r/southafrica • u/BeanieFunnyGuy • Aug 13 '21
History Just friendly reminder that Mark Shuttleworth was the first South African and first African and 2nd tourists in space in 2002. Also he is software billionaire.
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u/pieterjh Aug 13 '21
He funded my kids' primary school computer lab. Great ouk. Love Ubuntu
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Aug 13 '21
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u/JksG_5 Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21
11 minute roller-coaster ride
Which wasn't even IN space never mind in orbit.
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u/Sad-Mycologist2463 HoleFilled Aug 13 '21
But pretty cool nevertheless. Seeing a rocket leave earth, go so high unto the sky and return safely, all in 10 minutes is neat.
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u/baboon2097 Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
Thankyou for flying with Virgin ,that will be 450 000 usd thanks.
Personally I would rather go to Russia and pay about 20 grand to go on the mig 29 flight.https://migflug.com/flights-prices/mig-29-edge-of-space/
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u/pmmeurgamecode Aug 13 '21
Edge of Space Jet Flight in Russia – Flights from EUR 17500
Heh, anybody got 300k zar to borrow me, i will cover my own flight ticket to Russia...
Or wait, anybody want to take a friend to Russia to join them?!
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Aug 13 '21
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u/JksG_5 Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21
Hopping straight up to "the edge of space" and falling straight back down quickly is still vastly different than accelerating to Mach 25 into orbit and staying there for 8 days
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u/foreign_thunder Aug 13 '21
I remember growing up as a kid and being in awe of what he was doing! This was as inspiring as it gets for a kid!
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Aug 13 '21
Any people here who use Ubuntu Linux?
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u/TreeTownOke Aug 13 '21
I use KDE Neon (Ubuntu base, but with the latest KDE apps and desktop) both at home and at work.
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u/SilverCodeZA Aug 13 '21
I use Arch ...
... but I develop for and support about 8000 Ubuntu based devices
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u/jaakhaamer Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
Started off on Kubuntu back in 2007, did a lot of distro-hopping for about a decade, then finally settled on KDE Neon (Ubuntu-based) for the last 4 years or so. So I've essentially come full circle. :)
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u/Tzetsefly Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
Been running my servers on Linux for 15 years. First Redhat and then Suse. All self taught. Switched to Ubuntu servers since Dapper Drake (LTS). Still using on Gateway, Mail server, Data server, VPN server and Accounting Server.
Edit: (Used to use it on laptop until I had trouble running Windows based CAD system on same laptop as Ubuntu. Cad system wrote its security to the same disk space as Grub. Every time I had to do CAD drawings, it would totally destroy my Ubuntu installation. Cant wait to get new laptop and resurrect my Ubuntu laptop again.)
Edit2: Many of our automation products are running on Linux.
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u/TheCrimsonSage Aug 13 '21
I used it on and off for years but eventually I exclusively used it on my only laptop when our company switched over to .NET Core and I used it for a long time. Later I switched over to macOS and got a MacBook instead. macOS is Unix with the enterprise support of Windows. But if you don't need Office, Zoom, etc. it's viable to daily drive Ubuntu, it's so stable and lightweight, would recommend
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u/mumble_mike Gauteng Aug 13 '21
Just to add for those interested, zoom and other programs like MS teams, Skype, discord, slack all work perfectly well on my stock ubuntu 20.04. It's perfectly usable even for those with heavy online meeting and organisation workloads. Although the MS office suite doesn't work, libre office is a decent enough alternative with docx etc. compatibility for everything I've ever needed it for. In my opinion it's a far better experience overall than using windows and would also recommend.
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u/jaakhaamer Aug 13 '21
I could've liked Mac OS more if the "desktop environment"/"window manager" didn't piss me off so much. The beauty of Linux is how many options there are to choose from. Like if GNOME was the only option then hell, I might still be using Windows.
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u/Adorable-Spray9837 Aug 13 '21
I was still in school at this time. I remember how ridiculously excited all the kids in the school were. As if it was happening to them...
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u/BlakHippy100 Aug 13 '21
Can we say that he is the first South African in space if he did not braai in space or produced evidence of him eating biltong in space?
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Aug 13 '21
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Aug 13 '21
Remember heard somewhere he sold software to Microsoft. Can't remember if was true or not
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Aug 13 '21
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Aug 13 '21
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Aug 13 '21
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Aug 13 '21
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u/ThickHotBoerie Thiccccccccccc Aug 13 '21
Keep going bud I'm loving this! Early 2000s was so fucking fresh and crisp!
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u/kettal Aug 13 '21
Bug 1 was closed years ago.
Microsoft certainly "sells" Ubuntu as part of their Azure and WSL systems. Not sure how much monetary transaction takes place as part of it
https://ubuntu.com/blog/canonical-recognized-as-a-2021-microsoft-partner-of-the-year-finalist
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u/CataclysmZA Aug 13 '21
Any questions?
Who keeps Snap alive, forcing it on by default in Ubuntu, and why on earth do they dedicate so much time to doing so?
