Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2018 11:27:33 -0500 From: Alejandro Imass <aimass@yabarana.com> To: steve@sohara.org Cc: FreeBSD Questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: freebsd or linux Message-ID: <CAHieY7QPvOCEFuE=zvfD3JZ%2BwetfcW5w5R%2Bk_G%2BxzOTNs6UiAA@mail.gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20181211083449.2b0582960aad72bbed914ed0@sohara.org> References: <mailman.4254.1544437045.5224.freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> <efacbaca245398375b8994ddb37c3534.squirrel@webmail.harte-lyne.ca> <CAHieY7Ru_6BAJpwzxGLm4_EBDj3qJk=2_ZYjN__7-G6AAOmi2g@mail.gmail.com> <20181211041849.GA75666@geeks.org> <CAHieY7TCoSV-h92UJtff4HmMAqfe3Mgk=R26g1Xi%2Bpwuo6TUeA@mail.gmail.com> <20181211083449.2b0582960aad72bbed914ed0@sohara.org>
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On Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 3:36 AM Steve O'Hara-Smith <steve@sohara.org> wrote: > On Tue, 11 Dec 2018 00:51:31 -0500 > Alejandro Imass <aimass@yabarana.com> wrote: > > > But I wonder if the > > whole Free Software-later-Open Source movement would have played out in > > much the same way. Ironically, FreeBSD is more free than "Free Software" > > per the FSF-GPL. > > The GPL is older than Linux and the GNU software collection even > older (GNU Emacs dates to 1985, gcc to 1987, bash around the same time). I > had a GNU tape aroud 1988 which had GNU versions of most of the classic > unix tools including gcc and bash. By 1991 GNU was already a unix system in > search of a kernel. > > Yes, GNU is much older but was stalled and would not have gone anywhere without Linux, IMO anyway. Actually, Linux not only put GNU and GPL on the map, but it fundamentally changed the mindset of the Cathedral development into the Bazaar (borrowing the terms coined by ESR's musings), and also changed the corporate mindset into opening up, and brought to surface some fundamental issues in intellectual property (e.g. software patents), amongst many other things. FreeBSD still bears some of the Cathedral model but I wonder if Linus was actually truthful about 386BSD, and the story would have played out with FBSD, then would "Open Source" (per OSF definition) have evolved in much the same way? Maybe not, maybe the corporates would have stepped in way earlier because of the BSD license. Maybe Mozilla would have never happened, who knows. Anyway, my point is that the timing was so close that it's really curious. Call it collective subconsciousness, noospheric sewer, quantum entanglement (much like when Calculus was 'invented' simultaneously), or maybe it was just east vs. west coast bullshit (MIT vs. Berkley), or Linus' ego, plain and simple. LOL. In any case Jobs (or someone close to him) chose BSD, and IMHO they made a great choice. Best, Alex
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