[GTALUG] ​Can the Internet exist without Linux? | ZDNet

[Alvin Starr]

I have to admit I am not quite sure if I agree with you completely.

The problem that the early BSD variants faced was AT&T licensing.
If there was only BSD around it may have stayed closed for a long time 
even to today.

What Linux brought to the table was a platform that was Unix like but 
did not depend on any previous encumbered code.

Eventually linux developed enough of a following that the value for 
AT&T,SCO,Microsoft et al had no real value in trying to hold on to the 
rights.

The trouble is that Linux is the culmination of lots of other peoples work.
If RMS had not written GCC and the various Unix command line tools I 
doubt if Linux would exist as it does today.
If tens of thousands of developers had not gifted application software 
to the project then Linux would be a nice little university students 
project and just about as popular as Minix.

It would be much better to label that commercial as the world without FOSS.

So yes the url posted could never be held up as an example of "truth in 
advertising".
But on the other hand I don't think that there is any living example of 
"truth in advertising".


On 01/12/2016 10:43 PM, ted leslie wrote:
> ​
> Totally disagree with Steve on this one.
> In 96-97 I set up an ISP, and bsdi was one of the top choices.
> It was about 1000$ from what I remember, and cheaper​ ​for
> a workstation, and cheaper in bulk buys
> (digiboard drivers wo
> ​rked​
> well on it, over linux at the time as well).
>
> In tech support, a few times I called up, I actually talked to to the 
> likes of Kolstad
> ​, etc, so it was a
> small shop at the time, and prices would have dropped if sales were 
> very high volume.​
> ​ (i was cust ~#2000 ish)
> If Linux didn't come along, BSDI and other player would have had to 
> drop prices, and if Linux didn't come in, another would have, i.e. RMS 
> and herd , etc.
> ​ Who is to say in a few years even BSDi could have done "free",
> with a nice gig for paid support, etc.​
> So at best Linux bought us a year (Still a great thing that is!), but 
> not anything like the what the article says. If Linux never saw the 
> light of day, the internet would be exactly as it is today, maybe 
> Android would be a bit different :) but the internet would be the same.
> ​
> ​
> ​
> Am I biased!!  ​used Linux/GNU/X for over a decade as my main desktop,
> ​ servers for 15+ years​
> etc, but I am also a realist
> ​,
> steve is smoking crack on this one
> ​ big time.​
> ​
>
> -tl
>
> On Tue, Jan 12, 2016 at 10:01 PM, James Knott <james.knott at rogers.com 
> <mailto:james.knott at rogers.com>> wrote:
>
>
>     http://www.zdnet.com/article/can-the-internet-exist-without-linux/
>
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-- 
Alvin Starr                   ||   voice: (905)513-7688
Netvel Inc.                   ||   Cell:  (416)806-0133
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