Re: Does anyone else think Wolfram Research are unfair to Unixusers?

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:03:02 +0100, Dave wrote:


I understand where you are coming from, but long long ago Unix systems
came with a C compiler so one could produce ones own code. It was only
more recent years the trend was to not include a C compiler. Now of
course things have changed around again, with gcc being free on any
platform, Sun Studio 12 free on Linux and Solaris. I don't know about
other C compilers (on HP-UX, AIX, IRIX etc). Last I knew they were all
still commercial, but it's a long time since I've used those OS's.


DOS came with a free BASIC compiler (BASICA in earlier editions, QBasic in
later ones.) BASIC is not of the same standard as C, but it did mean that
in the early days there was more emphasis within universities on
roll-your-own BASIC code, before Matlab & spreadsheets took over. And
BASIC/QBasic did allow you to access most of the immediately useful
hardware - ports, screens, keyboard.

If you wanted *compiled* code then the PC had a disadvantage, since all
the compilers were commercial - more money. But with a compiler costing c.
2 days of staff time, this was not excessive - and to use support
libraries (NAg, in my case) required extra money, whether on UNIX or PC
(or VAX) - with PC being the cheapest (and being a limited version of the
NAg library).

The availablity of a free C compiler meant a lot of code was available
on Unix systems for free. I am well aware there was (and still is)
expensive commercial code for Unix, but a lot more high quality software
was available for Unix systems.

I'm not so sure Linux was the start of the free stuff. Linux would not
have existed had it not been for all free "computer science" tools which
were around at the time.


True, & I over-generalised. But Unix did seem to encourage the idea that
'serious' software should be commercial & expensive, while the PC was for
cheaper, 'toy', alternatives. Much of the 'free' software was free
*because* it was bundled in as part of the *hardware* sales - Solaris was
not regarded as a separate purchase to Sun hardware, for example.

How many people pay for a word processor on Unux now? I don't think it
is that many. This culture on Unix (and to a greater extent Linux
systems), might make it more difficult to sell things like word
processors.

What constituted a word process or Unix pre-Linux? When I was using
WordStar on the PC I had nroff/troff on the VAX (OK, not Unix). When I
had Lotus Manuscript on the PC I had Emacs/VIM on Solaris. When I had Word
for Windows on the PC I was still using Emacs/Vim. In the hands of an
expert Emacs & Vim may have been powerful; in the hands of a novice (me)
they felt like using the PC ED.

I feel that Windows & Linux saw the real rush to competing WIMP
open-source word processors.
.