SABDFL hits Slashdot

[Eric Dunbar]

Q@$%!@# reply-to-sender

On 10/3/05, Daniel Robitaille <robitaille at ubuntu.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 2005-03-10 at 23:56 +0100, john levin wrote:
> > Mark Shuttleworth's SABDFL FAQ has just hit slashdot:
> > http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/05/10/03/183207.shtml?tid=8&tid=106
>
> the ultimate stress test of the ubuntu wiki: a slashdot effect on one of
> its page.

I just thought I'd point out one of the most insightful analogies I've
seen in a long time on the topic of "open source" (computer hardware
is based on (sometimes) open (but always standard) standards and, [my
addition] even Apple, the undisputed king of proprietary (with Sony as
its queen) is using industry standards):

Re:Propietary Software Industry
 (Score:5, Insightful)
by Xtifr (1323) on Monday October 03, @07:09PM (#13708260)
(http://www.speakeasy.net/~xtifr)
> I agree that some tactics of the proprietary software industry are less than desirable, but how many of us would be able to earn a living without them?

>From available evidence, the outstanding majority. In fact, a majority
(approx. 90% by some counts) of all programmers already do earn a
living working directly for companies that use the software, rather
than for those companies which sell software for others to use. Beyond
that, of course, I'm sure companies existing and new will learn to
adapt as the market changes. Once, all computer companies sold their
own, incompatible, proprietary machines; now most sell open,
compatible, semi-generic
systems. And yet, the industry is hardly any poorer for that.