KernelTrap: Linus On Specifications Oct 3, 2005, 13 :45 UTC (14 Talkback[s]) (4449 reads)
"In a conversation that began as a request to include the SAS Transport Layer in the mainline Linux kernel, there was an interesting thread regarding specifications. Linux creator Linus Torvalds began the discussion saying, 'a 'spec' is close to useless. I have _never_ seen a spec that was both big enough to be useful _and_ accurate. And I have seen _lots_ of total crap work that was based on specs. It's _the_ single worst way to write software, because it by definition means that the software was written to match theory, not reality.'
"Linus went on to list two reasons to avoid specifications when writing software. First, 'they're dangerously wrong. Reality is different, and anybody who thinks specs matter over reality should get out of kernel programming NOW...'"
