[Wylug-discuss] Thos. W. Ward

[Richard Ibbotson]

On Thursday 27 Jun 2013 21:14:26 you wrote:
> My understanding is that most software was open source until the
> 1970s because the universities who maintained most of it shared bug
> hunting and patching with users and IBM relied on users to share
> their expertise to develop their software.
> 
> It was only with the arrival of software that was independent of the
> hardware in the 1970s that closed source became the norm.
> 
> Or have I missed something?

Dunno.. what I experienced was that most of the software that was 
around in the 70's was so closed source that if you mentioned software 
to anyone then you got a Special Branch officer following you around 
immediately.  Almost as if the word software was officially secret in 
itself. So, there was a realisation in academic circles that something 
open source was required to replace the old order of secrecy.

What do I mean by that ?  The people I knew in Manchester who worked 
for ICL told me that any software was produced by a Government 
department.  Which was ICL  They said.  That because of this there 
were two issues.  One of them was that you couldn't do anything 
without MI5 and MI6 recording everything that you were doing.  Other 
thing was that if you were a trusted ICL employee in Manchester you 
could do what you liked.  One is a contrast and a contradiction of the 
other but there ya go.  At a later time ICL empoyees were arrested for 
running their own businesses around despartments which didn't exist. 
Another tax free swindle.  Courtesy of Harold Wilson and James 
Callaghan

An example ?  Mark Ashton.  Who is no longer with us due to drugs and 
alcohol and other nasties.  Mark fixed his own social security records.  
At that time 1974-1978 all civil service records were kept at ICL in 
Manchester. So Mark was working for ICL in Manchester and was never 
seen there due to the fact that he was claiming unemployment and 
disability benefit at the same time as working for ICL.  I was stood 
next to him at Derbyshire and Lancashire Gliding Club all of that 
time.  He spent his £1000 a week of tax free tax payers money on flying 
gliders.  He paid his doctor for regular back injury claims so that 
the whole scam held itself together.  Mark was the son of Ken Ashton 
the NUJ secretary

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2002/sep/30/nationalunionofjournalists.mediaunions

-- 
Richard

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