“Linux and some other “free” or “open source” software projects
overlap extensively with the interests of network managers.”
“A preponderance of open-source development, distribution, and
use is Unix-oriented.”
“The fruits of the free-software movement don’t fall far from
the Unix tree today. There are few widely used open-source
applications that appeal to ordinary end users.”
“So the future of the free-software movement consists of Unix
updates, Unix enhancements and programming tools, Web server
software, and perhaps a few user applications that offer the right
mix of technical challenge and wide appeal to be able to attract a
critical mass of developers. There’s no evidence thus far that
business desktops or consumer desktops are migrating in
commercially significant numbers to one of the open-source versions
of Unix. I seriously doubt that the pool of skilled programmers
willing to contribute significant quantities of work to community
projects is large enough to expand the free-software movement much
beyond the Unix systems programs that exist today.”
“The insistence of both wings of the open-source movement that
users must be free to give away copies of software is ultimately
inconsistent with a commercial software industry…”