Re:What I’ve Learned in 45 Years in the Software Industry
by xyzelement on Wednesday January 06, 2021 @08:32PM
(#25666049)
I don't think we disagree. I hadn't heard of Van Jacobson but a quick glance at his wikipedia doesn't make it look like he was just a "pure coder" in the cartoonish sense of someone who doesn't know what's important and can't collaborate with others.
I'm skeptical. I mean, sure, for most people, the ability to convince a large number of other people to do things, to do your things, without worrying how they do it, is going to have more impact than any other contribution they could make.
On the other hand, Van Jacobson's algorithm is like four lines of code (I used to know where it is in *TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol II.) and is responsible for the Internet as we know it. That's an awful lot of impact.