Quotes & Sayings About Linux

I can mostly laugh at myself and this whole mess called "Linux developers," which means that I get along with most people and most people get along with me. — Linus Torvalds

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

On a purely technical side, I'm really very happy with how Linux gets used in a very wide set of different areas. It's important for development. — Linus Torvalds

A lot of people want to have market share numbers, lots of users, because that's how they view their self worth. For me, one of the most important things for Linux is having a big community that is actively testing new kernels; it's the only way to support the absolute insane amount of different hardware we deal with. — Linus Torvalds

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

A couple of years ago this guy called Ken Brown wrote a book saying that Linus stole Linux from me It later came out that Microsoft had paid him to do this — Andrew S. Tanenbaum

In trying to understand the Linux phenomenon, then, we have to look not at a single innovator but to a sort of bizarre Trinity : Linus Torvalds, Richard Stallman, and Bill Gates. Take away any of these three and Linux would not exist. — Neal Stephenson

Linux provides programmers with everything they need: libraries, compilers, and debugging/development tools. These features are included in all standard Linux versions. — Andrew Johansen

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

One of the reasons that I really don't mind that people are selling Linux commercially is exactly because it does make me feel good that people use the product. — Linus Torvalds

I think that Microsoft will increasingly feel margin pressure from Linux as well as people saying: well actually the applications that really matter to me are not on my PC. And so they're going to be able to extract less of a monopoly rent, so to speak. — Tim O'Reilly

What we're really after is simply that people acquire a legal license for Windows for each computer they own before they move on to Linux or Sun Solaris or BSD or OS/2 or whatever. — Bill Gates

There is no system but GNU and Linux is one of it's kernels — Richard Stallman

It's easier for our software to compete with Linux when there's piracy than when there's not. — Bill Gates

Me trying to make a business around Linux would have been a total disaster. — Linus Torvalds

Such a leader knows how to empower groups to self-organize. When it's done right, a governance structure by consensus naturally emerges, as happened both with Linux and Wikipedia. "What astonishes so many people is that the open source model actually works," Torvalds said. "People know who has been active and who they can trust, and it just happens. — Walter Isaacson

I started Linux because I wanted to see it on the desktop ... I do hope that the desktop people would try to work together ... and work more on the technology than trying to make the login screen look really nice. — Linus Torvalds

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

I am confident that we can do better than GUIs because the basic problem with them (and with the Linux and Unix interfaces) is that they ask a human being to do things that we know experimentally humans cannot do well. The question I asked myself is, given everything we know about how the human mind works, could we design a computer and computer software so that we can work with the least confusion and greatest efficiency? — Jef Raskin

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

The real threat to Linux adoption is Apple, not Microsoft. If you didn't know, now you know. — Ryan C. Gordon

I can find lots of examples where a game won't make you rich, but I can't find a reasonable case where a Linux port doesn't have at least a small, positive return on investment. — Ryan C. Gordon

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

I'm not worried about the kernel itself or the basic system. All the commercialization is about the distributions and the applications. As such, it only brings value-added things to Linux, and it doesn't take anything away from the Linux scene. — Linus Torvalds

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

Programming in the abstract sense is what I really enjoy. I enjoy lots of different areas of it ... I'm taking a great deal of enjoyment writing device drivers for Linux. I could also be having a good time writing a database manager or something because there are always interesting problems. — John Carmack

We all know Linux is great ... it does infinite loops in 5 seconds. — Linus Torvalds

We counted over a million lines of code that we allege are infringed in the Linux kernel today. — Darl McBride

Many users of the GNU/Linux system will not have heard the ideas of free software. They will not be aware that we have ideas, that a system exists because of ethical ideals, which were omitted from ideas associated with the term 'open source.' — Richard Stallman

