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I think a lot of great software has been written by people who are scratching a short-term itch, something which has been niggling them for ages, but in the back of their mind they’ve got a wonderful long-term plan.
Tim Berners-Lee
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Great software often originates from addressing immediate problems while having a broader vision for the future.

Tim Berners-Lee highlights that many successful software developments stem from individuals who are initially motivated by a pressing issue they want to resolve. Yet, behind that immediate need lies a deeper, long-term ambition that drives the continued evolution and purpose of the software.

Themes

SoftwareInnovationProblemsVisionLong-Term

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a tech conference to inspire developers facing challenges in their projects.

More from Tim Berners-Lee

The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.
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[The internet] ought to be like clay, rather than a sculpture that you observe from a distance.
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The people who designed the tools that make the Net run had their own ideas for the future.
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Technology innovation is starting to explode and having open-source material out there really helps this explosion. You get students and researchers involved and you get people coming through and building start ups based on open source products.
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One way to think about the magnitude of the changes to come is to think about how you went about your business before powerful Web search engines. You probably wouldn't have imagined that a world of answers would be available to you in under a second. The next set of advances will have an different effect, but similar in magnitude.
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Software companies should take more responsibility for security holes, especially in browsers and e-mail clients. There are some straightforward things the industry should be doing right now to fix things, and I don't know why they haven't been done yet.
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