From: Hallam-Baker <hallam@ai.mit.edu>
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 07:21:33 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: SCO giving free licenses to UNIX OpenServer
In-Reply-To: <5025qi$k65@life.ai.mit.edu>
Message-ID: <322B4E8E.41C6@ai.mit.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Eric Murray wrote:
> 
> Scottauge@aol.com writes:

> > Read, Understand, and Delight... Microsoft maybe in trouble at last.
> 
> I doubt it.  People don't use Microsoft products because
> of their quality or functionality.

Errmm.. hate to disappoint but SCO UNIX started life as Xenix which
was written by Microsoft in the dark ages. 


> > This is for single user home based UNIX systems.
> 
> Single-user UNIX isn't all that useful.

Multi-user ain't much better. Listen to the guys who built it. UNIX
is a program development environment. In the early years it was
interesting because there was source available, that ceased to be
the case years ago.

Today Linux probably represents the future of the UNIX familly, it
allows people who want to hack at the OS level access to the sources
of a fully functioning OS. This allows people to add in new kernel
features, schedulers and other exotica without having to write a
whole new O/S.

Just don't confuse it with "home computing", this is geek computing
and you better have a lot of interest in computing to use it. Home
computing is the market for users who need a system thats simpler
than a VCR or they can't use it. At one time that meant Apple, today
it means Microsoft, it will never mean Linux - not unless someone
can make Linux much much simpler than it is at present and provide
decent WISIWIG tools such as editors etc. designed for use by aunt
Ethel.


		Phill