Re: DNA vaccines, pharmaceuticals and freeware

Leevi Marttila (lm+extropians@sip.fi)
21 Dec 1997 11:56:21 +0200


Anders Sandberg <asa@nada.kth.se> writes:

> Why does not linux out-compete Microsoft? (Rhetorical question, let's
> not start arguing about the merits of free software, please).

Many ways some answer than why nobody used Internet in the beginning
of the decade.

1) Nobody uses it
<<
I looked at Internet growth figures and thought that it's going to
be big.
>>
From http://www.redhat.com/redhat/linuxmarket.html :

> Our registration system survey indicates that 56.2% of Linux users
> have not previously used UNIX

> end of 1993 100,000
> 1994 500,000
> 1995 1,500,000
> 1996 3,000,000 to 5,000,000

My guess: now 5,000,000 to 15,000,000

So if it's going to continue with these growth rates, it's going to
be big.

2) Too hard to use
<<
Then became www.
>>
There are projects underway that address it:

LinuxConf/COAS for easy administration.
http://www.solucorp.qc.ca/linuxconf/
http://www.caldera.com/coas/

Gnome/KDE for ease desktop.
http://www.gnome.org/
http://www.kde.org/

Maybe in a year or two LinuxConf (propably) and Gnome (sure when
it's ready) are going to be part of Red Hat distribution.

3) There is nothing
<<
More there are people/companies in the Internet more there is
content (while S/N is worse)
>>
More there is users, faster it gets applications and faster it's
current applications become better.

And just like Internet most of them are free!

===

Actually I already have same question than Bob Young has:
How is Microsoft going to compete with Linux?

http://www.redhat.com/redhat/reasons-for-linux.html

> packet and everybody else are using them. Why try a freeware gene
> which may not meet FDA standards when you can get a plug-n-play gene?

There are already people that try non FDA approved things.
What is needed is some way to make rigorous unofficial testing ;-)

> The problem here is, beside the normal complications of the software
> and pharmaceuticals industries, that testing new medications and
> methods is so expensive and hard to do. Any ideas of how it can be
> done more cheaply? Perhaps something like the voluntary medical
> database mentioned in Halperin's _The Truth Machine_?

1) Simulation.

2) There maybe some people in future that are developing and using
test version to themselves despite it being dangerous and very likely
forbidden by authorities.

3) Haven't read it but maybe.

-- 
LM lm+signature@sip.fi