2 Oct 2002 mbp   » (Master)

microkernels

Another interesting step towards microkernel design in Linux is kernel mode linux, which is supposed to allow user programs to execute in kernel context. I won't say the guy isn't on drugs, but it's an interesting hack.

I found this, by the way, at sweetcode, which is a nice little site.

the status is that rob levin should show us the code

(amateur social psychology for fun and profit)

rlevin writes

I agree completely that, when the issue is code, there is no substitute for at least providing a reference implementation that can be critiqued. My only point in commenting was to note that not every issue is a code issue. Sometimes some community people use the refrain "show me the code" in a way that denies the significance of social or procedural issues, and confuses implementation with goal-setting.

The motto "show me the code" doesn't literally mean that source code is the only acceptable demonstration. Other phrases that get at the same idea are "talk is cheap" and (my current favourite) "all hat and no cattle". (That doesn't, by the way, mean that you need to literally own cows to get respect.)

For a meritocracy to be meaningful, people's contributions have to be visible in some way that can be assessed by their peers. This can be in ways other than code: artwork, writing, speaking, web sites, and organizing conferences spring to mind.

The subtext of Rob's diary entries seems to be that he wants people to value his efforts in things such as goal-setting and procedures. Indeed, a little while ago, he claimed the work was so important, and has was so uniquely qualified to do it, that people ought to pay him to do it full time.

But this directly conflicts with the "show us the code" mindset, and I suspect this is why it irritated so many people. Nobody can actually see what it is Rob does, whether it's worthwhile, and whether he does it well. So who can tell? The default position encoded by "show us the code" is to assume that it's just vapor until demonstrated otherwise.

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