Linus Torvalds Quotes

In many cases, the user interface to a program is the most important part for a commercial company: whether the programs works correctly or not seems to be secondary.

- Linus Torvalds

The Most Important, Works, Cases

I think, fundamentally, open source does tend to be more stable software. It's the right way to do things.

- Linus Torvalds

Software, Think, I Think, Fundamentally

Helsinki may not be as cold as you make it out to be, but California is still a lot nicer. I don't remember the last time I couldn't walk around in shorts all day.

- Linus Torvalds

Last, May, Still, Last Time

Fairly cheap home computing was what changed my life.

- Linus Torvalds

My Life, Cheap, Fairly, Computing

Hey, I'm a good software engineer, but I'm not exactly known for my fashion sense. White socks and sandals don't translate to 'good design sense'.

- Linus Torvalds

Software, Sense, Exactly, Socks

What commercialism has brought into Linux has been the incentive to make a good distribution that is easy to use and that has all the packaging issues worked out.

- Linus Torvalds

Been, Brought, Commercialism, Packaging

I've actually found the image of Silicon Valley as a hotbed of money-grubbing tech people to be pretty false, but maybe that's because the people I hang out with are all really engineers.

- Linus Torvalds

Pretty, Image, Tech, Silicon

The economics of the security world are all horribly, horribly nasty and are largely based on fear, intimidation and blackmail.

- Linus Torvalds

Economics, Security, Based, Nasty

I don't try to be a threat to MicroSoft, mainly because I don't really see MS as competition. Especially not Windows-the goals of Linux and Windows are simply so different.

- Linus Torvalds

Competition, Microsoft, Ms

In my opinion MS is a lot better at making money than it is at making good operating systems.

- Linus Torvalds

Good, Making, In My Opinion, Ms

Turtles are very stable and have been around forever. But they have problems adapting. When humans came along, turtles came under serious threat. Biodiversity is good, and I think it is good in technology as well.

- Linus Torvalds

Think, Been, Very, Adapting

Artists usually don't make all that much money, and they often keep their artistic hobby despite the money rather than due to it.

- Linus Torvalds

Rather, Often, Artistic, Hobby

The fame and reputation part came later, and never was much of a motivator, although it did enable me to work without feeling guilty about neglecting my studies.

- Linus Torvalds

Work, Part, Neglecting, Enable

I've never regretted not making Linux shareware: I really don't like the pay for use binary shareware programs.

- Linus Torvalds

Making, Like, Use, Regretted

I want my office to be quiet. The loudest thing in the room - by far - should be the occasional purring of the cat.

- Linus Torvalds

Office, Want, Occasional, Loudest

I'm sitting in my home office wearing a bathrobe. The same way I'm not going to start wearing ties, I'm also not going to buy into the fake politeness, the lying, the office politics and backstabbing, the passive aggressiveness, and the buzzwords.

- Linus Torvalds

Politics, Going, Buy, Passive

I personally think of Linux development as being pretty non-localized, and I work with all the people entirely over e-mail - even if they happen to be working in the Portland area.

- Linus Torvalds

Think, Over, Area, Portland

Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.

- Linus Torvalds

Expect, Most, Public, Programmers

Programmers are in the enviable position of not only getting to do what they want to, but because the end result is so important they get paid to do it. There are other professions like that, but not that many.

- Linus Torvalds

Other, Like, Enviable, Programmers

No-one has ever called me a cool dude. I'm somewhere between geek and normal.

- Linus Torvalds

Normal, Geek, Ever, Dude

The Linux philosophy is 'Laugh in the face of danger'. Oops. Wrong One. 'Do it yourself'. Yes, that's it.

- Linus Torvalds

Technology, Face, Yes, Laugh

I actually think that I'm a rather optimistic and happy person; it's just that I'm not a very positive person, if you see the difference.

- Linus Torvalds

Think, Rather, Very, Happy Person

If you start doing things because you hate others and want to screw them over, the end result is bad.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Bad, Over, Screw

To be a nemesis, you have to actively try to destroy something, don't you? Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.

- Linus Torvalds

Destroy, Will, Side, Actively

I try to avoid long-range plans and visions - that way I can more easily deal with anything new that comes up.

- Linus Torvalds

New, More, Deal, Visions

I think of myself as an engineer, not as a visionary or 'big thinker.' I don't have any lofty goals.

- Linus Torvalds

Think, Big, I Think, Goals

I never felt that the naming issue was all that important, but I was obviously wrong, judging by how many people felt. I tell people to call it just plain Linux and nothing more.

- Linus Torvalds

More, Tell, Issue, Naming

A consumer doesn't take anything away: he doesn't actually consume anything. Giving the same thing to a thousand consumers is not really any more expensive than giving it to just one.

