Tulpenkiste 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 9, 2023
Linus Torvalds

I’m clearly a master of SEO.

When I google for “cold dark place filled with sadness and despair” right now (with the quotes), google gives me exactly one result - my Linux kernel github repository.

I will call my new hobby “Reverse Emo Googlewhacking”.

You’re welcome.

Jul 9, 2023 at 9:28pmWeb
Show threadErik Uden => [email protected]Jul 9, 2023
Usually for me it shows images of our server room, but maybe Google’s algorithm is just that individualized
Show threadSimon BrookeJul 9, 2023

@torvalds

Verified. ✅

Show threadCharles JohnsonJul 9, 2023
@torvalds Fact check: True! I just tried it.
Show threadErik Uden => [email protected]Jul 9, 2023
Wait no way 💀💀💀
Show threadYassie > moved to 0w0.isJul 9, 2023
@Erik @torvalds no way, I get the same result lol
Show threadhollyJul 17, 2023
@yassie_j @torvalds @Erik
I now primarily get fedi links
Show threadRidgeJul 9, 2023
@torvalds Oh my god that's hilarious
Show threadGMate8Jul 9, 2023
@torvalds No worries Linus 
Show threadAndreas WielandJul 9, 2023
@torvalds Seems there is really only one such place on earth...
Show threadBonkersJul 9, 2023
@torvalds we still love you Linus (sheds a tear)
Show threadbgt loverJul 9, 2023
@torvalds wait what? really? that's just rofl
Show threadPfannkuchen Jul 9, 2023
@torvalds now we all know what Linux really is...
Show threadMarkJul 9, 2023
@torvalds this is my first time ever reading your commit notes. Not at all what I was expecting 😂
Show threadtw1tchJul 9, 2023
@mdh @torvalds this is VERY funny!
Show thread[email protected] migraJul 10, 2023
@mdh @torvalds this is hilarious AND explains Linus' toot fully! 🤣
Show threadlp0 on fire Jul 9, 2023
OTOH, it's not “your brain”.
Show thread🏳️‍🌈 HeroRareheart 🏳️‍⚧️Jul 9, 2023
@torvalds I figured this was some kind of weird joke beyond my understanding, but no, it's real. My only question is how is it the ONLY RESULT
Show threadAndrés (personal views)Jul 9, 2023

@torvalds
Zero hits on Duckduckgo.
Zero hits searching with GitHub.
Ecosia 5 hits none about the kernel.

Do you have some people that dislike the kernel over at Google search or was this is some pretty awesomely precise reverse emo googlewhacking? If the latter, it is the best I have ever seen.

Show threadSpaceLifeFormJul 9, 2023

@torvalds

LOL. I've only pulled that off two times in 2 decades.

Show threaddemi7en 🎗🇪🇺Jul 9, 2023

https://www.google.com/search?q=%E2%80%9Ccold+dark+place+filled+with+sadness+and+despair%E2%80%9D 🖖

Now what about them go-go ducks... 🤔

@torvalds

Bevor Sie zur Google Suche weitergehen

Show threadMarcus LeeJul 15, 2023
@demi7en
I'm pretty sure it's a metasearch engine, so it pulls search data from Google too (or maybe Bing, I forgot which search engine they pull from).
@torvalds
Show threaddas-gJul 9, 2023

For those that want to try for themselves but are too lazy to copy and paste (or type!) the search query: https://google.com/search?q=%22cold%20dark%20place%20filled%20with%20sadness%20and%20despair%22

You're welcome.

