Re: RE: LinuxWorld Show...where's the beef?

[Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>]

Quoting pnewman1 -at- optonline -dot- net:

> It was my observaton that the presence was mostly 3rd party vendors who were
> seling compatibility with MS. The MS reps I spoke to  guys who were assisting
> folks with getting Unix and Linux to be compatiible with MS products.
> Don't forget that MS plans to continue as a support company in a big way. 

Now that I see it, I think that this passage is a fuller explanation than mine.

One of the major differences between free software development on the one hand 
and traditional development on the other is that compatibility and cross-
platform accessibility is far more a concern in free software.

Part of the reason is necessity: if you're going to do something different, you 
need to be compatible with what's already there. Also, of course, lack of 
compatibility is one of the major criticisms directed at free software - a 
largely outdated one, these days, but one which helped to set priorities.

But another large part is philosophy. Free software advocates may joke 
about "world domination" being their goal, but the truth is that they are not 
especially interested in imposing their choices on others. That's why there are 
so many examples of the same kind of application in free software. And that's 
also why connectivity is important in the community: because there's a belief 
that your choice of software shouldn't limit you.

-- 
Bruce Byfield bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com 604-421.7177