Linus Torvalds: The mind behind Linux
林納斯·托瓦茲: Linux 大老在想甚麼?
In 1991, Linus Torvalds shared the Linux kernel with a few computer hobbyists. The operating system they built reshaped the software industry. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
a strange thing.
這真是件怪事。
裝在數百萬台電腦內,
is in millions of computers,
Android devices out there.
single one of them.
software headquarters driving all this.
軟體總部操縱這些。
when I saw a picture of it.
所以我看到這張照片時相當驚訝。
doesn't look like much.
這看起來真的沒什麼了不起。
part in my office
on the walls are this light green.
牆面漆著淡綠色。
they use that on the walls.
都漆這種顏色。
that really stimulates you.
you only see the screen,
你只能看到螢幕,
about in my computer is --
and powerful, although I like that --
雖然這部分我也喜歡──
在 Google 工作的人,
small data center at home,
有自己的小型資料中心,
boring office you'll ever see.
最乏味的辦公室。
坐在很安靜的環境裡。
technology empire --
to the power of open source.
力量有多大的驚人證據。
to understand open source
了解開放原始碼,
to the development of Linux.
我就穿整齊一點,
我也是這樣開始 Linux。
as a collaborative project.
沒有把它當成協同計劃。
in a series of many projects
一系列計劃中的一個,
enjoyed programming.
我就是喜歡寫程式。
we still have not reached.
我們還沒有達到目的地。
that I was looking for a project on my own
我在為自己找個計劃,
really, on my radar at all.
根本不在我的考慮範圍之內。
you want to show off to people.
變成你很想跟人炫耀的東西。
look at what I did!"
「哇,你看我做了什麼!」
that great back then.
open source at that point.
but there was no intention
但是背後根本沒有意圖
methodology that we think of today
開放原始碼方法論來改進。
on this for half a year,
of the open source --
"free software" back then --
to the notion that, hey,
licenses that had been around.
開放原始碼授權條款。
commercial interests coming in.
隨之而來的商業利益。
I think most people who start out have,
創業的人都會擔心這一點,
taking advantage of their work, right?
有人會占他們便宜,對吧?
some code that you thought,
而你這麼想:
I would not have thought of that.
我從沒想過這點。
by people contributing code,
從有人貢獻程式開始,
started contributing ideas.
takes a look at your project --
就是別人看了你的計劃──
of other things, too,
這件事上絕對是這樣──
takes an interest in your code,
give you feedback
for half my life, basically.
已經寫了半輩子的程式。
had been completely personal
都是我個人的東西,
just started commenting,
真的是一種啟示。
giving code back,
moments where I said,
因為我說:
people on email,
and get involved in my project.
會評論並參與計劃的人。
when you saw what was being built
你看到現有的專案
this actually could be something huge,
這應該會變成更大的東西,
that I'm getting nice feedback on,
可以得到一些很好的建議,
in the whole technology world"?
爆炸性進展?」
was not when it was becoming huge,
不是它變大的時候,
不再單打獨鬥,
people being involved --
或許一百人參與,
is not a big deal -- to me.
沒什麼了不起,對我而言。
如果你──
then it's a huge deal --
那當然很了不起──
a single point where I went like,
特別的時刻讓我覺得
因為它──
花了相對而言很長的時間。
that I talk to really credit you
for software development.
(版本)管理系統。
and your role in that.
你在其中的角色。
or 100 people working on a project
where just on the kernel,
僅僅在核心部分,
in every single release
roughly two or three months.
大約兩到三個月就釋出一次。
who make small, small changes.
you have to maintain it.
會改變你維護的方法。
that do only source-code maintenance.
the most commonly used,
過去是最常用的系統,
and refused to touch it
堅決不肯使用它,
that was radical and interesting
who wanted to participate,
I was the kind of break point,
我都是那個中斷點,
with thousands of people.
我的第二個大型計畫,
to maintain my first big project.
以維護我的第一個大型計畫,
for something meaningful
has been something I needed
都是我需要的東西,
and Git kind of arose
Linux 和 Git 兩者的出現
與很多人一同工作
to work with too many people.
LT: Yeah.
林:是的。
who's transformed technology
and understand why it is.
with a Rubik's Cube.
在玩魔術方塊。
programming since you were like 10 or 11,
10 或 11 歲就開始寫程式,
genius, you know, übernerd,
你知道的,超級書呆子,
who could do everything?
the prototypical nerd.
典型的書呆子。
in the Rubik's Cube
who's not in the picture,
like, a couple of cousins --
但是我有幾個堂兄弟姊妹──
into the room she would say,
particularly exceptional.
was that I would not let go.
because that's interesting.
因為這很有意思。
a geek and being smart,
let's do something else --
「好!不玩了!來做別的吧……
other parts in my life, too.
