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Torvalds: Free OS X Is No Threat To Linux

Posted by timothy on from the craft-brewed-fair-trade-shade-grown-moka-beans-vs-airline-coffee dept.

jfruh writes "Apple is now offering upgrades to the latest version of OS X for free. When Linux inventor Linus Torvalds was asked whether this threatened Linux (presumably by someone who had only a passing knowledge of all the things 'free' can mean when applied to software) it gave him an opportunity for a passionate defense of open source. Torvalds also says that he'll keep programming until it gets 'not interesting,' which hasn't happened yet." The newest version of OS X may be gratis for Apple hardware buyers, but it's notably far from the original, (literally) un-branded sense of "mavericks."

6 of 314 comments (clear)

  1. Linus Ducks Real Issue by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is a clever ruse on Linus' part. The real issue, which he completely ignores, is the genuine threat to Linux provided by Microsoft's release of a free Windows 8.1 upgrade.

    Even if he doesn't want to talk about it, at least publicly, I know he's scared shitless.

    1. Re:Linus Ducks Real Issue by SirGarlon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Please recalibrate your sarcasm detector. :-)

      --
      [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
    2. Re:Linus Ducks Real Issue by binarylarry · · Score: 5, Funny

      He tried, it's stuck on Asshole.

      --
      Mod me down, my New Earth Global Warmingist friends!
  2. Wrong Mavericks by Sockatume · · Score: 5, Informative

    The S is in there for a reason.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mavericks_(location)

    --
    No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
    1. Re:Wrong Mavericks by Registered+Coward+v2 · · Score: 5, Funny

      If you've spent much time on the site, you'd realize that they operate with a very special kind of stupid around here. And by special kind of stupid, I mean about 1,000x the normal human amount.

      Yes, but it is free and open source stupidity; so that if you have some special need you can adapt it to your particular use of stupid. Some folks simply use it as is with a pre-existing build that they can cut and paste in replies, others make minor modifications and some fork it into a whole new type of stupidity because they think they have a better way to be stupid.

      --
      I'm a consultant - I convert gibberish into cash-flow.
  3. Free as in mousetrap cheese. by SchroedingersCat · · Score: 5, Funny

    OSX - free as in mousetrap cheese.