At a recent Linux conference in Melbourne, Australia, Linus Torvalds said the following about Windows Vista and Mac OS X.
“I don’t think they’re equally flawed – I think Leopard is a much better system. [But] OS X in some ways is actually worse than Windows to program for. Their file system is complete and utter crap, which is scary.”
It must be weird being the guy behind a famous open source operating system. He probably shakes his head in disbelief at the thought of people paying money for operating systems that he considers inferior to Linux.
He also took issue with how new versions of operating systems often force people into upgrading their hardware and buying new versions of applications they already use, saying “an operating system should be completely invisible,” not “a way to control the whole environment…to force people to upgrade their applications and hardware.”
So is he happy with anything? Yes. He likes how much Linux is showing up in UMPC and other ultraportable devices like the OLPC and the Asus Eee. He also likes that Linux has made some significant advances as far as power consumption and green computing are concerned.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025
Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Hugging Face, Elad Gil, Vinod Khosla — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before doors open to save up to $444.
And finally, he likes Google. After calling Google a “black hole” for talented programmers, he’s now impressed with its commitment to open source initiatives.
Torvalds pans Apple with ‘utter crap’ putdown [Sydney Morning Herald]