Watney entered the hack earlier today, and we confirmed it worked. We updated Pathfinder's OS without any problems. We sent the rover patch, which Pathfinder rebroadcast. Once Watney executes the patch and reboots the rover, we should get a connection." "Jesus, what a complicated process," Venkat said. "Try updating a Linux server sometime," Jack said. After a moment of silence, Tim said, "You know he was telling a joke, right? That was supposed to be funny." "Oh," said Venkat. "I'm a physics guy, not a computer guy." "He's not funny to computer guys, either. — Andy Weir

Talk is cheap. Show me the code. — Linus Torvalds

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

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

The big problem that is holding back Linux is games. People don't realize how critical games are in driving consumer purchasing behavior. We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. — Gabe Newell

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

I don't think commercialization is the answer to anything. It's just one more facet of Linux, and not the deciding one by any means. — Linus Torvalds

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

I have a G4 at home. Theyre great machines for individual users, and I even know a few core Linux hackers who are having a lot of fun with them. But if you want to move the needle on the non-Microsoft desktop, youve got to look elsewhere. — Nat Friedman

I find if you're targeting Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X right from the start, your code will probably work anywhere else that you might try it later ... Writing code that is cross-platform from the start requires more discipline, but I find it is worth the effort. — Ryan C. Gordon

I must say the Linux community is a lot nicer than the Unix community. A negative comment on Unix would warrent death threats. With Linux, it is like stirring up a nest of butterflies. — Kenneth P. Thompson

So I decided that if the architecture is fundamentally sane enough, say it follows some basic rules like it supported paging , then I would be able to say, yes, Linux fundamentally supports that model. — Linus Torvalds

Of course, all of the software I write runs on Linux; that's the beauty of standards, and of cross-platform code. I don't have to run your OS, and you don't have to run mine, and we can use the same applications anyway! — Jamie Zawinski

Linux evolved in a completely different way. From nearly the beginning, it was rather casually hacked on by huge numbers of volunteers coordinating only through the Internet. — Eric S. Raymond

I currently use Ubuntu Linux, on a standalone laptop - it has no Internet connection. I occasionally carry flash memory drives between this machine and the Macs that I use for network surfing and graphics; but I trust my family jewels only to Linux. — Donald Knuth

Linux doesn't have IP roots. — Darl McBride

It feels a little bit funny coming here and telling you guys that Linux and open source are the future of gaming. It's sort of like going to Rome and teaching Catholicism to the pope. — Gabe Newell

While I may not get any money from Linux, I get a huge personal satisfaction from having written something that people really enjoy using, and that people find to be the best alternative for their needs. — Linus Torvalds

Bill Gates really seems to be much more of a business man than a technologist, while I prefer to think of Linux in technical terms rather than as a means to money. As such, I'm not very likely to make the same kind of money that Bill made. — Linus Torvalds

Think of the Nets infrastructure as a source of natural building resources. Linux is not growing on the trees - it is the trees. — David "Doc" Searls

Open-source software shows the potential of social norms. In the case of Linux and other collaborative projects, you can post a problem about a bug on one of the bulletin boards and see how fast someone, or often many people, will react to your request and fix the software-using their own leisure time. Could you pay for this level of service? Most likely. But if you had to hire people of the same caliber they would cost you an arm and a leg. Rather, people in these communities are happy to give their time to society at large (for which they get the same social benefits we all get from helping a friend paint a room). What can we learn from this that is applicable to the business world? There are social rewards that strongly motivate behavior-and one of the least used in corporate life is the encouragement of social rewards and reputation. — Dan Ariely

Unix has retarded OS research by 10 years and linux has retarded it by 20. — Dennis Ritchie

Unix, BSD, Linux, Mac OS, Windows are Monozukuri. — Mehmet Kececi

It's been a bit sad to see that out of Linux distributions, it was Android - the most successful mobile Linux distribution - that has really introduced the malware problem to the Linux world. — Mikko Hypponen

OK, I admit it. I was just a front-man for the real fathers of Linux, the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus. — Linus Torvalds

