Chapter 12. THE STRANGE CASE OF DR.OPEN AND MR. PROPRIETARY

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR.OPEN AND MR. PROPRIETARY

As noted in Chapter 2 of this book, the release of the Altair microcomputer in 1975 heralded the beginning of the modern high-tech industry. But observers of the period also believe there was more to the Altair than just chips; the unit seemed to emit a mysterious elixir that entered the body of computer aficionados worldwide and sparked a strange war of the soul that has raged in the body of the computer geekdom for more than three decades. The war is between those who advocate for free software and open, patentless technology available to all and those who believe in making substantial ...

Get In Search of Stupidity: Over 20 Years of High-Tech Marketing Disasters, Second Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.