Geek Summer Reading
09 July, 2008
A couple weeks back, having just finished an interview in SoMA, I ventured into the Borders on King St to grab a book for the hour-long Caltrain ride to San Jose. After about an hour in the store, I admit I’m a book geek, I found what I was looking for Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary by Linus Torvalds and David Diamond. I wasn’t looking for that book specifically but mean well...you know. As an Linux devotee, obviously I’m going to appreciate the story of Linux but I think that even those who don’t use Linux would benefit from learning the story of its evolution. This lesser known story is a nice counterweight to the well-known story of Bill Gates.
The basic premise is that Linus agreed to write the book with David iff in the the process of writing it, he got to do all the fun stuff he hasn’t yet had the chance to do. Despite some feelings in the greater Linux community, there isn’t much Microsoft hating at all. I discovered a Linus that is sometimes humble1, accidental hero/champion who is very succinct and matter-of-fact. The latter trait is often misinterpreted maliciously by those with OS envy. Almost every anecdote was entertaining and fun especially the hateration between Linus and Andrew Tatenbaum (author of Operating Systems). This book will make the Linux army bond more with their benevolent dictator. Just under 250 pages, it’s a worthwhile but quick read.
The other book I think is a great geek read was the special gift for the 2007 Summer of Code. Producing Open Source Software by Karl Fogel. It’s a great complement to Just for Fun and serves as a good roadmap for open source projects.
1 Linux wasn’t meant to be the final name of the OS
