Posts Tagged ‘linux’
Revisiting an origin story
Ten years ago, Neal Stephenson published an essay about the evolution of computer operating systems from a cultural perspective. The literati of the computer world consider this treatise, titled In the beginning there was the command line, essential reading. It is also a good starting place to think about the evolution of social media and collaboration tools, which are now as ubiquitous as operating systems. These tools may also be as poorly understood.
Stephenson’s argument: the open-source model to software development generates more reliable products. Why? The collaboration process that drives Linux, for example, is transparent, iterative and immediate.
At the midpoint of the essay, Stephenson compares Windows, Mac OS, and Linux to power drills. While the first two are Black & Decker and Stanley drills that serve most D.I.Y. types, Linux is a professional’s drill that is as ugly as it is stupid. The Linux user needs know the end goal and be skilled enough to maneuver the tool efficiently toward that point. Where we can be sloppy with our Goggle search terms and in our use of Windows or Mac OS, Linux needs precision.
Bonnie Lee
Jean-François
