On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, Kenneth E. Lussier wrote:
> http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;sid=2001/4/1/222543/1168
I actually wrote up a point-by-point rebuttal, but when I was done, I
realized two things: First, that it would be one of many such rebuttals, and
second, that most of these counter-points were self-evident.
Upon further reflection, I think a bit of a trip down memory lane might be
much more educational for most people...
<cue clock spinning backwards cut scene>
It is now 1985. The term "hard disk" is what Mac users use to refer to
3.5-inch floppies. IBM compatible users all know that January 1, 1980, was a
Tuesday. Software is sold for "IBM-PC, Tandy, and 100% compatible" computers.
Major OEMs have their own, branded versions of MS-DOS. Windows does not
exist. 640 KB was enough for anybody.
The major force in home computing was... user groups. IBM-PC user groups.
People would get together, sometimes over pizza, sometimes over beer. They
would swap stories and tips, detail the adventures they had recently undergone
in getting this or that to work, evangelize their favorites in various
categories, and so on. Software was swapped freely -- most of it
legitimately. This is back in the heyday of shareware, when if you couldn't
afford Word Perfect, you used PC-Write. If you couldn't afford 1-2-3, you
used PC-Calc.
Sound familiar? Rather like a present-day Open Source OS, maybe?
If you told anybody that this crowd would be responsible for the single
largest period of economic growth in the history of the human race, you would
have been laughed out of town.
<return to present>
Nobody is laughing at PCs now. They do laugh at Linux, though. After all,
the major force behind Linux is the user groups.
Ha ha.
--
Ben Scott <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
| The opinions expressed in this message are those of the author and do not |
| necessarily represent the views or policy of any other person, entity or |
| organization. All information is provided without warranty of any kind. |
**********************************************************
To unsubscribe from this list, send mail to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] with the following text in the
*body* (*not* the subject line) of the letter:
unsubscribe gnhlug
**********************************************************
