Theory and practice sometimes clash. And when that happens, theory loses. Every single time.

There's innovation in Linux. There are some really good technical features that I'm proud of. There are capabilities in Linux that aren't in other operating systems.

That's what makes Linux so good: you put in something, and that effort multiplies. It's a positive feedback cycle.

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.

A lot of people still like Solaris, but I'm in active competition with them, and so I hope they die.

It's a personality trait: from the very beginning, I knew what I was concentrating on. I'm only doing the kernel - I always found everything around it to be completely boring.

The bulk of all patents are crap. Spending time reading them is stupid. It's up to the patent owner to do so, and to enforce them.