Linus us not a god for sure. And he has obviously never dealt with a client who keeps changing specs in the middle of a project but refuses to pay you.
Blah.... Linus can't figure out what DRM is or the meaning of Free SOftware either. Ruben On Wed, Oct 05, 2005 at 07:48:01PM -0400, Roy Gaber wrote: > Gotta love Linus, he knows how to get the blood boiling. > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Greg > Woodhouse > Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 5:15 PM > To: Hardhats > Subject: [Hardhats-members] Linus Torvalds on specifications > > >From today's ACM Tech News (note that I do not necessarily agree): > > "Linus Torvalds Outburst Sparks Fierce Debate: Does Open Source > Software Need Specs?" > SYS-CON (10/03/05) > In a recent posting on the Linux Kernel Mailing List, Linus Torvalds > blasted specs as a method for developing software, claiming they pay > more attention to theory than reality and introduce a needless level of > abstraction that often falls flat when put into practice. Torvalds > cited the OSI network model protocols, which he characterized as > "classic spec-design, which had absolutely zero relevance for the real > world." He admitted that specs could serve as a useful framework for > discussion, but that they should have no bearing on the actual design. > Feedback to Torvalds' posting was varied, as some immediately took him > to task, insisting that specs, like actual code, were by definition > approximations, while others supported his view that their use is > limited. One respondent noted that many original Unix specs were quite > good, while later standards such as HTML and SOAP were well-written, > but ultimately functioned poorly due to sloppy designs. One post > criticized Torvalds for being too narrow in his definition, claiming > that his view of a spec as an unchanging template incapable of adapting > throughout the development process is not held by anyone in the > industry. Another reader claimed specs are essential to commercial > projects, as they serve essentially as a contract, defining the scope > and function of a given body of code. By way of mediation, one > respondent sought to clarify Torvalds' position by arguing against the > misconception that programs can be written through the progressive > revision of specifications, when really specs are useful insofar as > they can guide a discussion, but must yield to technical requirements > as the development process unfolds. > > <http://fr.sys-con.com/read/136960.htm> > > > > > > === > Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > "Without the requirement of mathematical aesthetics a great many discoveries > would not have been made." > > -- Albert Einstein > > > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by: > Power Architecture Resource Center: Free content, downloads, discussions, > and more. http://solutions.newsforge.com/ibmarch.tmpl > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by: > Power Architecture Resource Center: Free content, downloads, discussions, > and more. http://solutions.newsforge.com/ibmarch.tmpl > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members -- __________________________ Brooklyn Linux Solutions So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998 DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002 http://fairuse.nylxs.com "Yeah - I write Free Software...so SUE ME" http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Consulting http://www.inns.net <-- Happy Clients http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/resources - Unpublished Archive or stories and articles from around the net http://www2.mrbrklyn.com/downtown.html - See the New Downtown Brooklyn.... ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.Net email is sponsored by: Power Architecture Resource Center: Free content, downloads, discussions, and more. http://solutions.newsforge.com/ibmarch.tmpl _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
