Torvalds gives props to Microsoft for sharing, Feb 26, 2008

Linus Torvalds, leader of the Linux kernel project that's among the best-known open-source threats to Windows, has words of praise for Microsoft's announcement last week that it would share some previously hard-to-get technology with open-source programmers.

Torvalds wasn't concerned about knowing who the contributors were working for: "I know they get paid for doing Linux work and as far as I am concerned, I interact with a person"

The Linux kernel has reached a level of maturity where it mostly goes unnoticed and acts like an "invisible magician in the background", according to Linus Torvalds.

“One of the things I did with Linux from very early on was when somebody sends me changes, they retain all copyright in those changes. I don’t have any more rights than anybody else,” he says. “Your rights when it comes to Linux are directly what you put into it.”

If Linus Torvalds stepped away from his position as coordinator of the Linux kernel, it is unlikely many people would notice, according to the man himself.

The Linux Foundation has posted the second half of its long and thorough interview with Linux founder Linus Torvalds, part of the Foundation's "open voices" podcast. While the first part of the interview focused on the Linux development community, this time Torvalds sounds off on everything from patents and innovation to the future of Linux.

Apple's much-touted new operating system, OS X Leopard, is in some ways worse than Windows Vista, says the founder of the Linux open source project, Linus Torvalds.

Microsoft's aggressive defense of its intellectual property, which includes claims that Linux violates a number of its patents, is nothing more than "a marketing thing," according to Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel.

The infrastructure and tools required to make Linux a green operating system are now in place, according to Linus Torvalds, who was in Melbourne this week attending Australia's largest Linux conference.

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