Linus on Linux
Posted on October 26, 2003
Filed Under /dev/null/ | 62 views |
Actually the article in question is YA-Microsoft Doesn’t Get Open-source Software article but this, this is the interest, important, relevant bit:
“Because the software is free, there is no pressure to release it before it is really ready just to achieve some sales target. Every version of Linux is declared to be finished only when it is actually finished, which explains why it is so solid. The other reason why free software is better is because the personal reputation of the developer is attached to every release. If you are making something to give away to the world, something that represents to millions of users your philosophy of computing, you will always make it the very best product you can make. That’s the reason why Linux is a success.”
- Linus Torvalds in “How Microsoft’s Misunderstanding of Open Source Hurts Us All” by Robert Cringely
What else is there to say to that? It’s the understanding that software creation really is an art-form to which one can attach reputation, philosophy and asthetic. It’s the understanding that people produce better work when they feel attached to a project, when part of them becomes a part of it. That’s how it should be.
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