Musings on Linux and Windows and Macintosh

I have been a software engineer since the early 80s. I built my first microcomputer in the mid-late 70s. Suffice to say I have been using computers for a while.

At one time, when UNIX wasn't free, and Mac OS was worse than DOS, Windows was a good value. I co-authored a book "Tricks of the Windows 3.1 Masters." Windows was a cool programming environment.

I cut my teeth on Windows programming with the Windows 1.03 SDK. I beta tested Windows 3.1, 3.1WFW, 3.11, 3.11WFW, NT 3.0, NT 3.1, NT 3.5, and others including chicago (Win95) and various C-C+ compiler versions.

I've developed software on lots of platforms, UNIX, Mac, DOS, CP-M, VMS, embeded (Z80, 1802, 6502, 68000) and others I don't even remember.

I look at the state of computers today and I am horrified at how far Microsoft has set back the state of the art. We should be much farther ahead by now.

By squashing real compebreastion, real advancement has been delayed.

Linux (and BSD) was inevitable, there are great ideas that have to be expressed regardless of monopolistic and proprietary opposition. Macintosh represents the vision of a visionary (Steve Jobs). Bill gates, on the otherhand, represents the robber barron mentality, create nothing, contribute only when it looks good, and profit before substance.

Linus Torvolds is more in he model of Tesla. Interested in science, moderately ambitious, and reasonably successful.

Like Arthur C Clarke's predictions of space exploration, computers are much delayed, but maybe we are back on track.