Some nights Bill Gates boots into Linux, stares at the terminal, and remembers he used to enjoy computers.

@fribbledom many don‘t even know that Gates for Enterprise purpose startet with Xenix . His Desktop Unix Variation was his creation long before Windows. But it was rather expensive and needed a more expensive middleware Computer ( Not a PC existed for Xenix)

@fribbledom

Bill Gates boots into Linux, looks at the terminal and thinks, how the fook do I monetise this?

@fribbledom Bill Gates SSH’s into a Linux machine from Epsteins’ island

@fribbledom I think Uncle Bill had a lot of fun back in the IBM days, when he managed to corner a giant twice starting from nothing. But trying to take a bite out of Linux turned out to be bad business, and sooner or later they will have to consider offering services and becoming open source where there is no alternative. In the long run, their model seems critical to me.

@enigma

From what I remember Microsoft was merely a licensee, not the creator of Xenix.

@fribbledom Xenix was invented by Microsoft. OK nobody said here Microsoft invented Unix. In fact Xenix is nothing else than Unix Sys 7 from Bell with a new brand name . Why this ? Portation to other platforms . Who done it ? S.b working for MS.

@enigma

So Bell created it and Microsoft is merely a licensee. Got it.

@fribbledom Wikiped (en) tells MS was with help contributors but still MS was developer of Xenix. Who else ?

@fribbledom Again - I just only looked into Wikipedia . Cos for developing are some - mainly SCO ( I guess they were the ones). But head of it was Microsoft. Can you show me where Bell created Xenix ?

@fribbledom Wikipedia makes us informed that Unix was licensed by Microsoft giving the new brand Xenix. (1st Wiki line about Xenix). The Name is from MS and the initiating developers worked for them

@fribbledom
to be sure: Bell created Unix and sold license for porting it under brand Xenix to different platforms. This way Bell didnot create Xenix. It was Microsoft.

@enigma

You seem to really be into Xenix 🤣

I'd argue that porting it to other platforms is more like the translation of a book. It won't make you become the author.

@fribbledom
you tried to down playing Microsofts role on Xenix. ( just another licensee to exploit the creative part of Xenix ). Should I be rather -really- glad and satisfied that you didnot write " Oh, you seem to be into Microsoft"🤔😇
No. However many of MS adversarys neglect that Gates was into Unix at first.

@fribbledom
Did I forget to mention that I owned an Interactive Vp/ix license ?. Even this earlier PC -Unix ( 1st PC Unix ever) was the rival to SCO and much nearer to Bell's AT&T original Unix. All these PC Unices were not the same and no real Unix. They were not allowed to name their product Unix. If you need a proof how I'm not into Xenix I send you a picture from the original Manual of iX.