2009/2/20 ray holroyd <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ray.holroyd@homecall.co.uk">ray.holroyd@homecall.co.uk</a>></span><br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
I find the analogy between Linux and Christianity rather profound.<br>
My allusion to the "cart before the horse" was on a more basic level, in<br>
that, in order for it to be launched free software needs a platform, and<br>
Linux is that platform.</blockquote><div></div><div>The fact that Linux is the most widely used kernel by the majority of advocates of free software is more a historical accident than anything else.</div><div></div><div>
If HERD hadn't have been so chronically late, or if Tanenbaum's microkernel was better licensed and faster, or if BSD hadn't been embroiled in legal disputes then we could well have all been running something entirely different today. Linux is the embodyment of the phrase:</div>
<div><blockquote>"Perfect is the enemey of good enough."</blockquote></div><div>Linus produced something that worked well enough, early enough, to boot-strap a successful free software kernel effort. </div><div>
</div><div>There's an important point to be raised here. If Linux succeeded in destroying Window and OS X and Linux based operating systems had a market share of 98%, that would be just as bad a thing for the industry as the current Microsoft monopoly.</div>
<div></div><div>The four freedoms of the Free Software Movement are really all about preserving and nurturing competition, which in turn means that developers and users alike can choose the best software for them. I believe that this competition makes software better. This is one of the reasons that free software projects are higher quality than their closed source counterparts.</div>
<div></div><div>I would like to see a world where OS X and Windows still exist but with strong competition from Linux, BSD and even ReactOS. </div><div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;">
<br>
In fact my point in asking the original question "What is the primary<br>
function of a LUG" was to ascertain whether members thought that the<br>
primary function was to bring Linux to the masses, or as a focal point<br>
for compu-geeks to air their views.</blockquote><div> </div><div>I doubt very much that LUGs by themselves are capable of launching Linux as a household name. But they're certainly a part of that movement.</div><div>
</div><div>I think widening the focus to "cool stuff with computers" makes LUGs more engaging and attracts a wider audience. If that wider audience causes an increase in free software adoption, than that's a nice side-effect. </div>
<div></div><div>Simon</div>