[plug] [link] a lawyer Switches

[Kai Jones]

Linux might use someone else's idea's but they don't do a Microsoft and try
to develope (ie destroy -> embrace, extend, extenguish) the original idea to
try and send the other company out of business while making their own
software look better.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter J. Nicol [mailto:PeterNicol at vrl.com.au]
Sent: Friday, 7 March 2003 12:54 PM
To: plug at plug.linux.org.au
Subject: RE: [plug] [link] a lawyer Switches


>  Linux (as in the phenomenon, not the kernel) exhibits the monocultural,
>  "plagiaristic", and bad design tendencies of the Microsoft software it
>  is supposed to be different from. I'm not accusing anyone on *this* list
>  of exhibiting these qualities, it is just an observation in general.

This is the 'chasing tail-lights' oft-quoted criticism of linux, and to a
largish
degree I think it is true.  It's pretty funny accusing m$ of stealing ideas,
when
Linux is a knockoff of unix.

Still, there is a lot of innovation in free software, a lot of nifty
programs and
cool ideas, so the issue is not cut and dry.