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0 pointsjcoffland10y ago0 comments

Linus is clearly throwing his weight around here. If anyone else were to act this way and use such language we would all call him or her an asshole. Besides his main point is that C++ is not great for low level code. I don't see how this applies here.

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4 comments · 2 top-level

trhway10y ago· 2 in thread

we see things differently. In my view Linus is speaking free here. Many others refrain from speaking free and truthfully for fear of being called an asshole.

I see different main point. In my view Linus narrows the domain of his speech to system-level (not low-level!) code just out of basic intellectual honesty which implies to speak with authority only where your experience and knowledge are.

jcofflandOP10y ago

When he says, "YOU are full of bullshit," is that the intellectual honesty part? Some people are merely assholes constrained by social pressure other people are actually being honest when they are nice. It's hard to believe this when you are one of the former.

I agree with your system-level vs. low-level point except that he also talks about git which is neither.

trhway10y ago

>When he says, "YOU are full of bullshit," is that the intellectual honesty part?

if the guy is full of it then not saying it would be intellectual dis-honesty :). You and me belong to the different mindsets separated by a Grand Canyon. Man, i understand the reasons behind PC-culture, yet i just don't agree with the required trade-off. It is pretty much the same as security vs. privacy & other freedoms - there is really no meaningful debate possible beside clearly stating your own position as these mindsets are separated by the same size canyon. It is not separation of reasoning, it is separation of the choice of the top priority - in most cases that choice is deeply unconscious, and i have my personal theory connecting it to evolution and natural selection :) It is not that people on different sides don't understand the reasons of the other side, it is just people on each side are separated by their choice of the reasoning they assign higher priority to, like me and you in this case.

geodel10y ago

He is being called asshole and worse innumerable times. The only difference is that Twitter commenters and Corporate HRs do not control his livelihood in ways it does to most professionals so he is free to say things the way he feels.

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