I’m doing a fair amount of work at work (does that make sense?) on open source, the legal implications using GPL software in an enterprise like CPR, total cost of ownership, etc. I came across Linus Torvalds now infamous email from 1991 when he announced Linux to the world:
From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Torvalds) Newsgroups: comp.os.minix Summary: small poll for my new operating system Message-ID: 1991Aug25.205708.9541@klaava.Helsinki.FI Date: 25 Aug 91 20:57:08 GMT Organization: University of Helsinki I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. Any suggestions are welcome, but I won't promise I'll implement them :-) Linus (torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi) PS. It is NOT protable [Ed. Note: portable] (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.
Nothing like digging up 20+ year old emails from the bowels of the Internet. More updates to come…
