Linus Torvalds
I'd argue that everybody wants to do something that matters, and the fact that Linux has had a huge impact on the tech market and is used virtually everywhere is obviously very personally satisfying. I think programming is fun, and the community around the kernel is great, but a project has to be relevant too.Collection: Fun
I obviously think that freely available software can not only keep up with the evolution of commercial software, but often exceed what you can do commercially.Collection: Thinking
Being open source meant that I could work on the technical side (along with lots of other people), and others who had the interest and inclination could start up companies around it.Collection: People
Me trying to make a business around Linux would have been a total disaster.Collection: Trying
On a purely technical side, I'm really very happy with how Linux gets used in a very wide set of different areas. It's important for development.Collection: Important
I changed the Linux copyright license to be the GPL some time in the first half of 1992. Mostly because I had hated the lack of a cheaply and easily available UNIX when I had looked for one a year before.Collection: Years
Other people have other goals, and sometimes the BSD style licenses are better for those goals. I personally tend to prefer the GPL, but that really doesn't mean that the GPL is any way inherently superior - it depends on what you want the license to do.Collection: Mean