On Wed, Dec 13, 2000 at 05:51:58PM +0000, Dermot McGahon mentioned:
> It's not true that without the FSF, the BSD zoo, Linux and open source
> that we wouldn't all be working with proprietary tools and equipment?
> I think it is true. Yes there was a computers industry but it was
> proprietary. Things cost a fortune that can be achieved very cheaply
> these days.
I think it would have happened anyway. The computer industry was in a
transition from liberal to getting very very proprietary. There were tens
of thousands of people that wanted to keep free software. They coagulated
around the figureheads like Stallman, got GNU going, kept BSD going. And
then upstarts like me piped in, when most of the work was done. It didn't
really matter who the figureheads were, just that they were there. (and
no, I'm not diminishing their contributions to our community, but I am
saying it wasn't all thanks to them).
> If you are not part of the revolution in your twenties you have no
> heart. If you are not part of the establishment in your thirties you
> have no brain.
Four legs good, two legs bad.
Kate
--
When I say 'free', I mean 'free': free from bond, of chain or command:
to go where you will, even to Mordor, Saruman, if you desire. "
-- Gandalf, paraphrasing the choice between Free and Non-free software
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