I find that getting something on the screen as soon as possible really helps focus the problem for me. It helps me decide what to work on next. Because if you're just looking at that big to-do list it's like, eh, I don't know which one I should do—does it matter which one I do? But if there's something you can actually look at, even if it's just the debug output of your mailbox parser, it's like, OK, there!

If you give a hacker a new toy, the first thing he'll do is take it apart to figure out how it works.

I think Linux is a great thing, because Linux is an alternative to Windows, and because, of all the operating systems that are at all relevant today, Unix is the best of a bad lot.

C has all the expressive power of two dixie cups and a string.

If you give a cracker a new toy, the first thing he'll do is carve his initials in it. Fortunately, most crackers get over that once they're through puberty.

See, unlike most hackers, I get little joy out of figuring out how to install the latest toy.

I think Linux is a great thing, in the big picture. It's a great hacker's tool, and it has a lot of potential to become something more.