--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the major good idea in Unix was…" description: "\"I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.\" — Ken Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg" --- # I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and… ![“I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.” quote by Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg) > “I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.” [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unix’s strength lies in its minimal, consistent commands that let users manipulate files efficiently. **In simple terms:** Simple file actions make powerful computing. Key Takeaway Use simple tools, combine them. Themes simplicity engineering efficiency Mood practical technical Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - modern APIs - cloud services - mobile apps Key Concepts file systems command line software design Questions to Reflect On - What simple command could replace a complex task? - How does minimalism affect learning? A Different Perspective Simplicity may limit advanced features. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [Design a clear and simple interface. The primary task of the interface is to present the player with a choice of the available actions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-mechner/design-a-clear-and-simple-interface-the-primary-task-of-the-interface/) [Jordan Mechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-mechner/) > [It's true that compared with the scene when Unix started, today the ecological niches are fairly full, and fresh new OS ideas are harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/it-s-true-that-compared-with-the-scene-when-unix-started-today-the/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [What I actually admire in Perl is its ability to provide a very successful abstraction of the horrible mess that is collectively called Unix.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-naggum/what-i-actually-admire-in-perl-is-its-ability-to-provide-a-very/) [Erik Naggum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-naggum/) > [Huh? Windows was designed to keep the idiots away from Unix so we could hack in peace. Let's not break that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-christiansen/huh-windows-was-designed-to-keep-the-idiots-away-from-unix-so-we/) Tom Christiansen > [I came of technical age with UNIX, where I learned with power-greedy pleasure that you could kill a system right out from under yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/i-came-of-technical-age-with-unix-where-i-learned-with-power-greedy/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [“The history of Unix should have prepared us for what we’re learning from Linux (and what I’ve verified experimentally on a smaller scale by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-history-of-unix-should-have-prepared-us-for-what-we-re-learning/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [Obviously, the person who had most influence on my career was Ken Thompson. Unix was basically his, likewise C's predecessor, likewise much of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-ritchie/obviously-the-person-who-had-most-influence-on-my-career-was-ken/) [Dennis Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-ritchie/) > [The mass culture of childhood right now is astonishingly technical. Little kids know their Unix path punctuation so they can get around the Web,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaron-lanier/the-mass-culture-of-childhood-right-now-is-astonishingly-technical/) [Jaron Lanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaron-lanier/) > [Obviously Linux owes its heritage to UNIX, but not its code. We would not, nor will not, make such a claim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darl-mcbride/obviously-linux-owes-its-heritage-to-unix-but-not-its-code-we-would/) [Darl McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darl-mcbride/) > [“There are two major products that come out of Berkeley: LSD and UNIX. We don’t believe this to be a coincidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-s-anderson/there-are-two-major-products-that-come-out-of-berkeley-lsd-and-unix/) Jeremy S. Anderson > [In my experience, telling someone to switch Unix shells for ease of use is like telling him to switch cigarette brands for his health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-espinosa/in-my-experience-telling-someone-to-switch-unix-shells-for-ease-of/) Chris Espinosa > [Unix is a junk OS designed by a committee of PhDs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-cutler/unix-is-a-junk-os-designed-by-a-committee-of-phds/) Dave Cutler > [Unix gives you just enough rope to hang yourself - and then a couple of more feet, just to be sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allman/unix-gives-you-just-enough-rope-to-hang-yourself-and-then-a-couple-of/) [Eric Allman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allman/) > [Unix is back in vogue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murphy-j-foster-jr/unix-is-back-in-vogue/) Murphy J. Foster, Jr > [“VI was predecessor to hundreds of word processing systems. By now, Unix folks see it as a bit stodgy—it hasn’t the versatility of Gnu-Emacs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-stoll/vi-was-predecessor-to-hundreds-of-word-processing-systems-by-now-unix/) [Clifford Stoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-stoll/) ## More by Ken Thompson > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [There's a lot of power in executing data - generating data and executing data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-executing-data-generating-data-and/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One is that the perfect garden can be created overnight, which it can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-is-that-the-perfect-garden-can-be-created-overnight-which-it-can-t/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I am a programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-am-a-programmer/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It's always good to take an orthogonal view of something. It develops ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-s-always-good-to-take-an-orthogonal-view-of-something-it-develops/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft - a backlash against Microsoft, no more and no less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-view-linux-as-something-that-s-not-microsoft-a-backlash-against/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-is-only-the-inadequacy-of-the-criminal-code-that-saves-the-hackers/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Grant, if we edited Fortran, I assume that you'd put a column thing in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/grant-if-we-edited-fortran-i-assume-that-you-d-put-a-column-thing-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [If you want to go somewhere, goto is the best way to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/if-you-want-to-go-somewhere-goto-is-the-best-way-to-get-there/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I don't think there are many people up in research who have strong ideas about things that they haven't really had experience with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-don-t-think-there-are-many-people-up-in-research-who-have-strong/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [We tried to avoid, you know, records. We were told over and over that was probably the most serious mistake and the reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/we-tried-to-avoid-you-know-records-we-were-told-over-and-over-that/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [In fact, we started off with two or three different shells and the shell had life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/in-fact-we-started-off-with-two-or-three-different-shells-and-the/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [The average gardener probably knows little about what is going on in his or her garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/the-average-gardener-probably-knows-little-about-what-is-going-on-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) [Explore all 41 Ken Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Thompson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/879/ken-thompson-15903_books_i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was_1048241.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.” — Ken Thompson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Thompson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the major good idea...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```