From:	Drekhead <drekhead@***.NET>
Subject:	Re: "Free" Software (was: Euro question)
Date:	Fri, 1 May 1998 12:07:28 -0500

On 1 May 98 at 11:34, Brett Borger wrote:

> In addition, how many Mega's are going to seriously consider any new
> system a threat until it proves that it can be one?

That is the case today. Linux has been busy plugging along for
several years, because MS never considered it a threat. Now Linux is
getting enough attention to become one, and MS is finally taking
notice.

I think the OS war has become a moot point in the SR era for one
reason: the crash of '29. Something that serious forced everyone to
work together to get over it. I see programmers and engineers from
all sides getting together to solve the problem. This integration of
ideas developed into the UMS system used in the SR world that we
know. The crash was a global crisis. In order to get the world back
online, this new global, corporate and government partner developed
OS was adopted by all, because of its support, security and
ease of use. And it was free. I'm sure there were attempts to
develop something else, but those attempts quickly died at the hands
of this free OS that everyone was using. Why buy something, when what
you can get for free works? This model grew in popularity until even
the thought of paying for an OS or using something else became a
silly concept.

Of course, that's all IMHO.

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