Before Quote by Brian Behlendorf
“I won't sit here and say an Open Source project will do things faster than a closed source, but one of the reasons why is that it sits on a whole lot of things that came before it.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Open Source Evolution, 2020
Open source builds on many prior contributions, so speed gains come from collective foundations, not just openness.
In simple terms: Open source leverages past work.
Key Takeaway
Leverage existing tools for faster results.
Themes
technology
collaboration
innovation
heritage
open source
Mood
pragmatic
analytical
Type
technical
strategic
When to use this quote
- starting a new project
- updating legacy code
- community contributions
Key Concepts
software engineering
knowledge reuse
ecosystem dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- What existing resources can accelerate your project?
- When does reliance on past work hinder innovation?
A Different Perspective
Dependency on prior work can limit originality.