The simple fact is that code quality tends to improve as you move between platforms ... non-obvious bugs on Windows become VERY obvious in the Linux port and vice versa, and thus get fixed. So even the Windows gamers will win in all of this. — Ryan C. Gordon

I think that by October the whole company has to migrate to OpenOffice, and then I think it's by June next year we all migrate to Linux - you don't want to migrate 6,000 people both operating system and office suite in a single jump. — Miguel De Icaza

In essence, Chrome OS is the GNU/Linux operating system. However, it is delivered without the usual applications, and rigged up to impede and discourage installing applications. — Richard Stallman

When we take a top-tier view of the amount of code showing up inside of Linux today that is either directly related to our Unix System 5 that we directly own or is related to one of our flavors of Unix that we have derivative works rights over
we don't necessarily own those flavors, but we have control rights over how that information gets disseminated
the amount is substantial. We're not talking about just lines of code; we're talking about entire programs. We're talking about hundred [sic] of thousands of lines of code. — Darl McBride

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

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

found on other Unix-like systems. The design is actually specified in a published standard called the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy Standard. — William E. Shotts Jr.

There are a lot of people who've been able to ditch their Windows machines and switch over to Linux because they can now use their Exchange server for calendaring and collaboration from their Linux desktop. — Nat Friedman

We are speaking about miracles. Peter did not heal Abigail, Linux. The Lord our God performed a miracle of healing through Peter. The apostle allowed himself to be used. He sought to hear when the Lord spoke, and to do his will." Alban glanced at the lad seated by the entrance. "Just as all of us should seek to serve our Lord. — Janette Oke

Today I am one of the senior technical cadre that makes the Internet work, and a core Linux and open-source developer. — Eric S. Raymond

Don't forget that Linux became only possible because 20 years of OS research was carefully studied, analyzed, discussed and thrown away. — Ingo Molnar

We all love Linux, but it's also a fact that some people might not be able to migrate. — Miguel De Icaza

I think Linux is a great thing, because Linux is an alternative to Windows, and because, of all the operating systems that are at all relevant today, Unix is the best of a bad lot. — Jamie Zawinski

I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft-a backlash against Microsoft, no more and no less. — Ken Thompson

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

How long will the patch take?" Venkat asked. "Should be pretty much instant," Jack answered. "Watney entered the hack earlier today, and we confirmed it worked. We updated Pathfinder's OS without any problems. We sent the rover patch, which Pathfinder rebroadcast. Once Watney executes the patch and reboots the rover, we should get a connection." "Jesus, what a complicated process," Venkat said. "Try updating a Linux server sometime," Jack said. — Andy Weir

Android's user-space is so different from stock Linux, you can easily say that Android is not in any way a Linux system, except for the kernel. — Robert Love

Mostly I use the O2 as an X terminal, however, running my apps on Linux and displaying remotely. — Jamie Zawinski

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

Obviously Linux owes its heritage to UNIX, but not its code. We would not, nor will not, make such a claim. — Darl McBride

Linux is only free if your time has no value. — Jamie Zawinski

I do believe that in a race, it is naive to think Linux has a hope of making a dent against Microsoft starting from way behind with a fraction of the resources and amateur labor. (I feel the same about Unix. — Kenneth P. Thompson

Most hackers graduate from Unix and Linux platforms. They know them intimately. They don't try to exploit them — Dean Stockwell

Android is very different from the GNU/Linux operating system because it contains very little of GNU. Indeed, just about the only component in common between Android and GNU/Linux is Linux, the kernel. — Richard Stallman

We've announced an Oracle Virtual Compute Appliance, a bunch of low-cost commodity servers running Linux, integrated in our case, with InfiniBand - connected with InfiniBand vs. the traditional Ethernet. — Larry Ellison

I made very sure that I did not get involved with any of the commercial Linux companies, exactly so that I would be neutral and not ever seen as "working for the competition". — Linus Torvalds

