Re: [tlug] shell scripts

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <stephen@example.com>]

>>>>> "Brett" == Brett Robson <b-robson@example.com> writes:

    Brett> You had me up to BSE, I mean BSD, then I suddenly lost
    Brett> interest.

Last I checked the TLUG server was _not_ running Linux.  Given the "I
wish I had time" traffic that seems to be 95% of tlug-admin, I'm
willing to bet we've still got you.  ;-)

I don't run BSD myself at the moment (except by accident of my Mac,
which I bought for the GUI, not the underlying OS), but there's no
question in my mind that Cal[1] deserves as much credit for the
availability of free software today as GNU does; they're the ones who
fought the legal battles[2] back when rms was a small voice crying from
the bathroom at the AI Lab.  Although one of the Bills (Joy or Jolitz,
I forget) is on record as saying that GNU was the inspiration for the
extension of the Berkeley software distribution from a random
selection to a full operating system, McKusick doesn't seem to
remember it that way in his essay in _Open Sources_.  Rather, they
seem to have responded to the threat from USL in the usual hacker way;
they coded around it.

And of course the BSD guys actually did produce a full usable-by-non-
kernel-hackers OS, unlike GNU or Linus.  It's a good thing that a guy
with a kernel met up with an OS that lacked one.  ;-)

    Brett> Emacs seems to be burned into an after-image.

    Brett> JIHAD!

Nah.  Some people can hack Emacs, some can't.


Footnotes: 
[1]  This is a Stanford PhD speaking; pay attention.  No, not to the
degree, to the _rivalry_.  Dirty golden bear....

[2]  You know, the ones that say that BSD "Unix" is entirely
unencumbered by the copyright SCO alleges to own.


-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN
               Ask not how you can "do" free software business;
              ask what your business can "do for" free software.