Modern PCs are horrible. ACPI is a complete design disaster in every way. But we're kind of stuck with it. If any Intel people are listening to this and you had anything to do with ACPI, shoot yourself now, before you reproduce.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Torvalds criticizes the ACPI standard as fundamentally flawed but acknowledges industry reliance forces its continued use. He directs extreme frustration at Intel engineers responsible for its design.
- In plain terms
- ACPI is broken but unavoidable, so he wishes harm on those who made it.
- What can you take from it?
- Legacy standards can persist despite poor design due to market lock-in.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- When does frustration become unprofessional?
- How do legacy standards hinder progress?
Another view
The quote uses hyperbolic violence that overshadows the legitimate technical critique.
More from Linus Torvalds
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect.
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Permalink to quote #30 Those that can, do. Those that can't, complain.
Permalink to quote #27
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