The biggest draw with this PowerShell feature is the fact that you can now go full Linux-type install on your system, if you are a power user. Simply type in the corresponding cmdlets, and you can install multiple programs at once without even visiting their websites. In order to make the package available for you, you need to simply subscribe to the needed repositories. Secure — Joe Thompson

For personal use, I recommend the free and open-source Truecrypt, which comes in flavors for Windows, Mac and Linux. — Barton Gellman

A lot of that momentum comes from the fact that Linux is free. — Nat Friedman

That's why Linux and Wikipedia and Firefox work. — Daniel H. Pink

Linux has never been about quality. There are so many parts of the system that are just these cheap little hacks, and it happens to run. — Theo De Raadt

the only sign of where Stephen had been murdered was a dark stain among the rocks. He could see the followers carefully, sorrowfully, moving his body toward an open burial cave. Linux remained apart from those grieving by the cave's opening. His eyes were dry, yet his heart felt wrenched by tears only he could sense. Or perhaps not, for a pair of men approached, one of them the rugged apostle called Peter. "A tragic day, and a glorious day," the man said softly. — Janette Oke

I think [Wine] will be, at a minimum, incredibly useful to archeology, like DosBox has been for playing Wing Commander. Certainly it has been known to save the day with modern titles, too. But to have it as the agreed-upon way to how you play video games on Linux is completely unacceptable for several reasons, both technical and moral. — Ryan C. Gordon

Everyone has a religion, whether they admit it or not. For some it's Catholicism; for others, Vegetarianism or Elvis or Linux/Macintosh/Windows. — Guy Consolmagno

Dinner with Steven Moffat in Bar Shu, spent mostly in enthusiastic Dr Who neepery. I love my life ... As a side note, running Windows Vista on the Panasonic w7 is making me really nostalgic for 1986. Whoever thought I'd get to type things then stare at a blank screen for a bit and one-by-one watch the letters appear? Cory and Mike's 'Why Don't You Run Linux?' talks are staring to seem much more sensible. — Neil Gaiman

Releasing Linux versions has always been a matter of higher code quality, good software architecture, and technical interest for the platform. — Timothee Besset

I was Computer Shopper's linux columnist for more than half a decade, from the late 90s onwards. Yes, I know about Linux. (My first review of a Linux distro in the press was published in late 1996.) — Charles Stross

There are no barriers to entries. Think of this as Linux in terms of software. Anyone can have part of the operating system so long as you pledge allegiance to the ideas. Previously, if you wanted to join al Qaeda, you had to travel to an al Qaeda safe haven, probably in northern Pakistan or Afghanistan. Now all you have to do is get a gun, choose a target, and carry out an attack. — Paul Gigot

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

Some people have told me they don't think a fat penguin really embodies the grace of Linux, which just tells me they have never seen an angry penguin charging at them in excess of 100mph. They'd be a lot more careful about what they say if they had. — Linus Torvalds

We have a lot of existing customers which are also considering Linux desktop migrations and rolling out some of these programs, so we're learning from them. — Miguel De Icaza

Linux remained where he was, more comfortable with his solitary position at the table than he'd ever been before. He felt a childlike ease, so protected, so accepted he could expose his most hidden weaknesses and fears and uncertainties and know all was well, all forgiven, all blessed. The stone he had carried inside was finally dissolving. Inner wounds were now open to healing light, and the gift of hope was like an illumination around him. — Janette Oke

A lot of the machines that Google is built on - commodity is the polite word for them - they're regular PCs and so they're not always the most reliable. — Jessica Livingston

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

The Linux kernel is under the GPL version 2. Not anything else. Some individual files are licensable under v3, but not the kernel in general. And quite frankly, I don't see that changing. I think it's insane to require people to make their private signing keys available, for example. I wouldn't do it. So I don't think the GPL v3 conversion is going to happen for the kernel, since I personally don't want to convert any of my code. You think v2 or later is the default. It's not. The _default_ is to not allow conversion. Conversion isn't going to happen. — Linus Torvalds

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