Microsoft: we were wrong about open source

LOL
OG TC
 


Microsoft: It's all about market share, and influence on the market share that they don't have. They are not friends of Linux, "friendly" language notwithstanding.

Apple/Mac: They carved out a "market share" with exclusivity; remember their completely unique hardware in the '80s. Then they built on it with snob appeal, and school donations. Now they are worth billions.

Linux: take an old standard PC, install some Linux, it works. I've done that since I found that old RedHat 5.2 boxed set in the thrift store 25+ years ago. And I still have that set as a reminder of when freedom started.
 
Nik,

Some in politics have a rejoinder that goes, "if you don't want an X, then don't buy and X."

Now it was true that in the era of 1998, for the most part, if you wanted a computer, you would have to go to a big box store, select one, pay for it and take it home. A big chunk of the purchase price was the tribute paid to Redmond. (Back in those days, at least, they gave you a fully operational install disk of Win 95 or 98, which just as often came bundled with a broad assortment of software, including games like DEADLY TIDE, MAGIC CARPET, and FURY III).

But in that same timeframe, there were catalogs of computer components similar to COMPUTER SHOPPER where someone who had their own OS could buy their own components and roll their own machine. And it was in this timeframe, I did exactly that, purchasing a CYRIX CPU and a Chinese built main board, with a bewildering array of jumpers and dip switches.

A little bit earlier, I had just graduated and during job search, paid the bills by selling business machines. We had one customer who would grill me as to what sort of hardware was in any particular machine. When I got to the part about bundled OS and software, he waived that away, saying that whatever was on there was going to get wiped off and replaced by Linux.
 
@Nik-Ken-Bah - Davy I put a love on that vid at #20, I had not seen it, and wish I had over 20 years ago, seen the story of Refund Day. :) In the vid, at 1:23 is an appearance, by, I am sure, Richard Stallman.

Stallman.png


SCREENIE 1 - IS THIS STALLMAN

The real Richard Stallman is below

stallman-himself.jpg


SCREENIE 2 - AND HE DOES WEAR GLASSES IN MANY SHOTS

For those unaware, Stallman set up GNU - which means GNU is Not Unix, and it was to him that Linus Torvalds took the Linux Kernel for approval in 1992. Linux is the kernel, GNU/Linux is the OS.

Stallman also set up the FSF - Free Software Foundation and was its President for many years, and is responsible for championing FOSS - Free & Open Source Software.

Many Linux Distros are licensed under the GNU General Public Licence, or GPL, although some these days favour the MIT licence or others.

He also coined the word "copyleft" for an alternative to copyright.

Thanks, too, to new Member, @vlmhardy , for starting this Thread. :)

Chris Turner
wizardfromoz
 

Members online


Latest posts

Top