Linus Torvalds Hates Phones; Loves Nexus One

4:00 PM - February 8, 2010 - By Marcus Yam - Source : Tom's Guide US

Linus is loving the Linux-powered Android phone.

Linus Torvalds, the father of Linux, would surely embrace all new forms of technology, right? That must be why he's completely taken with his new Nexus One cell phone. But in actuality, Linus hates phones, and Google's latest creation is the first one he's ever been able to find room in his heart for.

"I generally hate phones," he wrote on his blog. "They are irritating and disturb you as you work or read or whatever - and a cellphone to me is just an opportunity to be irritated wherever you are. Which is not a good thing. The G1, for example, ended up being mostly used for playing Galaga and Solitaire on long flights, since I had almost no reason to carry it with me except when traveling."

Linus decided to give Android another shot with the latest phone. "But I have to admit, the Nexus One is a winner," he said. "I wasn't enthusiastic about buying a phone on the internet sight unseen, but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge. I've wanted to have a GPS unit for my car anyway, and I thought that Google Navigation might finally make a phone useful.

"And it does. What a difference! I no longer feel like I'm dragging a phone with me 'just in case' I would need to get in touch with somebody - now I'm having a useful (and admittedly pretty good-looking) gadget instead. The fact that you can use it as a phone too is kind of secondary."

It's only appropriate that the father of Linux is now paired with a device that runs the open source OS from his pocket.

Comments

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serkol 02/08/2010 10:17 PM
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mrcmark 02/08/2010 10:17 PM
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Why am I not suprised. thumbs up linus.

dxwarlock 02/08/2010 10:23 PM
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"but the day it was reported that it finally had the pinch-to-zoom thing enabled, I decided to take the plunge."

thats all it takes to impress him and have a change of heart on phones in general?

thats like saying "I've always hated cellphones on the whole..but since this one has a 3rd button on the side I thought 'hmm maybe I was all wrong about phones"

nevertell 02/08/2010 10:24 PM
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Why hasn't he hacked the iphone so we can have android on it, YET ?

grieve 02/08/2010 10:31 PM
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wtf would i care what Linus Torvalds wants?

Seriously i have nothing against him or unix/linix/os10/win I just really could care less what phone gates uses or jobs or anyone else.

This would have been interesting if had chosen iphone or "xp phone" but really to me this is like saying Steve Jobs uses an Iphone. Or the sky is blue...

grieve 02/08/2010 10:32 PM
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THIS JUST IN!

Bill Gates prefers Windows 7!

JohnnyLucky 02/08/2010 10:37 PM
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"a cellphone to me is just an opportunity to be irritated wherever you are."

That's the part I liked.

sirmorluk 02/08/2010 10:42 PM
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I ditched my cellphone 2 years ago. I now only own a prepaid that I charge and throw in the glove compartment for family trips.
To be honest I haven't been happier in years. It was a liberating experience.

mlopinto2k1 02/09/2010 12:10 PM
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grieve :
THIS JUST IN!Bill Gates prefers Windows 7!


Excellent.

Breaking News!!!

Steve Jobs has finally found a phone he can enjoy! Psssh, NO, I ain't sayin the name.

mlopinto2k1 02/09/2010 12:11 PM
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JohnnyLucky :
"a cellphone to me is just an opportunity to be irritated wherever you are."That's the part I liked.

That's because it's THE TRUTH. You have obviously been freed from the The Matrix. Join the club.

dman3k 02/09/2010 2:49 AM
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Ummm... Linus is the father of the Linux kernel... Linux the system as a whole (GNU Linux) is more of a Richard Stallman creation. Can we stop the misinformation about Linus being the father of Linux?

WheelsOfConfusion 02/09/2010 4:11 AM
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serkol :
Sure he wouldn't like iPhone, which is based on Mac OS X, which is based on BSD (Unix). The whole idea of Linux was to bury Unix...


I thought the whole idea was:
Quote :Hello everybody out there using minix -
I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and
professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing
since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on
things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat
(same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons)
among other things).
I've currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I'll get something practical within a few months, and I'd like to know what features most people would want. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-)
Linus (torva...@kruuna.helsinki.fi)
PS. Yes - it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs. It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.

:)
dman3k :
Ummm... Linus is the father of the Linux kernel... Linux the system as a whole (GNU Linux) is more of a Richard Stallman creation. Can we stop the misinformation about Linus being the father of Linux?


He is the Father of Linux. I think you mean he's not the father of GNU/Linux. You could definitely assign him partial custody there, though, but now this metaphor is all strained and soupy. Blech.

I'm still using my old Nokia 6010. It's got... Java games... and a calender... um, that's it. Wonder if I can put Linux on it...

trevorvdw 02/09/2010 4:32 AM
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Does the Nexus one have the same missing blue-tooth activated voice dialing that the Motorola droid does?

ohim 02/09/2010 8:36 AM
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Make an article about what phone i like to use ... seriously i don`t really care about what this guy likes or dislikes.

back_by_demand 02/09/2010 9:43 AM
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Who?

