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All-Time Top Ten Quotes About Linux?

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By Jeremy Geelan
Article Rating:
December 8, 2003 12:00 AM EST
Reads:
 19,698

Linus at his absolute best in the mailing lists...

 
> > Other than the fact Linux has a cool name, could someone explain why I
> > should use Linux over BSD?
>
> No. That's it. The cool name, that is. We worked very hard on
> creating a name that would appeal to the majority of people, and it
> certainly paid off: thousands of people are using linux just to be able
> to say "OS/2? Hah. I've got Linux. What a cool name". 386BSD made the
> mistake of putting a lot of numbers and weird abbreviations into the
> name, and is scaring away a lot of people just because it sounds too
> technical.

Linus Torvalds' follow-up to a question about Linux
[thanks to Karel Kubat, The Netherlands]

 

I forgot to mention an important fact in the 1.3.67 announcement. In order to get a fully working kernel, you have to follow the steps below:

  1. Walk around your computer widdershins 3 times, chanting "Linus is overworked, and he makes lousy patches, but we love him anyway".
  2. Get your spouse to do this too for extra effect. Children are optional.
  3. Apply the patch included in this mail - Call your system "Super-67", and don't forget to unapply the patch before you later applying the official 1.3.68 patch.
  4. Reboot.

Linus Torvalds, announcing an early kernel patch
[thanks to Karel Kubat, The Netherlands]

 

Excusing bad programming is a shooting offence, no matter _what_ the circumstances.

Linus Torvalds, to the linux-kernel list
[thanks to azzit]

 

Best ever characterizations of Linux?

Linux: The OS people choose without $200,000,000 of persuasion.

Mike Coleman

 

Vini, vidi, Linux!

[Source unknown]

 

"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 a 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

 

 

Most prescient statement about Linux

 "The “World Domination” thing is obviously always a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I think that yes, a five-year timeframe for the free software movement and Linux to make a major noticeable impact is not at all unrealistic."

Linus Torvalds on the potential of Linux [Back in 1998]



 

Bruce Perens on Linux

 Well, let's just say, 'if your VCR is still blinking 12:00, you don't want Linux'.

Bruce Perens
[thanks to George Bonser - courtesy of S. Krause]

 

 

Miscellaneous Quips

"The box said that I needed to have Windows 98 or better... so I installed Linux."

Anonymous
[quoted on LinuxNewbie.org - thanks to fozbaca.org]

 

"Linux. Where do you want to go tomorrow?"

Anonymous
[Seen many times, in lots of .sigs]

Published December 8, 2003 – Reads 19,698
Copyright © 2003 SYS-CON Media, Inc. — All Rights Reserved.
Syndicated stories and blog feeds, all rights reserved by the author.

More Stories By Jeremy Geelan

Jeremy Geelan is Sr. Vice-President of SYS-CON Media & Events. He is Conference Chair of the all-new International Cloud Computing Expo series, of the International Virtualization Expo series, of AJAXWorld RIA Conference & Expo series, and of the long-running SOAWorld Conference & Expo series. He's founder of Cloud Computing Journal, Web 2.0 Journal, AJAX & RIA Journal and other leading SYS-CON titles. From 2000-6, as first editorial director and then group publisher of SYS-CON Media, he was responsible for the development of all new titles and i-Technology portals for the firm, and regularly represents SYS-CON at conferences and trade shows, speaking to technology audiences both in North America and overseas. He is executive producer and presenter of "Power Panels with Jeremy Geelan" on SYS-CON.TV.

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Most Recent Comments
SeerUlv 12/08/03 10:12:14 AM EST

another omission: "I allege that SCO is full of it"

(June 23, 2003 - reported here: http://www.eweek.com/print_article/0,3668,a=43740,00.asp)
IngTSx 12/08/03 05:56:42 AM EST

I would submit your editors have missed one gem from the adjoining story about non-binary drivers and the GPL:

"So you can run the kernel and create non-GPL'd programs while running it to your hearts content. You can use it to control a nuclear submarine, and that's totally outside the scope of the license (but if you do, please note that the license does not imply any kind of warranty or similar)."

Linus Torvalds, e-mail to Linux kernel mailing list