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* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
@ 2021-02-04  8:41 joshnatis0
  2021-02-04  9:21 ` dave
                   ` (2 more replies)
  0 siblings, 3 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: joshnatis0 @ 2021-02-04  8:41 UTC (permalink / raw)


Hello all,

I'm looking to compile a list of historic "wars" in computing, just for
personal interest cause they're fun to read about (I'll also put the list
up online for others' reference).

To explain what I mean, take for example, The Tcl War
<https://vanderburg.org/old_pages/Tcl/war/>. Other examples:
- TCP/IP wars (BBN vs Berkley, story by Kirk McKusick
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEEr6dT-4uQ>)
- The Tanenbaum-Torvalds Debate
<https://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/appa.html> (it doesn't
have 'war(s)' in the name but it still counts IMO, could be called The
Microkernel Wars)
- UNIX Wars <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_wars>

Stuff like "vi vs. emacs" counts too I think, though I'm looking more for
historical significance, so maybe "spaces vs. tabs" isn't interesting
enough.

Thanks, any help is appreciated : )
Josh
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* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
  2021-02-04  8:41 [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing joshnatis0
@ 2021-02-04  9:21 ` dave
  2021-02-04  9:23 ` lars
  2021-02-04 15:39 ` athornton
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: dave @ 2021-02-04  9:21 UTC (permalink / raw)


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Unix vs. DEC, of course; been there, fought that, still got the scars.

Although there was Unix vs. Apollo (I could tell some stories about that, 
but I'm unsure about the Statute of Limitations, whereby I called an 
Apollo salesdroid a liar to his face in front of my $PHB; I survived).

And of course Unix vs. VMS; OK, they can have the commercial market...

Oh, the stories that I could tell, such as when the computing boss was 
known to be having it off with his secretary, and had to be rolled out of 
the computer room several times by the ops after he'd had a few for lunch.

∆As I said, Statute of Limitations; this stuff goes back to the 70s and 
early 80s; not to mention when I once wasted a few months with NECISA, 
whereby you did not get promoted unless you spoke Japanese (itself a long 
story).

-- Dave, at 68 after the game with many stories


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* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
  2021-02-04  8:41 [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing joshnatis0
  2021-02-04  9:21 ` dave
@ 2021-02-04  9:23 ` lars
  2021-02-04 15:39 ` athornton
  2 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: lars @ 2021-02-04  9:23 UTC (permalink / raw)


MIT AI lab and ITS versus Stanford AI lab and WAITS.


^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
  2021-02-04  8:41 [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing joshnatis0
  2021-02-04  9:21 ` dave
  2021-02-04  9:23 ` lars
@ 2021-02-04 15:39 ` athornton
  2021-02-04 17:34   ` lm
  2 siblings, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: athornton @ 2021-02-04 15:39 UTC (permalink / raw)


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> On Feb 4, 2021, at 1:41 AM, josh <joshnatis0 at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> To explain what I mean, take for example, The Tcl War <https://vanderburg.org/old_pages/Tcl/war/>. Other examples: 

Peter da Silva.  Now there’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time.  

Adam
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* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
  2021-02-04 15:39 ` athornton
@ 2021-02-04 17:34   ` lm
  2021-02-04 18:11     ` athornton
  0 siblings, 1 reply; 6+ messages in thread
From: lm @ 2021-02-04 17:34 UTC (permalink / raw)


On Thu, Feb 04, 2021 at 08:39:01AM -0700, Adam Thornton wrote:
> 
> 
> > On Feb 4, 2021, at 1:41 AM, josh <joshnatis0 at gmail.com> wrote:
> > 
> > To explain what I mean, take for example, The Tcl War <https://vanderburg.org/old_pages/Tcl/war/>. Other examples: 
> 
> Peter da Silva.  Now there???s a name I???ve not heard in a long time.  

I used to argue with him on comp.arch quite a bit.  Smart dude.


^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

* [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing
  2021-02-04 17:34   ` lm
@ 2021-02-04 18:11     ` athornton
  0 siblings, 0 replies; 6+ messages in thread
From: athornton @ 2021-02-04 18:11 UTC (permalink / raw)




> On Feb 4, 2021, at 10:34 AM, Larry McVoy <lm at mcvoy.com> wrote:
> 
> On Thu, Feb 04, 2021 at 08:39:01AM -0700, Adam Thornton wrote:
>> 
>> 
>>> On Feb 4, 2021, at 1:41 AM, josh <joshnatis0 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> To explain what I mean, take for example, The Tcl War <https://vanderburg.org/old_pages/Tcl/war/>. Other examples: 
>> 
>> Peter da Silva.  Now there???s a name I???ve not heard in a long time.  
> 
> I used to argue with him on comp.arch quite a bit.  Smart dude.

I interviewed with him, for a job that would have involved a bunch of TCL, got the offer, but then decided on grad school instead.

Adam


^ permalink raw reply	[flat|nested] 6+ messages in thread

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2021-02-04  8:41 [COFF] Holy Wars of Computing joshnatis0
2021-02-04  9:21 ` dave
2021-02-04  9:23 ` lars
2021-02-04 15:39 ` athornton
2021-02-04 17:34   ` lm
2021-02-04 18:11     ` athornton

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