No seriously, what has he done recently. It's like watching Alan Turing walkibng through silicon valley thinking he's all that.

killblade 02/09/2010 12:23 PM
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He said he was not interested in the Nexus until they had pinch and zoom features – Features that are stolen from Iphone – Apple invented the whole thing and going by all the reviews it is still the best . Google has just stolen all of Apples ideas. How do they sleep at night knowing they are profiting off others genius. I heard Iphone is going to start using Bing search - so thats them finished.

back_by_demand 02/09/2010 1:13 PM
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killblade :
Apple invented the whole thing


Apart from the name, which they stole from Cisco
killblade :
How do they sleep at night knowing they are profiting off others genius


You are talking about Apple here, I assume, since they stole the GUI and mouse from Xerox, the Apple logo from the Beatles, the iPod menu system from Creative, the iPhone name from Cisco...
Not to mention stupidly frivilous lawsuits such as sueing New York City for using a "Big Apple" logo.

Anonymous 02/09/2010 1:30 PM
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Killblades never seen a Palm touch screen device(Old school device prob made before you were born)...not multiple touch btw but how much of a step is that and how can any one say they invented the whole thing when all they really have is good patent lawyer...Try and use the 'iPod or apple' name watch apple sue away then ask Fujitsu about their 'iPad' device (years old) and who owned the 'iPhone' name before apple just used it... Apple Sued the 'Beatles' over their use of the 'Apple on their record label'. The list just goes on and on and on. But please dont research just 'live the dream'.

eyemaster 02/09/2010 2:53 PM
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I got rid of my Home phone, I only use a Cel phone now. The truth is, you don't have to answer if you don't want to and you can turn the rigner off as well!

kyzar 02/09/2010 3:28 PM
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back_by_demand :
Who?No seriously, what has he done recently.



/boggle

Well he's still actually involved in quality kernel development - let's see, the first kernel of any O/S to natively support USB3 for example?

james_lankford 02/09/2010 3:52 PM
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back_by_demand :
Who?No seriously, what has he done recently. It's like watching Alan Turing walkibng through silicon valley thinking he's all that.



what a fucking idiot

back_by_demand 02/09/2010 5:02 PM
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kyzar :
/boggleWell he's still actually involved in quality kernel development - let's see, the first kernel of any O/S to natively support USB3 for example?


So he is one of about 10,000 other generic IT people. He isn't exactly Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

dman3k 02/09/2010 6:11 PM
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WheelsOfConfusion :
He is the Father of Linux. I think you mean he's not the father of GNU/Linux. You could definitely assign him partial custody there, though, but now this metaphor is all strained and soupy.

the fact that you believe GNU/Linux and Linux are separate entities shows how misinformed most people are. Linux = GNU/Linux. All Linus did was create the kernel, which is a very difficult task. I'm no fan of Richard Stallman's politics, but he deserves the credit.

necronic 02/09/2010 7:27 PM
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Seems to me like he has never really looked into what phones can do, and has only tried a couple. Which means his opinion is completely worthless.

Honestly for a guy like Torvald I would think something like the N900 would be more to his liking, as its the best (opinion)commercial techie phone and arguably the best and most open ended (opinion) implementation of Linux on a phone.

killblade 02/10/2010 10:27 AM
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Craig_1000 :
Killblades never seen a Palm touch screen device(Old school device prob made before you were born)...not multiple touch btw but how much of a step is that and how can any one say they invented the whole thing when all they really have is good patent lawyer...Try and use the 'iPod or apple' name watch apple sue away then ask Fujitsu about their 'iPad' device (years old) and who owned the 'iPhone' name before apple just used it... Apple Sued the 'Beatles' over their use of the 'Apple on their record label'. The list just goes on and on and on. But please dont research just 'live the dream'.



OK so Palm had a touch devise - but then Pinch and zoom was a Apple innovation - an innovation that was stolen - - Apple may have been inspired by Xerox in the beginning - but the two systems look different and the Apple OS has consistently been best to this day. Sorry I don’t want to rain on Nexuses parade but that’s just the way it is - It’s an Iphone copy. No use patting them self’s on the back for steeling.

back_by_demand 02/10/2010 12:46 PM
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killblade :
OK so Palm had a touch devise - but then Pinch and zoom was a Apple innovation - an innovation that was stolen - - Apple may have been inspired by Xerox in the beginning - but the two systems look different and the Apple OS has consistently been best to this day. Sorry I don’t want to rain on Nexuses parade but that’s just the way it is - It’s an Iphone copy. No use patting them self’s on the back for steeling.


So if Apple copy someone they are inspired.
But if Google copy someone it's stealing.
Hmm..........
Double standard?

killblade 02/11/2010 8:30 AM
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If Apple "Copy" something at least they copy it to make it better. Microsoft- Lynx - Android - nexus are always trying to catch up like 4 overweight joggers who smoke - holding there chests because there just about to have a heart attacks.

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