Linus Torvalds apologizes for his behavior, takes time off

Post by JohnBooty » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 8:10 PM UTC

serversystem wrote: post #843

reitanqild wrote: post #721

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Have you ever worked with brilliant assholes? It sucks the life out of you - and it really sucks when they get idolized and rewarded heavily. I have. The problem was not so much the things he wrote in public but what he said (that couldn't be documented) or probably told the bosses (which also could not be documented.) He was a (mostly) well mannered and soft spoken guy esp. compared to the image of Linus, but he m…

I think he's like that in maillists and not in person as are many real life geeks/keyboard warriors?

Post by JohnBooty » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 8:19 PM UTC

efaref wrote: post #847

mindways wrote: post #714

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If you see something stupid, call it out. If I’m doing something stupid or say something wrong, call me out! ...but that can be done politely, or not(†). In my experience, being polite doesn't add a high cost to calling someone out, makes the person being called out less upset on average, and generally improves the quality of ensuing answers/discourse (because those involved aren't burning emotional energy on pushi…

The cost of excessive politeness can be that the person doesn't get the message. I've seen people waste hours on the wrong problem because the person giving feedback was overly polite, and also things just reach an impasse with no progress made because everyone's being too polite to point out the elephant in the room. I think a better word is "respectful." You can be direct and blunt, as long as you're respectful.

              Precision
                 ^
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  Rudeness  Politeness
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                 v
              Vagueness

Post by barrow-rider » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 8:52 PM UTC

unfocused wrote: post #683

azernik wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's a delicate way to be both "firm" and "polite" - and that's to not be pretend to be "agreeable", but rather to separate the firmness on technical issues from politeness on personal description. That is, to say "this code is awful" while also a) going out of your way to praise the things co-workers/subordinates do well, and b) when it is appropriate to make general judgments on their performance, make i…

"Firm but friendly" is a standard moto for lawyers when negotiating/talking is what I've been told. The problem is that Engineers aren't taught this, whereas lawyers have (like rules of engagement).

Post by LinuxBender » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 9:01 PM UTC

JohnBooty wrote: post #939

Bender wrote: post #854

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I personally like calm, rational logical inspirational leaders. I would like the fictional Captain Picard! Those are very hard to find. In my humble opinion, I believe you will find a lot of disagreement on methodologies throughout this thread as some folks are introverts, some extroverts and a wide range in between. Each person here will have had their own personal experiences that were a result of a mix of personal…

I personally like calm, rational logical inspirational leaders. I would like the fictional Captain Picard! Those are very hard to find. Great example! He was fictional, of course, but he was a good example of a leader who took no shit and held his crew to high standards, yet cared deeply for his crew and did not resort to petty rants. Although didn't he sleep with or almost sleep with Dr. Crusher? Maybe Linus shouldn…

Post by greenhatman » Mon, Sep 17, 2018, 9:06 PM UTC

yawboakye wrote: post #870

JohnBooty wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd bet people tend to cluster onto the line separating "agreeable and lax" and "rude but firm" (as a sweeping generality) Consider this: A third category of people who are able to accomplish their goals by rallying others to their cause. They are essentially imposing their will on others, but are able to do it in a way that is not "rude." This is called charisma. - "Agreeable and lax"... you allow them to paint the…

I'm finding it hard to think in these categories. The success of Linux is down to something Linus does and/or gets right. Even more fascinating, it might not be down to anything about him but the product he first created. So, anyone might claim "charisma" for getting the wall to be painted in their choice color but the painters just wanted a painted wall, and regardless of the attitude of the wall builder they were g…