Re: Linus Geek of the Week

["Mark Richards-3" <user=151@nabble.blu.org>]

 [hidden email] wrote: 
> I have mixed feelings about Linus. When all is said and done, the first 
> version of Linux wasn't so hot. It took a lot of people a lot of work and 
> a lot of time to make it good. 

But, look what he started. 

> 
> Also, where some people see that he has been a great administrator and 
> guide for Linux, one could just point out there are a lot of people who 
> could have done the same thing, and there's more about random chance and 
> opportunity that this particular guy ended up doing it. 

Yes we could all do that.  How does it serve us to dwell on or even 
consider it? 

> 
> I built my first computer over 33 years ago. I had "popular" shareware 
> programs for Windows about 23 years ago. I helped the FSF move almost 2 
> decades ago. I've had mediocre developer friends go on to become 
> millionaires because they attended the "right" party. I've had friends who 
> were simply amazingly smart, still, like us all, after all these years, 
> working for a living and worried about the economy. 

Some people gladhand.  Others work in the dark recesses, happy to be a 
vital cog in the great wheel.  Some take it all far too personally: 
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/17/BAK111QRPB.DTL

In all, personal skills, preferences, politics and random circumstances 
at work. 



> 
> Maybe I'm bitter, but I don't think so. I'm just old enough to have seen 
> that a lot of life is a crap-shoot and while preparedness and skills help 
> when you get opportunity, ground breaking opportunities don't always come 
> your way. They don't come because you are smart. They don't come because 
> only you could do it. They come because a number of unpredictable and 
> uncontrollable factors came into place at a particular time, and someone 
> who had no idea what was happening was able to run with it. 

That's the nature of living.  But what is the measure of success? 

> 
> All that being said, the "perfect storm" of AT&T closing off UNIX, GNU not 
> having or focusing on a kernel, MINIX being a toy, and a new public global 
> network becoming popular (the internet) could have produced  a far worse 
> figurehead. 


It also produced Bill and a mountain of the most arrogant, self-centred, 
overly-bright people on the planet. 


> So, like so many before him, I think he was lucky to get there 
> and have the luxury of being able to pursue it, he has done a pretty good 
> job over the years. 

Luck and hard work.  Foresight.  Knowing he was on to something. 
Refusing to give up.  All solid attributes.  I suspect these are common 
among the "successful". 


/m 



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