From: "David E. Smith" <dsmith@prairienet.org>
Date: Tue, 3 Sep 1996 16:25:30 +0800
To: hallam@ai.mit.edu
Subject: Re: SCO giving free licenses to UNIX OpenServer
Message-ID: <199609030411.XAA28740@bluestem.prairienet.org>
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To: hallam@ai.mit.edu, cypherpunks@toad.com
Date: Mon Sep 02 23:01:35 1996
> > 
> > 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. 
> 

Concur.  Microsoft products are used not necessarily because of
quality or functionality (which are often dubious, but
very occasionally present), but because of user interface and/or
market share.

> 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.

I still like FreeBSD.  Similar functionality, similar availability-
of-source, but very slightly easier to install/run/manage/play with.
Similarly free.

(FreeBSD was able to find my modem, something I couldn't get Linux
to do after most of an hour.  Of course I'm a *nix novice for the
most part.)

> 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.

I'm not sure about that... X-Windows seems to have a decent interface,
runs on Linux, hell, most any *nix you care to name, and has some
decent editors available.  (Or, there's always emacs, but aunt
Ethel might not grok emacs too well.  I don't :)



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