"In order for something to Catch On, it has to be standardized. Unfortunately, there is motivation for different companies to make their own little changes in order to restrict users to their own products. The best example of how to avoid this: Philips patented its audio cartridge to the teeth, but then granted everyone free use of the patent provided they adhered to the exact standard. The result has been the system's spectacular success, and Philips, rather than dominating a small market, has a share of a far larger market, and hence makes more money. That's a virtue-rewarded kind of story."

“I see Professionalism as a spreading disease of the present-day world, a sort of poly-oligarchy by which various groups can bring things to a halt if their particular demands are not met. Such lucky groups demand more in each go-round - but meantime, the number who are permanently unemployed grows and grows.”

“After all, dumbing down Xanadu sure worked well for Tim Berners-Lee!”

“I have long been alarmed by people’s sheeplike acceptance of the term ‘computer technology’ — it sounds so objective and inexorable — when most computer technology is really a bunch of ideas turned into conventions and packages.”

“Most people are fools, most authority is malignant, God does not exist, and everything is wrong.”

“The World Wide Web was precisely what we were trying to PREVENT— ever-breaking links, links going outward only, quotes you can't follow to their origins, no version management, no rights management.”

“A user interface should be so simple that a beginner in an emergency can understand it within 10 seconds.”