Linus Torvalds For Nobel Peace Prize?

An anonymous reader writes "I'm as much of a Linux fanboy as anyone else, but I've never thought of anything in computing as being worth a Nobel Peace Prize. Apparently, there are those who take global collaboration seriously, though..." The suggestion has been bouncing around the Portland Linux community, where Torvalds lives. Is it worthy of wider attention and discussion?

I absolutely support this . . .

[darth_borehd]

He created a project that fostered international cooperation and was essential to the expansion of the internet. It made thousands of embedded devices possible and freed computers from the shackles of proprietary operating systems. It made computing possible for millions of people around the world who otherwise would not be able to afford computers. The non-profit, collaborative model opened doors to connect computer professionals from all around the globe. He would definitely be one of the best candidates in 20 years.

Bill Gates

[Peregr1n]

I know this is contentious, but I quite like being the devil's advocate. Isn't Bill Gates more suited to the Nobel Peace Prize?
His philanthropy is unparalleled (by monetory value alone, anyway). His influence on the world of computing is undisputed. I'm not saying his influence has been good or bad... just that he's had influence. The world wouldn't be the same without Windows. Regardless of which operating system you favour (for me, it's a tie between OSX and Ubuntu), you cannot deny that Windows has been an important component in the spread of information and education across the world, and enabled all kinds of communication.
A lot of this stuff would have happened anyway, without Windows... but then I could argue that the US civil rights movement would have happened at some point without Martin Luther King (a previous Nobel Peace Prize winner).

Re:Why not?

[cayenne8]

Linux would definitely be more deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize that a couple of the last recipients that come to mind....

He actually has put something tangible together, and overseen it for years, as opposed to someone nominated recently before he had even done anything.

Re:Linux Peace Prize?

[tomtomtom]

At least in the post-WW2 era, I think this is true. Even in the pre-WW2 era, you could argue that too much emphasis was placed on the negotiators of peace treaties (many of which were more like terms of surrender) than the other part of the definition. I do think that, in retrospect, Gorbachev did deserve it (or at least led a group of people who did so) "for the abolition or reduction of standing armies" by pushing the Soviet Union towards a peaceful end to the cold war. But... awarding it to him in 1990, when the relatively peaceful transition of Russia out of the cold war was far from a certain outcome, meant it was really just luck that they actually got one right. Not to mention that the credit really belonged jointly to Gorbachev and Reagan, but it seems like the Nobel committee has a distinct dislike for those on the political right.

Re:List his peace initiatives...

[msimm]

Never say never. As computers become increasingly important in both emerging economies and first world economies his initial release of (and ongoing work on) the kernel under not just a free license, but an enforceably/perpetually free license has become a gift that in one way or another effects just about every computer user on the planet. Think about that for a second. It's become possibly one of the widest impacting acts of philanthropy in our history (with an amazing amount of people and companies now involved). This might not be the year of Linux on the Desktop (tm) but none-the-less, it's been a game changing event that has provided the tools necessary to create real technology to...well, everybody.

Of course a lot of people other then Linus deserve credit but as a figure head and a direct contributor of necessary technology his work seems perfectly appropriate to recognize. I'd say it's less a matter of if and more a matter of when (but it would be nice to see it happen in his lifetime).

And I'm sure I sound like a raving software hippie but I work in the IT industry and develop software as a hobby on my own. The ability to have access to the level of quality software we have today, at potentially ZERO cost (I don't need support licenses for my personal projects) allows me to experiment and develop technology that would have been cost prohibitive just a few years ago. Because of the open source movement software licensing doesn't limit technology and I don't think you have to be starry eyed to see how that might benefit...da da da-da...humanity.

Re:Why not?

[drakaan]

I was hoping somebody would point that out. I'd just say that, if you can get an award for things that you're *going* to do, Linus should start telling people that he's going to work hard for world peace in version 3.8 of the kernel. It'd be a no-brainer!

For that matter...I'm working on version 6.0 of the linux kernel, which will not only end hunger, but make fusion-based power a reality and cure cancer. Who's gonna nominate me?

Re:Sure, why not?

[bornyesterday]

Considering the amount of time and money that Gates has put into philanthropy, I think that someone could make a decent argument for Gates, or at least the Gates Foundation to receive the Peace Prize.

Unfortunately Comp Sci isn't considered science

[joeflies]

The example that Eric Schmidt stated to the New York Times was that Tim Berners Lee should have been given a Nobel Prize, but the Nobel community doesn't consider computer science to be in the same spectrum as other traditional life or physic sciences. I think both Tim is without question worthy of a Nobel, and there's a strong case for Linus as well, but it's questionable whether either has the political clout to win.

Re:He deserves it

[hitnrunrambler]

I come from 2051, in a timeline where Linux didn't exist. You don't want to hear about the Microsoft vs Apple netwar.

Yes, it was terrible, all those Windows machines loaded with malware, all trying and failing to attack anything non-Microsoft, until Apple ended it by buying what was left of Microsoft in 2018 in an all-stock deal of 100 Microsoft shares for 1 Apple share, plus the lint in Steve Jobs' bellybutton.

Now people's Windows machines work perfectly. Microsoft Windows - a product of Apple, Inc.

I come from a present where it's hard to convince people that greedy capitalist corporations are ruining everything good in the world, thank you for sharing the future with us. Maybe we can act now and change it.

Re:He deserves it

[Interoperable]

Linux deserves a Nobel Peace Prize but I don't think that Linus does. If he were to receive one, it would as a figure to represent the Linux community on the whole. While I think that GPL and Linux have done a great deal that is in line with the goals of equality and global freedoms, I think that it has been an effort by a huge number of people. Linus started that and represents that, but at the end of the day, what he did was write and maintain a UNIX-like kernel. I don't think that the act of releasing that kernel under a free license constitutes an act worthy of a Nobel Prize.

Re:List his peace initiatives...

[flabordec]

I don't understand how it is "far more extraordinary" to build an open source project and oversee it for many years than it is to create one of the most successful businesses in the world and oversee it for many years.

Perhaps Bill Gates and Steve Jobs are not technical gurus like Linus, but they have done some extraordinary stuff in their lives.

Re:He deserves it

[TheLuggs]

You skip quite easily over the simple fact that both shareware and GPL are very much children of their time. Shareware was the way to go in an era without an massivly available internet. Development was done by either persons or small localized groups. Shareware was a way to get paid for your effort (mainly to pay for the distribution). With groing influence of internet the distance became less of an factor, and distribution got a lot cheaper. It was also a lot easier to get other peoples programs.
In a world without internet, and distribution by phoneline driven BBS, GPL wouldn't stand a chance. So you can also point to the internet as a large contributing force to GPL