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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Good programmers enjoy programming for the joy of it rather than for financial gain or public recognition.
This quote by Linus Torvalds highlights the intrinsic motivation that drives many successful programmers. It suggests that the passion for coding and the enjoyment derived from solving problems and creating software is often more significant than external rewards, such as monetary compensation or applause. The quote celebrates the love for programming as a craft that is pursued for its own sake, reflecting the idea that true mastery and satisfaction come from the joy of creation.
Themes
ProgrammingFunMotivationJoyIntrinsic
In practice
Example use cases
During a tech conference, to inspire young programmers about their career choice.
More from Linus Torvalds
All quotes βI 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
I have an ego the size of a small planet.
Linus TorvaldsRead
I've felt strongly that the advantage of Linux is that it doesn't have a niche or any special market, but that different individuals and companies end up pushing it in the direction they want, and as such you end up with something that is pretty balanced across the board.
Linus TorvaldsRead
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