I started Linux as a desktop operating system. And it's the only area where Linux hasn't completely taken over. That just annoys the hell out of me. Linus Torvalds More Quotes by Linus Torvalds More Quotes From Linus Torvalds I really never wanted to do source control management at all and felt that it was just about the least interesting thing in the computing world . Linus Torvalds management world interesting Generally, the best way to learn git is probably to first only do very basic things and not even look at some of the things you can do until you are familiar and confident about the basics. Linus Torvalds looks way firsts I don't have any authority over Linux other than this notion that I know what I'm doing. Linus Torvalds linux notion authority Github is an excellent hosting service; I have nothing against it at all. Linus Torvalds excellent I can't say that I like MicroSoft: I think they make rather bad operating systems - Windows NT is just more of the same - but while I dislike their operating systems and abhor their tactics in the marketplace I at the same time don't really care all that much about them. Linus Torvalds tactics microsoft thinking I think that freely available software can not only keep up with the evolution of commercial software, but often exceed what you can do commercially. Linus Torvalds software evolution thinking Working in lock-step simply isn't a good idea. Never has been, never will be. Linus Torvalds locks steps ideas I'm a big non-believer in manual driver and kernel configuration, be it visual or not. Linus Torvalds non-believer drivers bigs In personal conversations with technical people, I call myself a hacker. But when I'm talking to journalists I just say "programmer" or something like that. Linus Torvalds hackers talking people Fairly cheap home computing was what changed my life. Linus Torvalds changed-my-life changed home I don't actually go to that many conferences. I do that a couple of times a year. Normally, I am not recognized; people don't throw their panties at me. I'm a perfectly normal person sitting in my den just doing my job. Linus Torvalds couple jobs years Right now some people are just running around in circles and claiming that moving things to the kernel automatically makes it more stable. I'm telling you that the kernel is stable not because it's a kernel, but because I refuse to listen to arguments like this. Linus Torvalds circles running moving Helsinki may not be as cold as you make it out to be, but California is still a lot nicer. I don't remember the last time I couldn't walk around in shorts all day. Linus Torvalds california lasts may Language is one of the fundamental principles of human understanding. It is the way we interact with each other and how we grasp the world we live in. Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done. Linus Torvalds understanding principles fundamentals I'm generally a very pragmatic person: that which works, works. Linus Torvalds pragmatic economy persons Making Linux GPL'd was definitely the best thing I ever did. Linus Torvalds linux best-things I try to avoid long-range plans and visions - that way I can more easily deal with anything new that comes up without having pre-conceptions of how I should deal with it. My only long-range plan has been and still is just the very general plan of making Linux better. Linus Torvalds vision trying long Every once in a while an issue comes up where I have to make a statement. I can't totally avoid all political issues, but I try my best to minimize them. When I do make a statement, I try to be fairly neutral. Linus Torvalds issues political trying There are "extremists" in the free software world, but that's one major reason why I don't call what I do "free software" any more. I don't want to be associated with the people for whom it's about exclusion and hatred. Linus Torvalds hatred people world A lot of people still like Solaris, but I'm in active competition with them, and so I hope they die. Linus Torvalds solaris competition people