QuoteProject
Sharing the code just seems like The Right Thing to Do. It costs us rather little, but it benefits a lot of people in sometimes very significant ways. There are many university research projects, proof of concept publisher demos, and new platform test beds that have leveraged the code. Free software that people value adds wealth to the world.
John Carmack
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Sharing code enhances collaboration and innovation while benefiting many without significant cost.

This quote emphasizes the importance of sharing code within the software development community. John Carmack highlights that by making code accessible, developers not only contribute to the growth of various technological projects but also support the broader community, yielding significant benefits. The act of sharing is portrayed as a selfless endeavor that creates wealth and resources for everyone involved, ultimately fostering a spirit of collaboration and progress in technology.

Themes

CodeSharingSoftwareCommunityCollaborationInnovation

In practice

Example use cases

In a tech conference, to illustrate the importance of open-source projects.

More from John Carmack

The core of what I do is solve problems, whether that's in graphic engine flow or rockets. I like working on things that are going to have an impact one way or the other.
John CarmackRead
The cost of adding a feature isn't just the time it takes to code it. The cost also includes the addition of an obstacle to future expansion. ... The trick is to pick the features that don't fight each other.
John CarmackRead
Low-level programming is good for the programmer's soul.
John CarmackRead
Because of the nature of Moore's law, anything that an extremely clever graphics programmer can do at one point can be replicated by a merely competent programmer some number of years later.
John CarmackRead
Programming is not a zero-sum game. Teaching something to a fellow programmer doesn't take it away from you. I'm happy to share what I can, because I'm in it for the love of programming.
John CarmackRead

Similar quotes

There is a demon in technology. It was put there by man and man will have to exorcise it before technological civilization can achieve the eighteenth-century ideal of humane civilized life.
Rene DubosRead
Proprietary software tends to have malicious features. The point is with a proprietary program, when the users don't have the source code, we can never tell. So you must consider every proprietary program as potential malware.
Richard StallmanRead
The people who designed the tools that make the Net run had their own ideas for the future.
Tim Berners-LeeRead
My father worked for the same firm for 12 years. They fired him and replaced him with a tiny gadget that does everything my father does, only much better. The depressing thing is my mother ran out and bought one
Woody AllenRead
You can't solve a problem with the management of technology with more technology.
Bill JoyRead
We are all now connected by the Internet, like neurons in a giant brain.
Stephen HawkingRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.