There were open source projects and free software before Linux was there. Linux in many ways is one of the more visible and one of the bigger technical projects in this area, and it changed how people looked at it because Linux took both the practical and ideological approach.
Linus TorvaldsIt was such a relief to program in user mode for a change. Not having to care about the small stuff is wonderful.
Linus TorvaldsI obviously 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 TorvaldsI'm not worried about the kernel itself or the basic system. All the commercialization is about the distributions and the applications. As such, it only brings value-added things to Linux, and it doesn't take anything away from the Linux scene.
Linus Torvalds