a notoriously user-hostile piece of software interface-wise It's funny you say that, because Git is the only version control system where working with branches, forks and merges in big projects is not only doable, but in 90% of the cases painless. You can't really appreciate Git until you've tried doing the same tasks in Perforce, SVN and CVS. No other similar software has the same painless approach to branchi…

IIRC, Facebook ran into performance issues with git.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3548824

Not sure if they have been resolved.

Re: Linus Torvalds won't do github pull requests

#100

Post by flomo »

yonester wrote: post #78
marcamillion wrote: post #68

I don't mean to be overly critical, but is it just me or are the 'godfathers' of computer science starting to sound like cranky old men? I mean....ok....this pull request being inferior to the way HE (the creator of Git) imagined it (or implemented it) is a bit petty imho. What's with the complaining? I am sure this is not the first time I have heard him complaining about something on Github or some other 'new techno…

I totally agree. The past few links on HN to comments by Tovald have been full of inflammatory, juvenile language. I'm sure the guy is intelligent and certainly deserves a place in CS hall-of-fame, but I think the way he carries himself in these forums has tarnished his reputation.

Note Torvalds is incredibly polite and articulate when speaking to the public or press. However in technical fora he carries an old-school 1992 usenet-style flamethrower. Its just the way most of those old *nix guys interact.
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