Just for fun
by Linus Torvalds, David Diamond · first published 2001
60% recommend40% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Short, personal account of Linus's early life and how Linux began as a humble student project. Gives a human view of the hacker behind it, with a fun, inspiring tone for anyone curious about Linux history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Linus Torvalds erzählt, wie es dazu kam, dass er Linux entwickelte und gibt Einblicke in seine Denkweise.
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For those that like reading about these sorts of things, I highly recommend Just For Fun. It's a short book, but one I enjoy going back to every now and then to read. http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionar...
on “What would you like to see most in minix? (1991)” ↗If you're interested in Linux history, check out Just For Fun by Linus Torvalds himself. It's written in 1999 if I recall, which is so much closer to Linux's inception than it is to today, so it's so interesting to hear thoughts and predictions about Linux at the…
on “The Early Days of Linux” ↗…Language. UNIX Programming Environment. Programming in Haskell. Code Complete. Practice of Programming. Cathedral and the Bazaar. Open Sources. Hackers and Painters. Joel on Software. Coders at Work. Just for Fun. SICP seems to be really well written so far, but it's not the kind of book you're going to read in one sitting.
on “Which programming book you just couldn’t stop reading from start to end?” ↗Please read Linus Torvald's book "Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolution" http://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutionar.... It mostly deals with his experience building Linux and the insane amount of work it took (he was…
on “I’m writing my own OS” ↗…head, here are some books on specific histories I enjoyed. All old, but there are timeless nuggets in them. Soul of a new machine, previously mentioned. Where I first learned about mushroom management. Just for Fun: the story of an accidental revolutionary [0] was fun bio on Torvalds from 2001 The Mythical Man Month [1] offers some insight into the management and thinking that went into OS/360 Masters of Doom…
on “Ask HN: What are some great posts or articles about history of computing?” ↗For Linux’s history, beside Mr Black's link, I strongly recommend to read "Just for Fun"[1] and watch Revolution OS[2][3]. [1]https://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutiona... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution_OS [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vW62KqKJ5A
on “Linux’s History (1992)” ↗Just for fun by Linus Torvalds. iWoz by Steve Wozniak. Founders at work by Jessica Livingston is also very good. On my to-read list I also have Rob Pike’s Unix: A History and a Memoir.
on “Great Celebrity Memoirs?” ↗I add some: It's behind you, the making of a computer game (https://bizzley.42web.io/?i=1) Rebel Code (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/289947.Rebel_Code) Just for Fun (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/160171.Just_for_Fun?from...) The Computer - My Life (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/594610.The_Computer_My_L...) Cataloging the World: Paul Otlet and the Birth…
on “The Joy of Computer History Books” ↗"Just for Fun" by Linus Torvalds & David Diamond. I read it a long time ago and still remember "On the Meaning of Life", as given in the introduction: Basically it is short and sweet. It won’t give your life any…
on “The Joy of Computer History Books” ↗Also worth a read: Just for Fun https://www.amazon.com/Just-Fun-Story-Accidental-Revolutiona...
on “The early days of Linux (2023)” ↗…including Normal Accidents and Organizing America. I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete. The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset. All these are somewhat dated. https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies...…
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…describes lots of technical challenges he faced, as well as what problems had Apple back at the time. Lots of fun facts, anecdotes and info, mainly from a technical perspective. Another nice book was "Just For Fun", by Linus Torvalds. It provided a human perspective on Linus, who is usually depicted as a tyrant. In addition he describes the initial development of the Linux Kernel as well as the whys behind it,…
on “Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?” ↗…Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming Taleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness, 2E _________ (2010) Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable, 2E Torvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary Williams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software
on “Ask HN: Are there any books that inspire or highly influence the way you work?” ↗…"Rework", "Zero to One", "Start Small, Stay Small" - insightful startup advice. - Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google) - On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗My list has a lot more fiction than others here, but I enjoyed myself! Just For Fun - Linus Torvalds (Highly recommended, Tells of Linus's early life and how Linux came to be. I'm surprised I haven't seen this recommended more often.) Into The Plex - Steven Levy (The history of Google,…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