TechCrunch50 company FitBit (which demoed its health activity monitoring device live as well) put up this slide to underscore its point that obesity is a growing problem, particularly in the geek world. The slide shows how the distribution of T-shirt sizes at the Linux Symposium has shifted towards the XL and XXL side of the scale.
I’m convinced. Linux programmers need FitBit.
That’s an awesome chart.
You have it all wrong.
See, in the beginning, the hyperactive Jolt sucking pixie-stick high spazzes create something, then their ADD addled brain gets distracted by a blue car, which leaves it up to us: The stable, portly fellows
What is this, Freakonomics?
The more likely scenario is that they used American Apparel shirts in 1999 (they run small) and as a result, everyone got wise and ordered a size up the following years. Inconclusive either way.
Hey.. I wear XL-shirts, but I’m far from fat (6′4″ and 70kg). That chart is bogus
You’re wearing t-shirts that are way too big for you. Do you wear saggy jeans to show off your boxers too?
This happens to us all as we get older! Or at least I happens to more people than just me. X in younger days, then XL, now I am an XXL. (At least.)
WOW you need to cut down on those tacos
Ummm, you realize what goes after XXL, right?
S
M
L
XL
XXL
RIP
I Volunteered to host the 1 year slashdot party in SF.
2 weeks later, 30 XXL slashdot shirts arrived in a big box.
No mediums.
yes. Linux makes you Insanly obsese.
“We generally frown on companies showing slides…” – wow, how pretentious are you?
“wow, how pretentious are you?” – wow, how much do you need to criticize others?
“wow, how much do you need to criticize others?” – wow, speak for yourself.
@huh: Clearly things are a little lost on you.
james you are a moron
“wow, speak for yourself.” – wow, recursion.
For many years, I was handing out “free” T-shirts at OSCON, YAPC and LISA and other events. After being completely dumbfounded by the abundance of small and medium T’s left over at the first two events, I started ordering them biased towards “large, extra large, and programmer” sizes. Never had a complaint after that. I don’t think this is a recent trend… I think the slothish programmer is a stereotype only because it’s also mostly true.
Last time I went to a place where they gave out free t-shirts they only had L, XL and XXL. By the time I could get a shirt they only had XXL left, therefore I got XXL. According to this reasoning, I am now fat.
I’m convinced that TechCrunch’s staff members need internment camps.
It’s change in age not change in health lifestyle that caused the change from 1999 chart to 2008, imo
So, in another twenty years, will the bar above S and M be larger because old age has set in and we’ve all shrunk?
Or maybe Linux programmers are just supremely tall…?
Or maybe Linux programmers just like to wear big t shirts…?
I’d like to see an age correlation graph as well. They’re probably also getting old.
I think people is growing taller. Taller people also wear at least L size I think.. 6 feet tall people can’t fit in L.
Perhaps linux programming just got cool and attracted all the successful tall cool people who also happen to wear XL and XXL?
The more relevant question: Are there no new, young Linux programmers? It would be interesting to see the t-shirt sizes of Facebook- and iPhone-programmers.
This is the joke of the week !!
Hey guys, any one checked the Fitbit website ?
It doesn’t support Linux !! It only synch on Windows and Mac !!
I’m convinced. FitBit needs Linux programmers !!
And for the shirt sizes !! They should be checking Vista’s programmers T-shirt sizes
You will find some un-charted sizes 
I’m surprised nobody mentioned the alternative explanation: it’s a different set of people. Linux doesn’t make people fat. Linux attracts programmers who wear XL.
I’ve mostly left Linux programming in the past 10 years, and gotten far more fit in that time. I’m partly responsible for this trend.
I would say that they are getting older as well
Perhaps thriftiness in fear of recession, or an over-exposure to Pair Programming, has lead Linux developers to start sharing t-shirts amongst two or more people simultaneously?
Bonus joke: What about women’s sizes? Oh right, I forgot…
Shifting from froot of the loom to American Apparel will also throw off those charts. A.A. makes great shirts, but they are about a 1/2 – 1 size too small.
the bottom line here is the FACT that people in general are getting too fat, quit trying to explain why the chart might be off and go for a freakin jog
win
I wear XXL – though I’m not sure if that’s the same thing in Yurop as in the US – and I’m not fat. Just very tall.
“Yurop”: classic, love it!
9/11 INSIDE JOB
http://es.youtu...feature=related
9/11 INSIDE JOB
JAPANISE PARLAMENT DON´T BELIEVE THE OFICIAL HISTORY ABOUT 9/11
http://es.youtu...h?v=K0nBNJM0fBo
A big hug from Spain
and remember that the truth will make us free
Maybe the once had girlfriends an took a pressent for them. Now, they’re married an forgotten that they still love pressents.
Just kidding.
Now they eat more donnuts than before.
Some are married but their true love is computers.
Linux programmers need Fitbit… well, did anyone else notice this on the Fitbit website?
“This software will run on Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista.”
for men:
small = rare
medium = sometimes
large/xl = most
they are the same guys, but older and with more donuts on their tummies.
just kidding.
Hehe.
Strangely, this result can not be successfully generalised to CERN, a villageful of programmers and physicists-who-also-spend-most-of-their-time-programming lodged right in chocolate and cheese country. Many of the volunteers for the Open Day earlier this year ended up having to wear XL or larger when medium or large would have sufficed.
Too many kernel modules for dinner? Maybe there is a correlation between kernel and waist sizes? This probably shows that Linux is getting mainstream.
As for Linux support, it will probably be an athletic one. Tux: “Ah, come on guys! Let’s remove some modules. We are getting too blated.”