Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 7th Apr 2008 22:21 UTC
"One of the most significant moments in the history of the modern software industry took place in 1998 when Netscape announced plans to release the source code of its browser under a license that would freely permit modification and redistribution. That pivotal event represents the point at which software freedom extended its reach beyond the enthusiast community and began its ascent into the mainstream. To celebrate the success of the past ten years and reflect on some of the challenges that the open-source software community will face in the future, we spoke to some of the pioneers who were there on day zero when revolution started. We want to share their perspectives on a wide range of issues, including software patents, the emerging challenges and opportunities created by cloud computing, open-source software on the desktop, the importance of interoperability, and the ongoing fight to bring software freedom to the masses."
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RE[2]: And the 40 years before that?
by bogomipz on Tue 8th Apr 2008 07:51
in reply to "RE: And the 40 years before that?"
Member since:2005-07-11
RE[3]: And the 40 years before that?
by Cloudy on Wed 9th Apr 2008 01:40
in reply to "RE[2]: And the 40 years before that?"
Member since:2006-02-15
It became 'mainstream' in 1957 when the first Fortran compiler was developed.
This whole silliness about a 'revolution' is confusing the widespread dissemination of computing as a whole with the widespread dissemination of freely available source code.
What happened in the 90s wasn't an "open source" revolution. It was simply that computers became cheap enough to become commodity consumer electronics.
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Member since:
2005-07-13
I get your point, and don't necessarily disagree with it, but I think the 'revolution' was that commercial companies started to see the value in what developers had been doing since the 50s.
That's a pretty significant milestone, because I think the quality and capability of OSS today is due in large part to commercial organizations pouring in code, R&D, and paid development. That they ultimately attempt (or hope) to profit from it is irrelevant, because the community in general still gains the benefit.