did not write this!!!
My mentor, Angus Berry, which is also the one who got me to try Linux.
>
> The Evolution of Computing by Angus Berry (copyright 2003)
>
> Foreword:
> Through studying the past, we can get an idea of the path that evolution
may
> take in the future.
>
>
> The first computer operating system to stand on their own two feet are
> rarely seen today, except in the IT fossil record. Some of these early
> operating systems moved out of the corporate jungle and into small
business
> in the early 80's (the character period). Although these OSes were the
> precursors to today's modern operating systems they briefly
flourished and
> died out as evolution passed them by, when more robust OSes passed them
by.
>
> These early systems were small and not yet powerful, but they were
> indicators of what was to come. Some bore a striking resemblance to
today's
> modern OS. They developed tools such as Spreadsheets and Word processors
> that enabled them to get useful work done. One OS known as CP/M, had an
> appendage called VisiCalc which was one of the earliest signs of useful
> tools. The advent of new tools gave a fledgling OS an evolutionary 'leg
up'
> allowing these machines to do real work and they began to multiply.
Another
> OS called simply DOS, was able to adapt these tools also allowing it
> compete. Through a combination of cunning marketing, when environmental
> conditions were right, at a time when the PC was cloned, DOS became the
> dominant OS of it's day.
>
> The next leap forward was the advent of the GUI (Graphical User
Interface),
> which initially evolved separately as yet another tool. Other tools were
> quickly ported to run in the GUI and at the same time the ...
>
> The first Linuxapiens appeared at a time when the Windowthaals were well
> entrenched as a successful operating system. The Windowthaal had risen
above
> it's GUI peers such as OS/2 and the Cromiga, when it fully developed it's
> GUI and became known as the Windowthaal.
>
> When Linuxapiens appeared they immediately had great communications
skills
> although lacking the evolved GUI of the Windowthaal.
>
> The Linuxapiens learned to hunt in clusters and this enabled them to take
on
> larger prey than the Windowthaals. Linuxapiens were also more
resistant to
> infection by viruses. They were even able to take on and beat Wooly
> Mainframes.
>
> Linuxapiens quickly adapted to new environments such as
>
> The Windowthaals continued to exist alongside the Linuxapiens and
continued
> to adapt to meet the challenges of the changing IT environment. It
appears
> that although Linuxapiens and Windowthaals communicated and co-existed
they
> never actually interbred. They had once thrived in a closed source
> environment and managed to rise above their OS competitors
>
> Windowthaals with their proprietary nature reproduced more slowly
than the
> Linuxapiens. The Linuxapiens reproduced at an exponential rate due to
free
> interbreeding between groups of similar Linuxapiens who shared common
> software characteristics.
>
> Then, in an evolutionary twist, the business world entered a economic
> ice-age. The Windowthaal struggled to hand on to it's market share, but
the
> leaner and more stable Linuxapiens continued to grow and evolve.
> Windowthaals continued to fall prey to virus and worms, which further
eroded
> their position.
>
> It wasn't all doom and gloom for Windowthaals. There are cases were
> Windowthaals were able to survive attacks when groups of the more robust
> Linuxapiens formed a circle or 'firewall' around the Windowthaals to
protect
> their weaker and distant relatives from virus & worms. However, other
> records show that in many cases the Linuxapiens simple replaced the
> Windowthaals.
>
> One notable exception to this timeline is the Applegaster. This OS was
also
> able to live along side the Windowthaal as an evolutionary anomaly, by
> specializing rather than competing directly with the Windowthaal. It was
> similar to but not directly related. However the Applegaster continued to
> evolve and around the time the Linuxapien began to take over, the
> Applegaster mutated (or interbred) and became OSX which closely resembled
> the Linuxapien allowing the Applegaster to continue to evolve and take
> advantage of the continuing growth and evolution of the Linuxapien.
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