ComputerWorld: Torvalds emphasizes user input

"...Linus Torvalds told a Comdex audience of thousands yesterday that user needs are the key motivation for continually improving the free, open-source operating system.

As Linux has become more of a commercial product and moved into corporate information technology settings, users who aren't developers have become a driving force in its development, Torvalds said in his speech.

In the past year, he said, user demands have taken over for purely technological interests in guiding the operating system's development. 'Users and what users want is really starting to show up on the radar,' he said. He cited how Linux's graphical interfaces have emphasized ease of use and even sought to mimic Windows to flatten the learning curve for new users."

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