From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
Date: Sun,  2 Apr 2006 21:17:24 +0300
From: Aharon Robbins <arnold@skeeve.com>
Subject: Re: [9fans] new compilers
In-reply-to: <2afc30c8b36e542ca0a16fc6f4e4c1a3@plan9.bell-labs.com>
To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu
Cc:
Message-id: <200604021817.k32IHO4U011991@skeeve.com>
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In article <2afc30c8b36e542ca0a16fc6f4e4c1a3@plan9.bell-labs.com> you write:
>>> P.S.  This doesn't mean I'll ever *forgive* Andy Tannenbaum for spurring
>>> the creation of Linux.
>
>This is how myths are born.  Andy Tanenbaum (one n) had nothing to do with
>Linux.  He started Minix.  Maybe the existence of Minix played a role in Linus'
>decision to start Linux, maybe not.
>
>	Sape

Ah, but he did. There were TONS of people begging Andy to make Minix
do virtual memory on 386 hardware and also to loosen up somewhat on the
licensing. He would do neither.

As a result, there were a huge number of people frothing at the mouth to
just hack on *something, anything* that would run on a 386, so when Linus
released his toy, the world jumped in.

There were also later exchanges between Andy and Linux about microkernel
vs. macrokernel etc.  One could probably still find all this on Google
were one really interested.

It may also help to remember that commercial Unix for 386 was several
hundred dollars a pop, for a binary-only copy, and that was SVR3 or
SVR4, not very exciting to people used to hacking on BSD Unix. (Plus
maybe some additional $$ for a compiler!)

Arnold