Hi friends,
Last night, I watched a few videos from Linus Torvalds (TED, Q&A) - the ringleader of Linux and Git. Linus is notorious for being an extremely abrasive character, who lives by a rather Spartan code of meritocracy. Yet it’s hard to argue with his results.
There’s a lot we can learn from Linus (what to do, but also what not to do). Here are a few quotes I enjoyed/learned from:
Very pedestrian roots - “I’ve been involved in many projects, but all of them have started from very pedestrian roots, trying to solve a particular problem I had. Some of them never got any further, but the successful ones, when I had solved my problem, someone else came around and said ‘Hey, that almost solves my problem too’”
The importance of feedback - “It didn't even start by people contributing code, it was more that people started contributing ideas. And just the fact that somebody else takes a look at your project -- and I'm sure it's true of other things, too, but it's definitely true in code -- is that somebody else takes an interest in your code, looks at it enough to actually give you feedback and give you ideas. That was a huge thing for me.”
Communicate early - “Other developers need to know how I feel about things. I believe that when you work with a lot of people, it’s better to be really open about your feelings, so you don’t have people who, by mistake, misread you. I’ve had that happen. I’ve had developers who worked on things that I didn’t really like, but I didn’t shut down early enough, and worked on it for a long time.”
Beauty - “Look at Apple, they have separate operating systems for their low end devices and high end devices. Look at Microsoft - same thing… I actually care about beauty, and it turns out it was just nicer to do it the way Linux did it.”
Execution - “I tend to call myself an anti-visionary, because to me what is more important than vision is execution. In the end, lots of people have ideas, but it’s actually finishing them and overcoming all the problems you will hit that is the sign of someone who has a passion and really takes it all the way”
Change Log
Nick continued execution on an Auth solution for Ram and SpaceTime
Phil continued to grow Software Mentor (now at 160 subs!)
Phil experienced some burn out from growing Software Mentor, and took some time to think about Morale Management. Produced a presentation which was shared at our IndieHackers hangout.
Miscellaneous
🦠 With preliminary antibody testing getting deployed (i.e. Santa Clara, LA, Boston, NYC), and select businesses opening up, there’s a possibility that we’re seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. And while I’m optimistc, there are factors that make me suspicious. Firstly, antibodies do not necessarily last for life and can fade in months. In other words, it can be temporary immunity. Secondly, the coronavirus is highly susceptible to mutation. It’s why we need flu shots every year.
Stay safe!