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"Quite frankly, I don't _want_ people using Linux for
ideological reasons. I think ideology sucks. This world
would be a much better place if people had less ideology,
and a whole lot more 'I do this because it's FUN and
because others might find it useful, not because I got
religion'."
-- Linus Torvalds (torvalds@transmeta.com) on
the linux-kernel list, 2002-04-20
From other postings
by him, you can see
So this that Torvalds clearly Of course, there's
quote has something like an another interpretation
isn't ideology going, here of all this babbling
as fun he's just using it as about how FUN it is:
a place a snarl-word. It's
to start an "I have ideas, you Tom Sawyer and
as I'd have ideology" kind the white fence.
wanted. of thing.
(He's not consistent about his
anti-ideology ideology, which is
probably appropriate.)
A case study on the virtues
and vices of ethical systems. SIDES_OF_THE_COIN
Richard Stallman stays the course and finds ways
to get closer to the goal even when it seems hopeless.
But his rigidity even in small matters annoys
many people; he has a reputation for being
difficult to work with.
Linus Torvalds, on the other
hand is a man with a knack
for getting people to work
for him happily, without
obvious reward. They praise
him for his "diplomacy".
But there's a danger that some
day his lack of commitment to
explicit principle might lead (Arguably the adoption
him astray (or make it easy to of the proprietary
wander astray). Bitkeeper for linux
development is an
example of this).
"And I have always thought that
idealistic people are
interesting, but kind of boring
and sometimes scary."
-p. 165, "Just for Fun"
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