[Retr0spectrum]

John Carmack is awesome, but I find this level of deification (of any individual) kinda creepy - it just feels unhealthy. Would you like to be treated that way, in Carmack's position?

I realize that your comment was likely made in jest, but it still bugs me.

[bombcar]

I think the joke is that you write a program, and someone well known like Carmack or Linus submits a minor patch, and you from then on say "Linus and I wrote ..."

[sharken]

Yeah it's all in good fun, kind of like you have the Chuck Norris memes.

[zdragnar]

If the attention bothered him, the simple solution is to create another account under an alias. I do it to keep the worlds apart, and I am not even famous.

Given all that he has accomplished and the influence his work has had on multiple generations of computer and gaming nerds, I don't see the celebrity status as terribly unwarranted.

[garbagetime]

Sure, it's a simple solution, but it comes at a cost. There are a lot of reasons to use one's own name when writing.

[Retr0spectrum]

So if people wish to be treated like normal human beings, they must hide behind pseudonyms?

That may be the current reality of the situation, but it doesn't mean we have to keep it that way.

I'm not saying he doesn't deserve his status, I'm just saying let's not get too fanatical about it.

[sbarre]

No one is doing pilgrimages to his house or stealing his garbage or following him around here..

We're just acknowledging that he is an exceptional contributor to our industry, and that his work has inspired a TON of people.

To have someone of that stature contribute to your project is exciting! There's nothing strange or creepy about that, and if people want to celebrate that in their own way like printing a Git commit or something, whatever!

Imagine being an indie film director and having Kathryn Bigelow show up on set one day to give you some notes and feedback on your film. You might frame that piece of paper.

Imagine being a local chef in a restaurant and having Julia Sedefdjian stop by for a meal and compliment your food. You might get a photo to keep on the wall in your kitchen..

Nothing wrong with any of that, I think you are characterizing things to an unwarranted extreme here.

[Retr0spectrum]

I don't take issue with anything listed in your comment. The comment I was originally replying to described:

a) Bypassing their own code review processes.

b) Creating a contributors list, just so they can put Carmack at the top of it (what about all the other contributors?!)

IMHO this crosses a line. Not in a big way, but one worthy of comment.

[texasbigdata]

If he breaks something just go fix it. Would be a funny story.

[Turing_Machine]

I wouldn't bet that it's "no one".

Carmack, while not Cardi B or whoever, is famous enough that I'd bet he has at least a few extreme worshipers and extreme haters.

That said, if Carmack contributed to one of my projects, yeah, I'd be sure to let people know that. :-)

[gmadsen]

fame and fame admiration is as old as civilization. And yes, using pseudonyms has been used for 100s of years for the same reason. You are complaining about something that is deeply human in nature.

I don't think the comment was fanatical at all, it was a lighthearted joke.

[Retr0spectrum]

Just because it appeals to nature, doesn't make it good.

While I agree it was likely lighthearted, that does not exempt it from criticism.

[abnercoimbre]

You've had several HN readers suggest your criticism is unwarranted. I agree as well. Seriously, nothing from the OP indicates anything fanatic or out of the ordinary.

[BTCOG]

Eh, well while I agree, he's far better than Bezos, Musk, or Zuckerberg COMBINED, and look at all the idolatry those guys receive.

Purely in terms of a programmer. Things he's created.

Everyone should be able to have heroes. You don't need to necessarily elevate them to the level of Gods, but John is very readily a video game real life hero.

[Rolpa]

Something tells me Mr. Carmack himself wouldn't approve of such engineering practices, no?

[astrange]

It's not always necessary to do a strict pre-commit code review system. If you're working on commercial projects you might be used to pair programming or post-commit review (which IIRC isn't actually that risky.)

[fmax30]

Of course, I made the comment in jest. But it certainly would be an honor for anyone nonetheless.

(if it did happen for real the most I would do is print out the commit hash with his name next to it :D, because he is one of the people I look up to in CS, others being Knuth and Tarjan among others, I would do the same for them, but then again I don't think they are active open source contributors)

Nonetheless, Carmack is still one of the most impactful programmer of the modern era.

[moosebear847]

Interesting, yeah it's probably hard for a famous person to connect with you on a real level if you're busy groveling and kissing the ground they walk on.

[tmccrary55]

I think I'd have to find at least one thing to have him fix, haha.