ReiserFS and the Art and Artist Problem

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Scope of the ReiserFS Removal

  • Several comments stress that the filesystem’s deprecation/removal from Linux is driven by:
    • Very low usage and lack of compelling advantages over modern alternatives (ext4, XFS, Btrfs, etc.).
    • Poor maintainability and a near-single-maintainer “bus factor.”
  • Timeline is highlighted: the crime (and earlier disappearance) happened in the mid‑2000s, while formal deprecation and scheduled removal are ~2022–2025, suggesting the crime is not the direct cause.
  • Others argue the crime indirectly harmed the project by discouraging new contributors and users, feeding a decline loop.

Art vs. Artist / Tech vs. Creator

  • Ongoing debate over whether one can or should separate work from its creator:
    • Some say using the best available tool, even if created by a murderer, has no inherent ethical problem, especially if the creator no longer benefits (e.g., in prison or deceased).
    • Others emphasize financial support, public endorsement, and “halo effects” that keep harmful figures influential.
    • Multiple examples are raised from literature, comics, music, and film; concerns include bigotry embedded in works and children consuming them.
  • A view appears that separation is partly about personal conviction or cognitive style: some can bracket the creator, others cannot or will not.

Personality, Collaboration, and Code Quality

  • Several comments connect the filesystem’s technical and social problems to its author’s interpersonal issues:
    • Complex, “framework-like” architecture and plugin design were hard for others to maintain.
    • Kernel maintainers were wary of long‑term stability and the author’s inability to collaborate or compromise.
  • This is framed as evidence that “making stuff is a team sport”; even visionary projects succeed only with broad, sustainable collaboration.

Use of AI / TTS in the Podcast

  • The episode used AI text-to-speech to voice quotes from the murderer.
  • Some find this merely a modern TTS choice; others describe it as “gross,” questioning the point of “faking everything,” especially for a killer’s voice.

Prison, Work, and Rehabilitation

  • One thread argues prisoners should be allowed to work on software; once serving a sentence, they should not be permanently barred from productive work.
  • Others critique the U.S. system as punitive rather than rehabilitative, with incentives for incarceration and “hard on crime” policies over social support.