Linus the Barbarian

Linus Torvalds is a major point of reference for me.

💡 For all of us, really. You can argue all you want about or against the man, but you just can’t deny the fact that his statements are consistent, strong and crystal-clear expressed. Apparently, I like my men blunt and overweight.

Below, some memorable interviews or conferences I’ve watched several times. In that regard, allow me to express some ideas based on their overall content, the FOSS movement and the Linux as an organization:

▶️ Bluntness is fine if you seek for engaging actively AND you’re talented. Obviously, you’re not gonna be everyone’s cup of tea. But then again, who cares? According to Linus, being that direct and honest derives from the fact that a healthy work environment needs clear direction and communication (there’s this example he pointed out I won’t be quoting here.)

▶️ Linux as a universal project has been widely successful partially because of the inspirational idea behind Torvald’s intention: sharing is caring. I mean, the fact that a solo software engineer from Finland could do what he did should tell you a lot more about the opened willingness of collaborating than anything. Computer and business guys alike (the first ones with their code; the latter, with their hugging stuff 🤣 ).

▶️ Linux is based on trust. Have you ever watched the Linux HQ meme? Well, albeit funny it can’t be more wrong. More than 20 trustworthy, top-end people work side by side with Linus on the kernel. More than 50 overall. It’s basically an online family but a family nonetheless.

▶️ Linux is so much more than Linus or the Linux Foundation. Look at Distrowatch: https://distrowatch.com. Linus shows himself pretty much ironic in regard to the free-maintainers of this or that distro. In a way, he’s telling to the Richies’ minions of the world: «come on, men! Let’s develop your own business model and stop gatekeeping people from licensing or using stuff, proprietary or not».

▶️ FOSS projects are small, relatively prompt to die fast but extremely impactful in relative terms. Something to consider when you think about entrepreneurship.

▶️ Focus on fixing concrete tangible problems, rather than envisioning a large vague distant picture.

▶️ Yeah, Android is Linux, whether you like or not.

#linux #linustorvalds

📕 Sources:
👉 https://lnkd.in/dv4Nw7ec (middle finger at 49:59)
👉 https://lnkd.in/eyWbxBbX
👉 https://lnkd.in/edbWtryw