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by colordrops 722 days ago
It's arguable that macOS going Unix had a halo effect that did more for Linux and open source than if they stayed on a completely propietary stack. There is a ton of cross pollination between mac and Linux software, at least on the command line.
2 comments
lelanthran 722 days ago
> It's arguable that macOS going Unix had a halo effect that did more for Linux and open source than if they stayed on a completely propietary stack.

But that's not relevant to the parent's point, which is "If all open source, such as Linux, was BSD licensed, then only proprietary unixes would be common", which I happen to agree with.

Linux would have been further behind because all the proprietary unixes could take the best parts, without giving back (like Apple did/does with BSD), and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now).

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DeathArrow 722 days ago
>and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now)

But aren't the biggest Linux users companies? They use Linux for their data centers, for the mobile phones they sell.

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DEADMINCE 722 days ago
That is basically irrelevant to the point that was made though.
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lelanthran 722 days ago
>> and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now)

> But aren't the biggest Linux users companies? They use Linux for their data centers, for the mobile phones they sell.

Yes, and? I am not seeing the point you are trying to make ... those "biggest Linux users companies" are making large contributions to Linux. That is, in fact, the point of the GPL - that they make their contributions to all linux users, not just to their shareholders.

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happymellon 722 days ago
I don't know who would argue that.

There was a lot of Unix already, and Linux ate it's lunch by being a simple recompile away.

MacOS does a lot to try and hide that it's a Unix.

> There is a ton of cross pollination between mac and Linux software

Do we have any good examples, because Apple spends a lot of effort breaking cross platform compatibility?

> at least on the command line.

There is a lot of Linux command line software ported to MacOS, but I can't think of any good examples for the other way around.

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pjmlp 722 days ago
Apple does a good job staying up to date with UNIX standards, it is the devs that live in GNU land that get surprised.

https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/

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happymellon 722 days ago
I'm not sure who you are talking to, I didn't say anything about Apple not keeping up with Unix standards.
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pjmlp 722 days ago
>...Apple spends a lot of effort breaking cross platform compatibility?
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happymellon 721 days ago
Which is half of a sentence and distorted the question.

> > There is a ton of cross pollination between mac and Linux software

> Do we have any good examples, because Apple spends a lot of effort breaking cross platform compatibility?

BuT aPpLe aRe UnIx CeRtIfiEd.

Doesn't mean there is any cross pollination from MacOS to Linux.

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