"This quote is taken
from the much-publicized
Torvalds-Tanenbaum "flame war" following the initial
release of Linux. In the process of defending his
choice of a nonportable monolithic kernel design,
Torvalds says he started working on Linux as a way to
learn more about his new 386 PC. "If the GNU kernel had
been ready last spring, I'd not have bothered to even
start my project." See Chris DiBona et al., Open
Sources (O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1999): 224.
Like many, Murdock knew the opportunities that had
been squandered. He also knew the excitement of
watching new opportunities come seeping out of the very
fabric of the Internet.
"Being involved with Linux in those early days was
fun," recalls Murdock. "At the same time, it was
something to do, something to pass the time. If you go
back and read those old [comp.os.minix] exchanges,
you'll see the sentiment: this is something we can play
with until the HURD is ready. People were anxious. It's
funny, but in a lot of ways, I suspect that Linux would
never have happened if the HURD had come along more quickly.
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