Re: Linus, and whether tactfulness has any value

[Walter Mitty]

"thad01@tux.glaci.remove-this.com" risked the wrath of Usenet weenies when he 
ventured forth
on 2005-12-27, commmitted his life to the whims of Google,  and espoused:

> In comp.os.linux.advocacy Edwin <thorne25@juno.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Linus is a computer geek, and English is a second language for him.
>> Tact is too much to expect from him.  Beside that, many Europeans seem
>> to practice a blunt, abrupt style of speech.
>  
> Od, my experience differes from yours.  I've found most Europeans
> to be very polite and tactful.  Most of my experience is with
> Germany, Holland, and England, so perhaps I would feel differently
> if I traveled more of the continent.

Three totally different sets of personalities : trying to compare the
maners and social characters of an Englishman with a German is like
comparing wine and water.

>
> Also, given the context of ego driven geekness that Linus must
> operate in, I find Linus's behavior on the kernel mailing list
> to be very tactful (relatively speaking).  He can be blunt when
> he needs to be... but usually manages to do it without causing
> personal offense.

Agreed. He didnt even need to "apologise" for being blunt. Blunt i
sbetter than evasive and wishy washy.

>
>> Linux has outgrown Linus anyway.   It's time to stop making a little
>> tin god out of him.   He's had his 15 minute of fame already.
>
> I don't think anyone has made a 'tin god' of him... at least not
> among the true developer community.  He commands respect because
> of his technical ability and his skill at coordinating and motivate
> a very diverse group of contributors.  He is the defacto owner of
> the kernel as long as he continues to earn that respect... and not
> a minute longer.
>
> If you think his 15 minutes are up, you are welcome to fork the
> kernel tree and motivate the masses to follow you instead.
>
> Thad
>

Well said.

-- 
"Fascinating. Want a pretzel??" : Hooper