[ale] meeting

[Jason Day]

On Mon, Aug 11, 2003 at 04:12:10PM -0400, Geoffrey wrote:
> Robert L. Harris wrote:
> 
> >Without M$ we would have what?  No viable desktop.
> 
> What?  So you're saying that without M$, Linux would not have existed? 

Actually, that might be an accurate statement.  Linus has said that he
started writing linux because he wasn't happy with any of the OSes at
the time.  If there had been no Microsoft, there might have been an OS
that was worth using, and Linus might not have gotten the particular
itch that became what we know and love today as Linux.

> Apple, would not have existed?

Wasn't Apple around before Microsoft?  I know I learned BASIC on an
Apple (something... ][g maybe?) before IBM came out with the PC.

> 
> Come on.  There are all kinds of inovative folks out there that would 
> not only have come up with the concept, but done a hell of better job.

No doubt.  Amiga, in particular, springs to mind, but I don't know if MS
had more to do with it's demise than Commodore.

Regardless, the PC landscape would be vastly different today.  Without
the evil empire, would the Open Source movement have been embraced so
enthusiastically?
-- 
Jason Day                                       jasonday at
http://jasonday.home.att.net                    worldnet dot att dot net
 
"Of course I'm paranoid, everyone is trying to kill me."
    -- Weyoun-6, Star Trek: Deep Space 9
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