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Date: Tue, 4 Dec 2001 23:25:52 +0100
From: Ragnar Hojland Espinosa <ragnar@ragnar-hojland.com>
To: Horst von Brand <vonbrand@sleipnir.valparaiso.cl>
Cc: Larry McVoy <lm@bitmover.com>, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Coding style - a non-issue
Message-ID: <20011204232552.A1034@ragnar-hojland.com>
In-Reply-To: <20011202190635.J2622@work.bitmover.com> <200112040139.fB41d8ld026671@sleipnir.valparaiso.cl>
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In-Reply-To: <200112040139.fB41d8ld026671@sleipnir.valparaiso.cl>; from vonbrand@sleipnir.valparaiso.cl on Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 10:39:08PM -0300
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On Mon, Dec 03, 2001 at 10:39:08PM -0300, Horst von Brand wrote:
> >         If you want an experiment in evolution, then let *everything* into
> > the kernel.  That's how evolution works, it tries everything, it doesn't
> > prescreen.  Go read Darwin, go think, there isn't any screening going on,
> > evolution *is* the screening.
> 
> Why does the screening have to be at the level of full organisms? It
> _looks_ that way because you don't see the busted sperm or broken eggs, or
> the stillborn embryos which make up the "preliminary checks show it won't
> work" in nature. The process is (hopefully) much more efficient here than
> in nature, and visible, that is all.

And I'd add something more along those lines..

Evolution and selection is about species, not individuals as its commonly
considered, so what might be bad for an individual (getting "screened" at
early ages) might be good for (reproduction of) the species (since it
ensures a better reproduction material quality)  Darwinian evolution doesnt
fit too well in the kernel.

On the other hand we can think of developers' minds as a copy-on-write DNA.
DNA knows when something wont work, so it doesn't try it.   Screening :)

-- 
____/|  Ragnar H?jland      Freedom - Linux - OpenGL |    Brainbench MVP
\ o.O|  PGP94C4B2F0D27DE025BE2302C104B78C56 B72F0822 | for Unix Programming
 =(_)=  "Thou shalt not follow the NULL pointer for  | (www.brainbench.com)
   U     chaos and madness await thee at its end."
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