- Linus Torvalds

More, Away, Same Thing, Consumer

I'm perfectly happy complaining, because it's cathartic, and I'm perfectly happy arguing with people on the Internet because arguing is my favourite pastime - not programming.

- Linus Torvalds

Pastime, Arguing, Perfectly, Programming

I don't actually go to that many conferences. I do that a couple of times a year. Normally, I am not recognized; people don't throw their panties at me. I'm a perfectly normal person sitting in my den just doing my job.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Couple, Perfectly, Normally

When you say 'I wrote a program that crashed Windows,' people just stare at you blankly and say 'Hey, I got those with the system, for free.'

- Linus Torvalds

Say, Wrote, Program, Crashed

Helsinki isn't all that bad. It's a very nice city, and it's cold really only in wintertime.

- Linus Torvalds

City, Bad, Very, Wintertime

I like to think that I've been a good manager. That fact has been very instrumental in making Linux a successful product.

- Linus Torvalds

Think, Been, Very, Good Manager

I very seldom worry about other systems. I concentrate pretty fully on just making Linux the best I can.

- Linus Torvalds

Worry, Other, Very, Fully

I've felt strongly that the advantage of Linux is that it doesn't have a niche or any special market, but that different individuals and companies end up pushing it in the direction they want, and as such you end up with something that is pretty balanced across the board.

- Linus Torvalds

Balanced, Individuals, Board

There were open source projects and free software before Linux was there. Linux in many ways is one of the more visible and one of the bigger technical projects in this area, and it changed how people looked at it because Linux took both the practical and ideological approach.

- Linus Torvalds

Software, Before, Projects, Changed

You won't get sued for anticompetitive behavior.

- Linus Torvalds

Behavior, You, Get, Sued

The memory management on the PowerPC can be used to frighten small children.

- Linus Torvalds

Memory, Management, Small, Frighten

Shareware tends to combine the worst of commercial software with the worst of free software.

- Linus Torvalds

Computers, Commercial, Combine

People enjoy the interaction on the Internet, and the feeling of belonging to a group that does something interesting: that's how some software projects are born.

- Linus Torvalds

Software, Some, Projects, Group

I lose sleep if I end up feeling bad about something I've said. Usually that happens when I send something out without having read it over a few times, or when I call somebody names.

- Linus Torvalds

Bad, Without, About, Send

What I find most interesting is how people really have taken Linux and used it in ways and attributes and motivations that I never felt.

- Linus Torvalds

Interesting, Used, Felt, Motivations

I'm generally a very pragmatic person: that which works, works.

- Linus Torvalds

Very, Which, Works, Pragmatic

Software patents, in particular, are very ripe for abuse. The whole system encourages big corporations getting thousands and thousands of patents. Individuals almost never get them.

- Linus Torvalds

Big, Very, Encourages, Corporations

In real open source, you have the right to control your own destiny.

- Linus Torvalds

Destiny, Control, Own, Open

In open source, we feel strongly that to really do something well, you have to get a lot of people involved.

- Linus Torvalds

People, Feel, Source, Open Source

I often compare open source to science. To where science took this whole notion of developing ideas in the open and improving on other peoples' ideas and making it into what science is today and the incredible advances that we have had. And I compare that to witchcraft and alchemy, where openness was something you didn't do.

- Linus Torvalds

Other, Developing, Compare, Open Source

Microsoft isn't evil, they just make really crappy operating systems.

- Linus Torvalds

Technology, Crappy, Systems, Operating Systems

There's innovation in Linux. There are some really good technical features that I'm proud of. There are capabilities in Linux that aren't in other operating systems.

- Linus Torvalds

Innovation, Some, Other, Operating Systems

Finnish companies tend to be very traditional, not taking many risks. Silicon Valley is completely different: people here really live on the edge.

- Linus Torvalds

Here, Different People, Very, Finnish

When it comes to software, I much prefer free software, because I have very seldom seen a program that has worked well enough for my needs, and having sources available can be a life-saver.

- Linus Torvalds

Needs, Very, Having, Well Enough

Before the commercial ventures, Linux tended to be rather hard to set up, because most of the developers were motivated mainly by their own interests.

- Linus Torvalds

Motivated, Commercial, Set, Ventures

The cyberspace earnings I get from Linux come in the format of having a Network of people that know me and trust me, and that I can depend on in return.

- Linus Torvalds

Trust, Depend, Having, Cyberspace

It's a personality trait: from the very beginning, I knew what I was concentrating on. I'm only doing the kernel - I always found everything around it to be completely boring.

- Linus Torvalds

Always, Very, Concentrating, Trait

I'm interested in Linux because of the technology, and Linux wasn't started as any kind of rebellion against the 'evil Microsoft empire.'

