Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (No Skin)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Code Project
  1. Home
  2. Other Discussions
  3. The Insider News
  4. Linus Torvalds goes on epic rant over Linux devs' comment syntax

Linus Torvalds goes on epic rant over Linux devs' comment syntax

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved The Insider News
22 Posts 15 Posters 0 Views 1 Watching
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • K Offline
    K Offline
    Kent Sharkey
    wrote on last edited by
    #1

    V3[^]:

    Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

    I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

    T M M Sander RosselS D 7 Replies Last reply
    0
    • K Kent Sharkey

      V3[^]:

      Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

      I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

      T Offline
      T Offline
      TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
      wrote on last edited by
      #2

      Linus is a asswipe, but he's also correct (in this instance). I personally prefer the C++ style:

      // this is a comment

      #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

      P R 2 Replies Last reply
      0
      • K Kent Sharkey

        V3[^]:

        Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

        I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

        M Offline
        M Offline
        megaadam
        wrote on last edited by
        #3

        Nuanced or not, that dude should run for president!

        ... such stuff as dreams are made on

        D R 2 Replies Last reply
        0
        • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

          Linus is a asswipe, but he's also correct (in this instance). I personally prefer the C++ style:

          // this is a comment

          #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

          P Offline
          P Offline
          PIEBALDconsult
          wrote on last edited by
          #4

          /* Filth! */

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • K Kent Sharkey

            V3[^]:

            Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

            I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

            M Offline
            M Offline
            Marc Clifton
            wrote on last edited by
            #5

            I think this, when I went to that site, pretty much sums up what I think and care about Linus and Linux: >It looks like we can’t show you adverts on this page, which may be caused by ad blocker software on your device. Because we rely on advertising to fund our journalism, please disable any ad blockers from running on V3, then reload the page to see the rest of this content. You can find more information about this here. Click on close tab button. Marc

            Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

            S 1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • M megaadam

              Nuanced or not, that dude should run for president!

              ... such stuff as dreams are made on

              D Offline
              D Offline
              Daniel Pfeffer
              wrote on last edited by
              #6

              megaadam wrote:

              Nuanced or not, that dude should run for president!

              Not being born in the USA, he can't stand for President of the USA. And why would he want to become President of Finland?

              If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill

              M 1 Reply Last reply
              0
              • D Daniel Pfeffer

                megaadam wrote:

                Nuanced or not, that dude should run for president!

                Not being born in the USA, he can't stand for President of the USA. And why would he want to become President of Finland?

                If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack. --Winston Churchill

                M Offline
                M Offline
                megaadam
                wrote on last edited by
                #7

                They just have to change the constitution! So wot!

                ... such stuff as dreams are made on

                1 Reply Last reply
                0
                • K Kent Sharkey

                  V3[^]:

                  Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

                  I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

                  Sander RosselS Offline
                  Sander RosselS Offline
                  Sander Rossel
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #8

                  Linus Torvalds wrote:

                  I'm sure that looks really nice if [...] have nothing better to do than to worry about the right alignment of the asterisks.

                  I really see only one person worrying about it :~ You'd think he'd see the irony? In my opinion the best comment is no comment. And if every developer stuck to it this whole discussion would be moot :)

                  Read my (free) ebook Object-Oriented Programming in C# Succinctly. Visit my blog at Sander's bits - Writing the code you need. Or read my articles here on CodeProject.

                  Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

                  Regards, Sander

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • M Marc Clifton

                    I think this, when I went to that site, pretty much sums up what I think and care about Linus and Linux: >It looks like we can’t show you adverts on this page, which may be caused by ad blocker software on your device. Because we rely on advertising to fund our journalism, please disable any ad blockers from running on V3, then reload the page to see the rest of this content. You can find more information about this here. Click on close tab button. Marc

                    Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

                    S Offline
                    S Offline
                    SteveKing
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #9

                    Read it here, without adblock-restrictions: Linus Torvalds in sweary rant about punctuation in kernel comments • The Register[^]

                    M 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • K Kent Sharkey

                      V3[^]:

                      Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

                      I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

                      D Offline
                      D Offline
                      Dominic Burford
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #10

                      Linus Torvalds may be a driven, motivated technological genius, but where he fails so spectacularly is as a decent human being. I wrote a blog[^] about his behaviour only recently.

                      "There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

                      A 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • S SteveKing

                        Read it here, without adblock-restrictions: Linus Torvalds in sweary rant about punctuation in kernel comments • The Register[^]

                        M Offline
                        M Offline
                        Marc Clifton
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #11

                        SteveKing wrote:

                        Read it here, without adblock-restrictions:

                        Thanks! It was too late at night to go searching. Hah! I agree with him! Marc

                        Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

                        D 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • M Marc Clifton

                          SteveKing wrote:

                          Read it here, without adblock-restrictions:

                          Thanks! It was too late at night to go searching. Hah! I agree with him! Marc

                          Imperative to Functional Programming Succinctly Contributors Wanted for Higher Order Programming Project! Learning to code with python is like learning to swim with those little arm floaties. It gives you undeserved confidence and will eventually drown you. - DangerBunny

