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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.rmit.EDU.AU!news.unimelb.EDU.AU!munnari.OZ.AU!spool.mu.edu!howland.reston.ans.net!gatech!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in1.uu.net!en.com!op.net!candle.pha.pa.us!not-for-mail From: root@candle.pha.pa.us (Bruce Momjian) Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy Subject: Re: Historic Opportunity facing Free Unix (was Re: The Lai/Baker paper, benchmarks, and the world of free UNIX) Followup-To: comp.os.linux.development.system,comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,comp.os.linux.advocacy Date: 15 Apr 1996 04:00:51 GMT Organization: a consultant's basement Lines: 30 Message-ID: <4kshlj$gku@picasso.op.net> References: <4ki055$60l@Radon.Stanford.EDU> <jdd.829261293@cdf.toronto.edu> <yfglok14n5r.fsf@time.cdrom.com> <31702487.420C2193@lambert.org> NNTP-Posting-Host: s1-03.ppp.op.net X-Newsreader: TIN [UNIX 1.3 950824BETA PL0] Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.system:21313 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:575 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:3171 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:2983 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:17271 comp.os.linux.advocacy:45333 I have given some thought to the failure of Unix on the desktop. IMHO, Unix never had a chance for two reasons: 1) How many operating systems have tens or hundreds of thousands of commercial software packages available? The PC running Microsoft. Maybe the Mac. What else? This fact seems to be often forgotten. While Unix has a sizable number of supported applications compared to the mainframe and minicomputers it has replaced, it can hardly compete with the installed base of millions of PC's or Mac's. 2) What does Unix offer Joe average user? Lots of power and flexibility, but with it, lots of complexity. Odds are that an average user who just wants to get his job done will find the added complexity is not worth it. Unix is great for users who have few commerical application needs or wish to accept the complexity of an OS for added flexibilty and power. For the average Joe user, Unix has too little software and too much complexity. [ Add the SVr4 general bugginess/slowness, and Unixware never even had a chance with Novell at the helm. ] -- Bruce Momjian | 830 Blythe Avenue root@candle.pha.pa.us | Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026 + If your life is a hard drive, | (610) 353-9879(w) + Christ can be your backup. | (610) 853-3000(h)