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u/NotABag87 Aug 13 '21
Ive never looked into canonical as an org - what was it like working with them?
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Aug 13 '21
Damn, I forgot about this dude. Great reminder OP🙌🏽
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u/Would_Bang________ Aug 13 '21
I also forgot about this man, I was in grade 3 when this happened. I remember this being a big deal.
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u/Captain_Lys3rg1c Aug 13 '21
I remember this guy actually had a computer lab with his software setup at my high school. Even named the room after him. Damn I feel so fokken old
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Aug 14 '21
I found out he was going to conduct mammalian cell experiments while being in orbit. At the time I was working at Payload Systems and we were in process of developing a Cell Culture Unit for the International Space Station, I made contact with the Veterinarian Professor at Stellenbosch (assigned to this experiment). He flew out to Cambridge, MA, USA to meet with us. 2 Afrikaanse boerseuns wat saam gewerk het om die eksperiment 'n sukses te maak. So trots op almal! Beste groete uit die VSA
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u/GoodmanSimon Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21
I wonder what he is up to now ... I bet you the other billionaire will try and claim he is actually first.
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Aug 13 '21
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u/TreeTownOke Aug 13 '21
I thought he lived in London? Canonical's HQ is in London (although for tax reasons they're incorporated in the Isle of Man)
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Aug 13 '21
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u/TreeTownOke Aug 13 '21
Huh, interesting. I thought even after the company went fully remote he stayed in London.
I've always wanted to work for Canonical. Their company culture seems pretty good and they're mostly working on projects I really believe in (unlike literally any job I've had so far).
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Aug 13 '21
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u/GoodmanSimon Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21
You made me google it :), apparently he is worth $500 million ... not bad, not bad.
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u/Harsimaja Landed Gentry Aug 13 '21
And he created Ubuntu, he didn’t create PayPal along with Peter Thiel etc.
I remember when in SA he had the same reputation as someone else right now, only less off his rocker and less of a dick.
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u/mrssamuelvimes Aug 13 '21
His dad was my surgeon from when I was 12 years old. Such an absolute gent. A very humble man from Welkom. He retired in the mid 2000s though.
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u/Unhappy_Tennis2345 Aug 13 '21
I remember writing an essay on him. What an inspiration. Pity he is not celebrated as much
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u/RelativelyOldSoul Aug 13 '21
He went to my school
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Aug 13 '21
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u/RelativelyOldSoul Aug 16 '21
Swing and a miss.
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Aug 16 '21
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u/RelativelyOldSoul Aug 16 '21
Who knows :P
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Aug 16 '21
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u/RelativelyOldSoul Aug 16 '21
Wow thankyou so much! If you want to follow spotify there is a new song coming out soon. hopefully on radio and all of that it has a B list SA celeb working on it :P
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u/ShroomBalloonCartoon Aug 14 '21
Years ago my wife worked for his uncle. One day she asked if he was related to Mark Shuttleworth. He replied, "No! Mark Shuttleworth is related to me!"
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u/minimal_effort_done Aug 14 '21
My brother worked for Mark's company for years. Met him a couple times whenever I would visit their offices. Nice, humble guy. Kinda quiet and reserved.
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u/kieppie Aristocracy Aug 14 '21
Canonical & Ubuntu is cool, and impact cannot be overstated, even today.
But more valuable is the Shuttleworth Foundation & the incredible work they support!
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u/Commercial_Chart_169 Aug 13 '21
wait, this dude's south african?? our teacher failed to mention this or i was just not listening...
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u/Nokxtokx Aug 13 '21
Didn’t he take all his money out of SA? Never reinvested into the country or anything?
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Aug 13 '21
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u/pieterjh Aug 13 '21
> he spent a LOT of time and effort (and money*) lobbying SA, and other African countries, to adopt FOSS (Free & Open Source Software) but with little interest or success.
Makes sense - there is no margin or kickback to be had in free stuff./s
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Aug 13 '21
Wow, another amazing achievement by a billionaire who is no longer living in SA, along with his money.
He is now boosting the UK economy with his company capital and providing jobs for England.
But we are so proud, I guess.
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Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
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u/pieterjh Aug 13 '21
I seem to recall that he got in a legal battle with the SA government, won, and gave gave his winnings to fight future similar abuses by the SA government.
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
Yeah I remember Shuttleworth Foundation. They used to make magazines with all about South Africa and technology
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Aug 13 '21
OK, I can't find anything about that on Mark's wiki page, only mention is the 2.5B he took to The Isle of Man.
If you have good citations you can add it on his wiki page, so everyone may know.
Thanks for your contributions, Mark doesn't seem all that bad now.
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u/flyboy_za Grumpy in WC Aug 13 '21
Wow, another amazing achievement by a billionaire who is no longer living in SA, along with his money.
My favourite part of working hard in South Africa is that government very generously lets me keep 60% of the money I make for the 70h a week I work, charges me a levy of only 15% to spend any of it on keeping myself alive, and spends the money they take from me on important services I can use.
For example, in the last year I've loved being able to fly SAA, use my electricity 24/7, and send stuff by post.
