17 Oct
2011
17 Oct
'11
10:53 a.m.
Would it be a fair statement to say that had it not been for Unix and
AT&T's (initial) "anyone can get a license as we're not in the
software business" approach that "C" today would largely be a
language relegated to the programming backwater?
And that "we're not in the software business" aspect was stipulated
by law. So regulation is largely responsible for the popularity of
Unix and C?
In other words, had Unix been a closed proprietary OS, would we even
be talking about C? Or would it be sort of a vintage curiosity like
BCPL or B?
--Chuck