Does Linux suffer from the 'Steve Jobs' dilemma?

bugrit, millenium hand and shrimp... that was supposed to be Linus.

Wine and keyboards don't mix, TA ;-)

> Wine and keyboards don't mix

Another reason to use VirtualBox.

Did I just make a porn pun?

I wish I knew what you guys were talking about. I feel like four-year-old sitting at the big-people's table at dinner.

Ok, let's get serious.

Apple functioned, but languished, when Skully and Company tried bureaucracy rather than dictatorship. Jobs reasserted himself, and proved yet again that a benign dictatorship is more efficient. Sure. No argument there.

Without Jobs, what will be missing is Jobs "vision", his personal control. What will follow will not be the same because it won't be Jobs. Is it bad thing? Depends on whether or not people can accept change.

Linus provides that same benign dictatorship where the Linux kernel is concerned. It may be that "if Linus is hit by a truck" there would be very little change right away. The top people who are working on it now would just continue to do so.

But to assume that everything Linus, or Jobs, has chosen is the only "right" way is rather limited.

A successful dictator, benevolent or otherwise, like Linus or Steve Jobs sets a clear focus and direction. A typical corporate bureaucracy is a muddle where little ever gets done, certainly nothing new.

TC, couldn't agree more.

I'm sure someone will call me cold and heartless, personally I think companies should go out of business more often.

Let the next individual with Vision create the next Apple when Jobs leaves, rather than try to limp along with bureaucratic mediocrity for the sake of the brand.

So Microsoft, without Gates, or Apple, without Jobs, sells off what is valuable while there is still value to those with Vision to use the buildings/programmers/factories to make great things.

Sadly, once established, a bureaucracy tends to keep itself going for the sake of keeping itself going. So maybe the best to be hoped for is a series of Visionary CEOs, without too long of gaps inbetween.

A better topic might be, Does Canonical suffer from the Steve Jobs dilemma?

Linux is a community driven project. Apple is a company.

I'm a bit puzzled by the Canonical bashing that erupts with every announcement (not here, out there in the fake world.) Mark Shuttleworth is a strong leader, especially in regards to interface design, but it's still a community-powered project. All he can do is keep the cat herd going in the same general direction. UI is always tricksy and someone will always be unhappy. Fine, go use XFCE or something, underneath it's still the same Linux. I was surprised at all the carping over the decision to include Qt. I say hurrah and why not? People should save their complaining for things that really matter. Like why is there still lite beer in the world? Nasty stuff that will bring about the downfall of civilization. Oh yes it will.

I agree with you tuxchick. If you don't like the default ubuntu, go to another distro, or configure it to your likings. Both things are very easy to do, and there is no one stopping you from doing it.

@tuxchick: I wouldn't say it's Canonical bashing. Almost all the noise comes from Ubuntu users. Mark S. has his habit of reminding everyone involved that it's his distro and he can do what he wants with it. It's not a community distro if he calls the shots and it turns users off when he throws his childish fits when people challenge his decisions. Linus is miles apart in that respect.

@jim:

[comment deleted]

I'm not trying to "bash" Canonical. I'm just pointing out that if you're looking for a Steve Jobs figure in the Linux world, Shuttleworth is either as or more apropos than Linus.

@gus3, Oh, I'm sorry, it didn't have side effect on my computer. Should have checked it in other browsers.

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