Torvalds&#x27; argument makes for a nice quote but reality tells a different story: If people just wanted a reliable compiler they would use the oldest compiler they could find which is able to compile their code. If it is old all bugs, problems and faults are known. You know how to work around them and nothing can surprise you anymore. The performance may not be great, it may be a bit of a pain to do some things, but you know it all, so it is not great, but reliable.<p>What people really want is something which is reliable <i>and</i> smart <i>and</i> fast <i>and</i> .. people love smart compilers&#x2F;programs&#x2F;whatever, only when those programs fail them they cry &quot;why did you try in the first place? No one wants this&quot;<p>There&#x27;s a thin line between smart and crazy. Trying to be always on the right side is one of the hardest parts of software design.