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Reader comments
markJul 20, 2004 at 4:29PM
interesting article.
I think one point that is not mentioned is the importance of the Free Software Foundation and the GNU (http://www.gnu.org/) tools and software that helped make Linux a viable system. Linus had developed the Linux Kernel, and the GNU tools were the missing peice(s) needed to create a complete and functioning operating system. Richard Stallman seems to be a stickler when he insist on the term GNU/Linux, but it is an important distinction.
Truly the GNU tools and software are the workforce of many UNIXes in use today.
barlowJul 21, 2004 at 10:50AM
It didn't look like C was the language superimposed over the photo montage on the right with Ritchie's face. I could be wrong.
Dr. DowellJul 21, 2004 at 1:51PM
Mark, your a communist. Linux is the bastard stepchild taking all the glory from the founders of unix.
Linus is a toe-headed copy-cat.
KarlJul 22, 2004 at 3:14AM
What is lightly touched on in the article is the modesty of the principals involved in these early innovations. I recently had the pleasure to dine with Ken Thompson at a dinner party. He is still a geek/nerd in love with "beauty" of technology. He never once tooted his horn about his past accomplishment. The amount of original work done by true engineer/geeks in the early days at places like Bell Labs and Xerox Parc may never duplicated. Today's companies are too short-term driven by quarterly profit statements to be truly innovative. Today, it seems we are doomed to only making evolutionary gains and not the revolutionary new inventions of yesteryear.
dennisJul 23, 2004 at 1:07PM
Dr. Dowell: Mark was referring to GNU tools, not linux itself. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Lessons learned from the likes of Amiga and, to an extent, Apple, we can see that an OS without a far-reaching library of applications/tools may squander its potential.
Karl: Extremely well said. Very few people are solving problems any more; only expectations.
This thread is closed to new comments. Thanks to everyone who responded.