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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.rmit.EDU.AU!goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au!yallara!ashelton From: ashelton@yallara.cs.rmit.EDU.AU (A Shelton) 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) Date: 27 Apr 1996 03:43:09 GMT Organization: Comp Sci, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia Lines: 34 Message-ID: <4ls54d$8sq@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> References: <NELSON.96Apr15010553@ns.crynwr.com> <yfgbuktfn1w.fsf@time.cdrom.com> <4l89ov$g5i@river.biddeford.com> <31784FD9.28AA98F6@lambert.org> <4lmdpp$qg4@river.biddeford.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au NNTP-Posting-User: ashelton X-Newsreader: NN version 6.5.0 #1 (NOV) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.os.linux.development.system:22517 comp.unix.bsd.386bsd.misc:871 comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc:3563 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:3423 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:18313 comp.os.linux.advocacy:47361 swanton@river.biddeford.com (george p swanton) writes: >You're right, it is a gross oversimplification, but not of >the same magnitude as the belief 'build a better OS and they >will come'. I agree, of course..but It would be more reasonable an argument if extended to, Build a better OS and the developers will come, and the users will follow. I'm still not saying it's easily defendable but it does provide a better argument. It also helps explain why the numerically strong dos market was abandoned so fast (technically inferior) and win95 has not been the success billg wanted (not superior enough). >I still believe application availability outweighs OS level >superiority in the mind of the average consumer but the >matter certainly doesn't reduce to any one maxim. It's also a sliding scale, each 'application need' fulfilled increases the number of people willing to re-consider even if the 'spread' of applications is much poorer. The advantages of the OS act as a multiplier of the available apps. At least that's what the Bee-bop (?) computer hope -- Linux, because raw power can be....addictive. Andrew Shelton s9406182@yallara.cs.rmit.edu.au GCS(2.1)-d+H+sw+v-C++UL+>L+++E-N++WV--R++tv-b+D++e+fr*y?