|
|
- What is Linux?
-
First of all,
Linux
is great, just great. Although things rarely are that simple, this time
it comes close to it. Few other IT-developments have triggered so many
spin-offs and have attracted so many people within the last couple of
years, left alone regarding the
Free Software
community in particular.
It is just interesting to see an idea spawn (insiders would prefer
to call it fork(2)) such a manyfold of interesting directly
or losely connected projects.
When I installed my first Linux on an i386 from a pile of
floppy disks back in February 1993 I followed nothing, but an
urge, a necessity, to try out alternatives to commercial, semi-commercial
or less flexible systems like Xenix, SCO-Unix and Coherent.
Although I had been using powerful systems like Amiga OS, which
also made good use of the respective platform's CPU cycles, Linux,
beyond certain BSD derivates, has probably been the first
Unix-like OS brought to greater masses of people. Although I
neither count myself to the latter, nor am interested in supporting
them, I appreaciated being provided with such a holistic system
back in those days. Since then, I am trying to support the idea
itself rather than certain people. Having drawn back from
Evangelism for some years I focused on providing software (and
resources in general), which others may make use of.
Indeed, Linux may be regarded as a virus: once, it reaches reaches
your heart you are lost to it completely and it most probably
takes over your soul. But, contrary to blood sacrificing pets,
virgins and small children to Outer Deities, selling one's soul
to Free Software should be clearly considered a minor offence.
PM, March 1998
- Other Resources
-
-
|