- Linus Torvalds

Kind, Rebellion, Against, Empire

An individual developer like me cares about writing the new code and making it as interesting and efficient as possible. But very few people want to do the testing.

- Linus Torvalds

New, Cares, Very, Developer

I don't think I'm unusual in preferring my laptop to be thin and light.

- Linus Torvalds

Light, Think, Laptop, Thin

The thing with Linux is that the developers themselves are actually customers too: that has always been an important part of Linux.

- Linus Torvalds

Developers, Always, Been, Customers

By staying neutral, I end up being somebody that everybody can trust. Even if they don't always agree with my decisions, they know I'm not working against them.

- Linus Torvalds

Trust, Always, Everybody, Decisions

Part of doing Linux was that I had to communicate a lot more instead of just being a geek in front of a computer.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Communicate, More, Front

The thing I love about diving is the flowing feeling. I like a sport where the whole point is to move as little as humanly possible so your air supply will last longer. That's my kind of sport. Where the amount of effort spent is absolutely minimal.

- Linus Torvalds

Love, About, Whole, Flowing

I see myself as a technical person who chose a great project and a great way of doing that project.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Technical, Great Way, Chose

I'd much rather have 15 people arguing about something than 15 people splitting into two camps, each side convinced it's right and not talking to the other.

- Linus Torvalds

Not Talking, Side, Splitting, Camps

I get the biggest enjoyment from the random and unexpected places. Linux on cellphones or refrigerators, just because it's so not what I envisioned it. Or on supercomputers.

- Linus Torvalds

Random, Unexpected, Envisioned

Any program is only as good as it is useful.

- Linus Torvalds

Only, Program, Any, Useful

To be honest, the fact that people trust you gives you a lot of power over people. Having another person's trust is more powerful than all other management techniques put together.

- Linus Torvalds

Trust, Other, Over, To Be Honest

Every once in a while an issue comes up where I have to make a statement. I can't totally avoid all political issues, but I try my best to minimize them. When I do make a statement, I try to be fairly neutral.

- Linus Torvalds

Best, Political, While, Political Issues

There are lots of Linux users who don't care how the kernel works, but only want to use it. That is a tribute to how good Linux is.

- Linus Torvalds

Use, Works, Kernel, Users

I used to be interested in Windows NT, but the more I see it, the more it looks like traditional Windows with a stabler kernel. I don't find anything technically interesting there.

- Linus Torvalds

Interesting, More, Like, Kernel

Linux has definitely made a lot of sense even in a purely materialistic sense.

- Linus Torvalds

Lot, Purely, Definitely, Materialistic

I've been very happy with the commercial Linux CD-ROM vendors linux Red Hat.

- Linus Torvalds

Red, Been, Very, Linux

If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I've won.

- Linus Torvalds

Ever, Means, Does, Linux

In many ways, I am very happy about the whole Linux commercial market because the commercial market is doing all these things that I have absolutely zero interest in doing myself.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Commercial, Very, Linux

See, you not only have to be a good coder to create a system like Linux, you have to be a sneaky bastard too.

- Linus Torvalds

See, System, Like, Linux

That's what makes Linux so good: you put in something, and that effort multiplies. It's a positive feedback cycle.

- Linus Torvalds

Positive, Effort, Makes, Linux

I don't have any authority over Linux other than this notion that I know what I'm doing.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Other, Over, Linux

I do get my pizzas paid for by Linux indirectly.

- Linus Torvalds

Get, Paid, Indirectly, Linux

I don't expect to go hungry if I decide to leave the University. Resume: Linux looks pretty good in many places.

- Linus Torvalds

Resume, Pretty, Pretty Good, Linux

I've been employed by the University of Helsinki, and they've been perfectly happy to keep me employed and doing Linux.

- Linus Torvalds

Doing, Been, Perfectly, Linux

Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did.

- Linus Torvalds

Making, Ever, Definitely, Linux

I spend a lot more time than any person should have to talking with lawyers and thinking about intellectual property issues.

- Linus Torvalds

Lawyers, More, About, Intellectual

Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done.

- Linus Torvalds

Work, Doing, Getting, Avoid

Non-technical questions sometimes don't have an answer at all.

- Linus Torvalds

Questions, Sometimes, Answer

I don't see myself as a visionary at all.

- Linus Torvalds

Myself, See, Visionary

I'm a technical manager, but I don't have to take care of people. I only have to worry about technology itself.

- Linus Torvalds

Worry, Technical, About, Manager

Software is like sex: it's better when it's free.

- Linus Torvalds

Software, Better, Like, Sex

Once you start thinking more about where you want to be than about making the best product, you're screwed.

- Linus Torvalds

Product, More, Making, Screwed

My name is Linus, and I am your God.

- Linus Torvalds

I Am, Your, Am, Name

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