[Gllug] GLLUG ->Gnu Linux London Users Group

[Nix]

On Wed, 20 Feb 2002, Dan Kolb yowled:
> On Wednesday 20 Feb 2002 08:56 am, Nix wrote:
>> tactic I'd expect of someone who was using Linux `to get away from
>> Microsoft', not because Windows is closed, constraining, or restrictive,
>> but merely because it is successful; the tactic of a ten-year-old (and I
>> fear I'm maligning some ten-year-olds).
> 
> If I was getting away from something merely because it was successful, I'd be 
> using OS2 ;-)

OS/2 was too popular. Try Plan 9 ;)

>> >                                  That sort of fanaticism put me off using
>> > it,
>> >                             Yes, I may be being arsey here, but I have a
>>
>> `Bloody stupid' is what I'd describe it as. You can always find idiots
>> and rabid frothing zealots supporting any system; indeed, I have
>> tendencies that way myself (although I try to add some *reason* to my
>> arguments ;) )
> 
> I have no problem with reasoned arguments, until they fall into the 'mine is 
> better than yours. Nyerrr' category.

Same here.

> Okay. I probably went OTT in saying 'never use it'. If I get an appropriate 

I thought that might be true :)

I have no objections to people saying `I'll never use it because I'm
happy with what I'm using' or `I'll never use it because it sucks'; but
`I'll never use it because people who advocate it are morons' is, I
think, bad, because it doesn't actually evaluate the project and there's
nothing the developers can do to fix that.

> opportunity, I may well try it *digs out copy of VMWare*. I do like to try as 

In the olden days, I'd do it with a chroot. These days, well, what else
is the user-mode linux project for?

`Get out of *this* jail, sucker!'

>> I expect the BSDs would have been going by now, but if they'd had to
>> start by writing a toolchain back in '92 or thereabouts, I doubt that
>> they'd have got something reasonably useful before '96.
> 
> I thought that they didn't get going for a long time because of copyright 
> lawsuits, or some other silly thing from AT&T.

Quite so; and it would have been even nastier if they'd had to start
from an even earlier point.

(Bear in mind that the AT&T-copyrighted source had to be removed,
including the toolchain.)

>                                                In the meantime, Linus wrote 
> Linux, and because that wasn't encumbered in any way, people started using it 
> instead of BSD.

Fighting words there ;}

>> <opinion type=flameworthy>
>> There might be free software, but corporate entities would always have
>> been hiving off it, taking the high points and keeping them for their
>> own good, then turning them against us. The more GPLed code there is,
>> the less likely that becomes; and a good thing too.
>> </opinion>
> 
> Like Microsoft apparently taking the FreeBSD IP stack and sticking it into 
> Windows 2000?

Exactly that, yes. (And most other network-capable Windows
implementations, too.)

> Dan - who really should be revising Physics as he's got Finals next week

But this is the traditional method of passing exams, isn't it? Revise by
avoiding revision as hard as possible?

-- 
`The classical music makes him feel tranquil and loved so he performs
 regularly. What a life for a guy. He gets to make love every day with
 an artificial cow.'

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