Re: Scheduler ( was: Just a second ) ...

David S. Miller
2001-12-18T21:33:03Z

From: Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2001 13:17:13 -0800

Let me introduce you to this neat invention called a telephone. It's
the black thing next to your desk, it rings, has buttons. If you push
the right buttons, well, it's magic...

I'm not calling Holland every time I want to poke Jens about
something in a patch we're working on :-)

I hate telephones for technical stuff, because people can call the
fucking thing when I am not behind my computer or even worse when I AM
behind my computer and I want to concentrate on the code on my screen
without being disturbed. With IRC it is MY CHOICE to get involved in
the discussion, I can choose to respond or not respond to someone, I
can choose to be available or not available at any given time. It's
just a real-time version of email. And the "passive, I can ignore
you" part is what I like about it.

Telephones frankly suck for discussing technical topics. I can't cut
and paste pieces of code from my other editor buffer to show you over
the phone, as another example as to why.

A lot of people like to use telephones specifically because it does
not give the other party the option of ignoring you once they pick up
the phone. I value the ability to make the choice to ignore people
because a lot of ideas I don't give a crap about come under my nose.

In fact that may be one of the best parts about Linux development
compared to doing stuff at a company, one isn't required to listen to
someone's idea or to even read it. If today I don't give a crap about
Joe's filesystem idea, hey guess what I'm not going to read any of his
emails about the thing.