                          D Offline
                          D Offline
                          Dan Neely
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #12

                          After incrementally blocking all js on the site up to and including jquery I was able to get the plain text from the source to be displayed without munging. OTOH before I went nuclear I domain blocked several 3rd parties I wasn't sure what they did. Thuggish anti-adblocking attempts only manage to shoot all your sites partners in the foothead because I've got better things to do than to start rolling back various blocks that might not have actually been needed. :doh:

                          Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • K Kent Sharkey

                            V3[^]:

                            Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

                            I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

                            H Offline
                            H Offline
                            HarCohen18
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #13

                            It takes me back to when I wrote in COBOL. Comment blocks preceded paragraphs that awere to be kept to 50 lines or less, comment marks slewed each paragraph to the top of page on hardcopy, and horizontal tabs (HT characters) right-aligned asterisks for the right wall of the box. Given monochromatic and mono-type source editing and printing, a comment box was a useful construction. They were also where your versioning notes were placed.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • D Dominic Burford

                              Linus Torvalds may be a driven, motivated technological genius, but where he fails so spectacularly is as a decent human being. I wrote a blog[^] about his behaviour only recently.

                              "There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

                              A Offline
                              A Offline
                              Albert Holguin
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #14

                              A blog written at 2AM nonetheless (according to the timestamp)... ;P Think he gets to be that way because in the open source community, there are a lot of people that may not know what they're doing yet they're trying to give feedback (report bugs, fix bugs, add features). Although you may think he's only discouraging work, I think it's probably because you can only get so many bogus emails from developers-to-be before you lose your cool. Give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he may have just gone through volumes of lousy emails before he lost his cool on someone. I can't even imagine how many emails he gets every day.

                              D 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • A Albert Holguin

                                A blog written at 2AM nonetheless (according to the timestamp)... ;P Think he gets to be that way because in the open source community, there are a lot of people that may not know what they're doing yet they're trying to give feedback (report bugs, fix bugs, add features). Although you may think he's only discouraging work, I think it's probably because you can only get so many bogus emails from developers-to-be before you lose your cool. Give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he may have just gone through volumes of lousy emails before he lost his cool on someone. I can't even imagine how many emails he gets every day.

                                D Offline
                                D Offline
                                Dominic Burford
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #15

                                Albert Holguin wrote:

                                Give the guy the benefit of the doubt

                                He's had plenty of that given to him over the years, yet he continues to behave the way he does. As I said in my blog, he's lost top talent from his behavior and been sidelined by parts of the technology community. And if he can't take the pressure from the workload, then there are plenty of other people who would share it with him. There is NO excuse for behaving like a total jerk.

                                "There are two ways of constructing a software design: One way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies. The first method is far more difficult." - C.A.R. Hoare Home | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • K Kent Sharkey

                                  V3[^]:

                                  Linus Torvalds has launched an epic, yet entertaining, rant against Linux kernel maintainers over their use of syntax in code comments.

                                  I always look forward to his nuanced and rational arguments

                                  B Offline
                                  B Offline
                                  Bernhard Hiller
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #16

                                  Coding Guidelines are good for teams, and those guidelines may include how comments should be written. But they are a convention only, it does not mean that other conventions are bad, and calling people following different conventions "brain-damaged" is not acceptable. Well, see: in some countries, people drive on the left side of the road, in other countries on the right side. Both versions are possible, and none of them is superior. Problems will arise only when you mix them.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                                    Linus is a asswipe, but he's also correct (in this instance). I personally prefer the C++ style:

                                    // this is a comment

                                    #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                                    R Offline
                                    R Offline
                                    Rob Grainger
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #17

                                    I use C++ comments for actual comments. I use C style comments for commenting out stuff.

                                    "If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.

                                    T 1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • M megaadam

                                      Nuanced or not, that dude should run for president!

                                      ... such stuff as dreams are made on

                                      R Offline
                                      R Offline
                                      Rajeev Jayaram
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #18

                                      :laugh:

                                      My blog - www.FaceLaptop.com

                                      1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • R Rob Grainger

                                        I use C++ comments for actual comments. I use C style comments for commenting out stuff.

                                        "If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.

                                        T Offline
                                        T Offline
                                        TheGreatAndPowerfulOz
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #19

                                        Rob Grainger wrote:

                                        I use C style comments for commenting out stuff.

                                        I just delete the offending code and let source control do it's job.

                                        #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                                        R 2 Replies Last reply
                                        0
                                        • T TheGreatAndPowerfulOz

                                          Rob Grainger wrote:

                                          I use C style comments for commenting out stuff.

                                          I just delete the offending code and let source control do it's job.

                                          #SupportHeForShe Government can give you nothing but what it takes from somebody else. A government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take everything you've got, including your freedom.-Ezra Taft Benson You must accept 1 of 2 basic premises: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not alone. Either way, the implications are staggering!-Wernher von Braun

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Rob Grainger
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #20

                                          This is only ever employed while investigating issues. I remove such offences well before checking in. Commented out code under source control is, without doubt, an abomination.

                                          "If you don't fail at least 90 percent of the time, you're not aiming high enough." Alan Kay.

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Don't have an account? Register

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups