Nick Sieger: Quote of the daytag:blog.nicksieger.com,2005:TypoTypo2010-11-22T22:11:20+00:00Nick Siegerurn:uuid:19fa3ca8-1df8-4eb1-8cc8-a62ec5d404282006-04-26T18:39:00+00:002010-11-22T22:11:20+00:00Quote of the day<p>Just stumbled upon <a href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.12/billjoy.html">this interview with Bill Joy</a> from a couple years ago and it’s full of quotables. This one caught my eye:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>What about the open source idea in general?</em></p>
<p>Open source is fine, but it doesn’t take a worldwide community
to create a great operating system. Look at Ken Thompson
creating Unix, Stephen Wolfram writing Mathematica in a summer,
James Gosling in his office making Java. Now, there’s nothing
wrong with letting other people help, but open source doesn’t
assist the initial creative act. What we need now are great
things. I don’t need to see the source code. I just want a
system that works.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>It’s a good reminder that just because something is “open source” that doesn’t make it a great idea. Brilliant ideas are created in the minds of a few -- the wisdom of the crowds usually just ends up diluting a good idea.</p>