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 TorvaldsRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The importance of names can often be underestimated, as highlighted by the debate surrounding the naming of Linux.
This quote by Linus Torvalds emphasizes the significance that names can hold in technology and culture. While he initially believed that the naming of Linux was not essential, the reactions of others revealed that names can carry weight in influencing perception and identity. By suggesting to refer to it simply as 'Linux', he points to the idea that simplicity and clarity are often valued over complexity in branding.
Themes
LinuxNamingImportanceIdentityTechnology
In practice
Example use cases
During a tech conference when discussing open-source software.
More from Linus Torvalds
All quotes →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 TorvaldsRead
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 TorvaldsRead
Avoiding complexity reduces bugs.
Linus TorvaldsRead
Most of the 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 TorvaldsRead
I have an ego the size of a small planet.
Linus TorvaldsRead
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