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Any program is only as good as it is useful.
Linus Torvalds
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The effectiveness of a program is determined by its practicality and utility to users.

This quote by Linus Torvalds emphasizes that the true value of any program lies in its usefulness to the end users. It suggests that regardless of how complex or sophisticated a program is, it is ultimately judged by how well it serves its purpose and meets the needs of those who use it.

Themes

ProgramUsefulnessTechnologyUtilityValue

In practice

Example use cases

In a tech conference, a speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of user-centered design.

More from Linus Torvalds

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.
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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.
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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.
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Avoiding complexity reduces bugs.
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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.
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I have an ego the size of a small planet.
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