Unix philosophy

[Eric Kiebler]

Shawn has eluded to an idea which has intrigued me for years, so I guess
it is time to blurt it out...

Everybody wants free software.  I would love to have a UN*X machine
at home, but I don't think that I want it without source, and I
can't (and will never) pay $43K or whatever a source license would
cost for a personal machine.  This is not to say that Ma Bell (soon
to be Auntie SWB, Auntie ATTIS, etc.) does not deserve the money,
but rather that I can't/won't pay it.

So put together a non-profit organization dedicated to the development
of a portable operating system (or classes of systems).  Have it build
all the verification suites and software and such for a living.  Make it
wonderful enough that the "Happy Hackers" will flock to it.  Get a sugar
daddy to support it (like the research cartels that some of the biggies
are putting together).  Give the software results away.

1)  We make lots of people mad because we steal their bread-and-butter

2)  *Many* people get free software and are *very* happy.

3)  *Everybody* gets source and every copy becomes different.

4)  Economic incentive for producing os-clones is removed.

5)  Economic incentive for software-driven hardware design is increased.

6)  People get mad because "it's STILL not right" and do their own
    thing anyway.

These are pro's and con's both.  How important they are depends on
how much code I have been wading through that day compared with how
much I want to increase my personal standard of living.  If we all
really believe the reactions we see at Usenix meetings when presentors
say "Sorry, we don't give it away, we sell it." then perhaps it is
time to look at something like this closely.

No, UCB wasn't supposed to do this (at least that is not the story
I heard).

I understand there is some outfit called "Freeware" which does this
kind of thing.  They say "... give this away to all your friends, and if
you like it enuf, send us $25 ..."  All the people I know with their
product have sent the $25.  

I have not thought this through, as you can tell.  Discussions welcome,
flames met with asbestos.

eric "re-porting the meta-wheel" kiebler
..!ihnp4!washu!eric