Bevor Sie zur Google Suche weitergehen

Show threadMoved to TechHub.SocialJul 10, 2023
@das_g lol it's ruined by this post gaining traction.
Show threadLuna:babaw_is: NOT  Jul 9, 2023
@[email protected] doesn't work for me
Show threadLuna:babaw_is: NOT  Jul 9, 2023
@[email protected] looks like it's the search region - Switzerland yields no results but after changing it to US works
Show threadWowfunhappyJul 9, 2023
@lunaa @torvalds Doesn't work for me in New York City. 🤷‍♂️
Show threadYuki "neige d'aout" Hazuki 膤 ❄️ ​Jul 9, 2023
@torvalds that's certainly a toot that goes hard right there.
Show threadAnisseJul 9, 2023
@torvalds
Using quotes is usually considered cheating when Googlewhacking :-)
Show threadlj·rkJul 9, 2023
@torvalds Would it be less painful if every subtree or whatever maintained their own maintainers list and the main list is generated at build time/doc build time but never checked in?
Show threadFabi Jul 9, 2023
@torvalds Can't confirm, doesn't return any result for me, neither on google nor any other search engine. pls fix
Show threadNyx Jul 10, 2023
@torvalds oh my god
Show threadsysgeek  Jul 10, 2023
@torvalds
DuckDuckGo wants me to seek help for depression. I guess that's what the kernel source does to you 😁
Show threadsynlogicJul 10, 2023
@torvalds lol. many years ago I had won the Google SEO lottery. if one searched for like "Java Python Flash games" or something I was the #1 organic result. (AFAIK. I confirned it from like a dozen very diff endpoints -- always the same.) got soooooooo many inbound leads for paying work, from total randos who needed someone with skills in all 4 for whatever reason
Show threadpaulJul 10, 2023
@torvalds
Show threadx0Jul 10, 2023
@torvalds Can confirm this is correct, but also when I actually open the page I can't seem to find the text showed in the about this result section from which that quote originates. Is this an old cache or did somebody screw with the search algorithm? Or am I missing something?
Show threadLinus TorvaldsJul 10, 2023

@x0 It comes from a commit that was top-of-tree for a while:

https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/c192ac7357683f78c2e6d6e75adfcc29deb8c4ae

MAINTAINERS 2: Electric Boogaloo · torvalds/linux@c192ac7

We just sorted the entries and fields last release, so just out of a perverse sense of curiosity, I decided to see if we can keep things ordered for even just one release. The answer is "No. ...

GitHub
Show threadHalf Cocked LawJul 10, 2023
@torvalds this is like the time you wanted to name Linux Freax.
Show threadDeusJul 10, 2023
Hmmm. The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe ‘My’ google is messed up.
Show threadChrisJul 10, 2023
@torvalds I’m surprised the first result wasn’t Twitter.
Show threadOmar SandovalJul 10, 2023
@torvalds when I first started getting into kernel development, if I needed a morale boost to get over imposter syndrome, I'd look at the pull requests on Linus' Linux kernel repository on GitHub
Show threadLuna:babaw_is: NOT  Jul 10, 2023
@[email protected] Now @Jdreben's profile also appears in the result, because they boosted this post
Show threadSimon LucyJul 10, 2023

@torvalds

This is now broken as the Mastodon thread about it is also returned.

If you want to keep things you can't talk about them.

Show threadDilman DilaJul 10, 2023
@torvalds Sadly DuckDuckGo
Show threadDemir DeğerliJul 10, 2023
@torvalds It didn't work yesterday but it works now
Show threadSammy 🐾 Jul 10, 2023
@[email protected] huh, DuckDuckGo doesn't give any results. That's interesting.
Show threadAdam WysokińskiJul 10, 2023
@torvalds That's the spirit! Well done, sir.
Show threadschuelermineJul 10, 2023
@torvalds cannot confirm, Google disregards the quotes :/
Show threadmossfet -> EMF 2026Jul 10, 2023
@torvalds
i thought this was a parody account but nope
Show threadPixel DunnJul 10, 2023
@torvalds The What?
lmao.
Show threadThorgullJul 10, 2023
@torvalds well, sadly, no more true. Now that post is also in the results (but not every time from the same instance)
This has become a self-invalidating-statement/prophecy.
Show threadMoved to TechHub.SocialJul 10, 2023
@torvalds Zero results on DuckDuckGo. :(
Show threadJiří Fiala Total LandscapingJul 10, 2023
@torvalds where is this cold space, I want in
Show thread🏴🌲 Scout  Jul 10, 2023
@torvalds this seems like a cry for help
Show threadjsJul 10, 2023
@torvalds You jinxed it with this very toot. 
Show threadF4FXL/KC3FRA Jul 11, 2023
@torvalds This is no longer true, now I only get links to Mastodon instense pointing to this toot...
Show threadAmikkeJul 11, 2023
@torvalds during the next couple of days you’re gonna get 50 crappy SEO-optimised articles about it which are gonna take over those search results.
Show threadYaksh BariyaJul 11, 2023
@torvalds WHAT!! It really shows the linux kernel github repository. Can anyone explain why did this happen?
Show threadMad Argon Jul 12, 2023
@torvalds Now you make me purposely use Google first time for long months ​
Currently I can see there mostly link for this post, from various instances' view.
DDG gave me nothing when I tried the same.
Show threadAmy (she/her/hers)Jul 13, 2023
@[email protected] Now all I see is this post (and all the people who've replied to/quoted it)...