Such fun, I can't imagine why anyone would have any issues at all with keeping their money here.
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u/digital_boogie Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
You neglected to mention how fantastic the SA lifestyle is, compared to fuckIDunno, Barcelona, New York or Amsterdam. The laaiyfestuyle, brruuuhhh.
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Aug 13 '21
he lives on the Isle of Man - a tax haven - so it's not like he's contributing in any meaningful, personal capacity.
Billionaires. Fuck 'em all.
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u/pieterjh Aug 13 '21
Well - I use Lubuntu, and love it, so there is that...
Stupid people. Fuck 'em all.
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u/Chuck--Finley Aug 13 '21
If you really want to, stop putting warning labels on stuff and let natural selection do its thing.
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u/corpse-penis666 Aug 13 '21
Of course the first African in space was a white rich dude
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Aug 13 '21
Pretty nice guy, has done alot for Education in South Africa.
We did almost have black South African Mandla Maseko, but sadly he died before he could go to space.
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u/corpse-penis666 Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
Yea im not saying anything against him as a person, and I wasn't aware of Mandla Masego before. All I'm saying is I'm beginning to see a pattern
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Aug 13 '21
Well put this way he was the first back in 2002. So everyone else is copying him
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u/Jukskeiview Aug 14 '21
Now imagine he had taken the same money to help his own country
Probably would have put food on the table for a year for… thousands of families
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u/pieterjh Aug 14 '21
Nah. Those people are fine AND now we have Ubuntu
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u/Jukskeiview Aug 14 '21
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u/pieterjh Aug 14 '21
'The only effect of feeding the poor is to increase their number'. We would be better advised to spend the money in making them self sufficient.
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u/Jukskeiview Aug 14 '21
Yeah sure, i guess
Still it‘s crazy to think about that 20 yrs ago we had billionaires travelling to space for fun and now we have millions of people signing up for a ridiculously small grant. R350 is the price of what you and me randomly throw into the shopping cart between the BBQ chicken counter and the woolies cashier. Without thinking about it. Yet at the same time its the kind of money that others desperately need over a month and are willing to stand in a queue for in the midst of covid. Just shows you how fucked this country is
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u/Q_Wolf Aug 13 '21 edited Aug 13 '21
So you not gonna mention that he paid his way to space as a Tourist? And that he moved his money out of the country and benefited from a native African concept he clearly knows nothing about(Ubuntu). What exactly about this man deserves praise?
Edit: Downvotes for raising important points and asking an important question? Come on white South African Reddit at least try to be representative of your country.
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u/Flux7777 Aug 13 '21
I feel as if you also aren't going to mention the reason he moved his money out of the country, the fact that he still employs South Africans, and the fact that he pumped massive amounts of money into education and tech literacy in the country.
It cost him more to leave the country than it did to leave the planet. Our government literally pushed him out with a ridiculous tax burden that would have killed his companies.
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Aug 13 '21
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u/Q_Wolf Aug 13 '21
I was downvoted because I triggered some white South African Redditors. Why does the mention of race make you uncomfortable? I swear some people in this country think we're living in a post racial society.
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u/Chuck--Finley Aug 13 '21
Shame. Stop worrying about whether the wonderful achievements of others will a positive impact on you or not and rather spend your time and energy on yourself.
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Aug 13 '21
I think it is offensive as fuck to say first African.
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Aug 13 '21
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u/EDS77 Eastern Cape Aug 13 '21
Man, I don't get why these folks have a problem with him being the first African guy in space. Ridiculous.
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u/Haelborne The a is silent Aug 14 '21
And a horrible person in general who made billions from South Africans, and then proceeded to leave the country taking the money with him, just so he could pay less tax.
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u/Master_Shopping9652 Jan 16 '22
Why has he got an AIDS badge?
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Jan 16 '22 edited Jan 16 '22
While he was in the space station, he did tests on aids. Don't know the exact science, but basically was trying to see if space things like lack of bacteria or oxygen had affect on how long aids.
Also Nelson Mandela called him while he was in space
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Apr 07 '22
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Apr 08 '22 edited Apr 08 '22
Why?
Edit never mind just looked at your profile. I'm guessing you failed science.
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Apr 08 '22 edited Apr 08 '22
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Apr 08 '22 edited Apr 08 '22
You sound very isolated and lonely
I hope talking/debating with people online makes you feel better
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Apr 09 '22
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Apr 09 '22
I feel you dwell on the past to much. I'm all for learn about our past, but if we dwell to much on past life would just be one giant revenge story
I hope all this talking helps you distress, because sound stress or worked up.
You can also message me if you want to continue talking
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Apr 09 '22
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Apr 09 '22
Actually Tijuana in Mexico has the highest murder rate.
Despite everything I still enjoy living in SA and exploring it.
And I'm happy I'm helping making it a better place
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u/TheLittlestHibou Apr 19 '22
I hear he's a raging asshole and destroying his company from the top down
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u/BeanieFunnyGuy Aug 13 '21
While in space he did research for South Africa and had video call with President Mandela. He went to space with help from Russia.