也看得到這個特質。
company, in Silicon Valley,
is that people jump between jobs
大家在不同的公司跳來跳去,
development of Linux itself,
實際開發期間,
you in conflict with other people.
有時候會帶來人際間的衝突。
the quality of what was being built?
做出來的東西的品質?
那是不是必要的。
a people person," --
to other people's feelings,
我是「大近視」!
say things that hurt other people.
that I should be nice.
我應該更和藹一點。
that maybe you're nice,
你們可能很和藹,
is we are different.
I'm particularly proud of,
I really like about open source
開放原始碼的一件事,
people to work together.
don't like each other.
我們真的不喜歡對方,
very heated arguments.
的確有很火爆的爭論發生。
you can find things that --
你可以看到事情是
大家意見不同,
in really different things.
你對不同的事情有興趣。
where I said earlier
taking advantage of your work,
占你的工作成果的便宜,
quickly turned out,
就看到的結果,
were lovely, lovely people.
at all interested in doing,
that I just did not want to go.
來用開放原始碼。
source they could do it,
所以他們可以那麼做,
really beautifully together.
it works the same way.
the communicators,
能做溝通的人,
and get you into the community.
能讓你融入社群。
was the make a pretty UI,
是做一個漂亮的 UI,
I'm trying to explain.
我只是試著解釋。
other trait that you have,
particularly good taste in code,
不太好的例子,
a singly-linked list.
(單向連結串列)。
good taste approach,
when you start out coding.
學寫程式時教的方法。
(if statement)。
in a singly-linked list --
an existing entry from a list --
移除一筆現有的資料,
between if it's the first entry
會有點不一樣。
the pointer to the first entry.
of a previous entry.
指向該資料的前一筆資料。
why it doesn't have the if statement,
為什麼它沒有 if 敘述,
a problem in a different way
不同的角度看問題,
a special case goes away
那麼例外就會消失,
although, details are important.
I really want to work with
一同工作的人都有個現象,
which is how ...
because it's too small.
seeing the big patterns
你真的會看到大的模式,
what's the right way to do things.
知道什麼是正確的方法。
the pieces together here now.
拼湊出整體的樣子了。
to software people.
對寫軟體的人而言有意義。
to some people here.
電腦程式設計師,
of these grand visions of the future.
uncomfortable at TED
of vision going on, right?
happy with all the people
一點意見也沒有,
and just staring at the clouds
and saying, "I want to go there."
「我想去那裡。」
that's right in front of me
就在我正前方的坑洞補好,
about these two guys.
跟我談到這兩個傢伙。
do you relate to them?
你跟他們有什麼關係?
of cliché in technology,
科技界老掉牙的故事了,
scientist and crazy idea man.
和有瘋狂想法的人。
their companies after him.
命名自己的公司。
for being kind of pedestrian
and 99 percent perspiration."
加上百分之九十九的汗水。」
grab these days,
of an Edison than a Tesla.
而不是特斯拉。
this week is dreams --
TED 大會的主題是夢想,
others have made, arguably,
還有其他的人都可以說
out of your software.
for several reasons.
open source and really letting go thing,
開放原始碼而且沒有真的放手,
I don't really enjoy, public talking,
像是公開演講,
this is an experience.
that make me a very happy man
讓我成為非常快樂的人,
fully realized now in the world,
這個開放原始碼的想法了嗎?
works so well in code
在程式開發上這麼成功,
and this is not done well.
room for arguments.
我們還是有很多爭論,對吧?
open politics and things like that --
開放政治或類似的東西,
principles in some other areas
在其它領域上,
turns into not just gray,
is making a comeback.
現在在科學界又流行起來。
being pretty closed,
and some of that going on.
和一些有的沒的東西。
a comeback in science,
在科學界又流行起來,
和其它開放式期刊。
thank you for the Internet,
謝謝你給了我們網路,
Android 手機。
and revealing so much of yourself.
與我們開誠布公。
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Linus Torvalds - Software engineerIn 1991, Linus Torvalds shared the Linux kernel with a few computer hobbyists. The operating system they built reshaped the software industry.
Why you should listen
Fascinated by the economy and elegance of experimental operating system Minix, computer scientist Linus Torvalds wrote an operating system kernel and shared it with independent programmers. The system that they fleshed out and released in 1994 -- Linux -- was remarkable not only for its utility and efficiency but also for the collaboration of its community.
Now enjoying mainstream respectability (and the support of the computer industry), Linux runs on the servers of Amazon, Google, and much of the wired world. As the sole arbiter of code for the Linux Foundation (which he characteristically downplays by saying “the only power I have is to say ‘no’”), Torvalds quietly inspires open-source projects worldwide.
Linus Torvalds | Speaker | TED.com