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About this quote

What does it mean?
Torvalds criticizes the tendency to reject solutions simply because they were not created internally.
In plain terms
Rejecting ideas just because they aren't ours is a harmful mindset.
What can you take from it?
Avoid dismissing external solutions due to pride in internal creation.

Where it applies

  • software development
  • team dynamics
  • project management

Putting it to work

  • evaluate tools objectively
  • share code openly
  • prioritize results

Questions to consider

  • When did you reject a good tool because it wasn't yours?
  • How can teams overcome this bias?

Another view

Sometimes internal solutions are necessary for security or specific constraints.

More from Linus Torvalds

  1. 'Regression testing'? What's that? If it compiles, it is good, if it boots up it is perfect.

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  2. Anybody who tells me I can't use a program because it's not open source, go suck on rms. I'm not interested. 99% of that I run tends to be open source, but tha…

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  3. There are literally several levels of SCO being wrong. And even if we were to live in that alternate universe where SCO would be right, they'd still be wrong.

    Permalink to quote #30

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