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Almondsetatyesterday at 12:17 AM6 repliesview on HN

RMS to me is really a curious case. He doesn't know how to install GNU+Linux and relies on others to do it. He doesn't know how to take a screenshot, and I remember reading other snippets from him about not knowing how to perform other basic tasks.


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Boxxedyesterday at 2:31 AM

I once asked a YC alum, "Got any good Paul Graham stories?" And he had a couple; apparently the dude would often ask for help with basic tech things like setting up his wireless. Same kind of thing, I guess.

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adalaceloveyesterday at 1:51 AM

Most screenshots for these well known guys are quite boring. Coincidence? I think if you want to be good at something you need focus.

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HeadlessChildyesterday at 12:11 PM

An engineer at my work literally designed the processor architecture that lives in our products but he is more or less computer illiterate.

epolanskiyesterday at 10:36 PM

I write software and use computers from ages, but put me in front of any app I haven't authored and I have no clue how to do things.

Often I find that apps have features only because I see others using the application.

Make me do anything on applications banking/government/delivery-related and I have to ask family members.

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venturecrueltyyesterday at 12:37 AM

I don't know why people take him so seriously. He said some decent things about software freedom, and the rest of his entire existence seems to be him being deliberately obtuse and generally off-putting. I find it bizarre that there's this strange carve-out here for him, especially considering that he would absolutely loathe 99% of the software that gets discussed here.

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gosub100yesterday at 12:32 AM

See also: Knuth. Literally wrote the book on algorithms, but barely is able to do more than open a window in FVWM.

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