Hi All
I hope you people appreciate this.
Frank
-----------------------------------------
I think I am finally beginning to understand an old game called "The Unix
Game".
Lets imagine that we have unknown number of card players playing a card game
similar to canister or some such where one mixes a number of decks of cards.
Lets let the players have initials like UC [Univ. Cal.], IBM, AT&T, HP, SCO,
SGI, SM [Sun Microsystems] et. including some hidden players whose initials
we don't know.
Rules
1. Each player must have a full deck of all 52 cards. Each player may have
more than 52 cards with duplicates of existing cards but no player can play
with less than a full deck of 52 cards.
2. Each player can replace any card in his deck with a more efficient card
manufactured by himself or any else.
3. Each player owns the cards he produces or buys but only those cards.
For example if a player develops a more efficient 6 of Spades that player can
register that card as his then that player can then sell or license that card
to any other player. Of course any other player can also produce a
competitive 6 of Spades which he has the same rights to sell or license. Each
deck of course may contain more than one 6 of Spades.
4. No player has or is capable of producing or owning more than 15 cards.
All additional cards have to be made by other players and licensed from the
player that owns that card.
5. All of the decks have a common name which shall be UNIX.
6. No player can use a card owned by any other player with out that players
permission.
For example if the 6 of spaces is owned by AT&T then all other players must
license that card from AT&T. To license a card a player must pay the owner
money.
7. Non-players can develop and own cards which they license to players who do
play.
8. No player knows the owner of any card that he did not make or buy. To all
other players the card reads AT&T on the back.
For example IBM manufactures a 6 of Spades and HP manufactures a 6 of Spades.
IBM licenses it version of the 6 of spades to Sun and nobody else.
Everybody else uses the HP 6 of Spades which is not as good as the IBM 6 of
Spades but IBM refuses to license their 6 of Spades to any else.
To IBM and Sun, Sun's 6 of Spades says IBM on the back but to everybody else
it says AT&T on the back.
9. Each player runs a blackjack table for users who do not own a deck.
10. The object of the game is to play the fastest card game with one's users.
And obtain as much money as possible from the users.
Users have the right to change tables at any tome for any reason or for no
reason.
11. Each user must pay a player or players to play and makes money by playing
from others who are not a player or a user.
All is happy in Card Land but UC decides to bow out of actual play retaining
the cards they made.
AT&T looses it way, quits producing, and sells it stake to USL [who does not
have the means to produce] so it sells out to Novel [who can not produce
either] who later sells it obsolete deck to Caldera since all AT&T cards have
been replaced by better cards from others.
Caldera acquires SCO and changes its name the name Caldera to SCO.
SCO then arranges financing from the competitor across Ms Redmont for
financial assistance so the two of them can corner the market.
SCO announces that since all the cards [and they do from SCO {new} point of
view] say AT&T on the back that they are taking their toys and going home
unless every body pays them for using their cards.
Unfortunately there is a referee called the Judge who can see who owns what
and it sees that SCO does not have a full deck. So SCO is out of the game.
But! Since SCO doesn't know this yet since SCO has not talked to the Judge
yet SCO is running around demanding every body pay them to play.
While the owners of the cards being used are getting extremely pissed at SCO
for running around saying that SCO owns all the cards and demanding everybody
since everybody else can see SCO does not have a full deck but nobody can
reveal this except the Judge.
Meanwhile a new kid in town called Linux has developed a faster game which
means more money for the people supporting the users so they are leaving for
Linux's place.
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