Originally posted by: drag
I would pick the history of Linux, including the drama of BSD and the commercialization of Unix. With a heavy emphasis on the GNU project and the FSF. Which developed the liscencing sceme and software that made linux possible in the first place.
Unix was orginally developed at AT&T. Later0 how Unix was originally developed by hackers at berkley university working with corporations developed the first usefull varients of Unix. And how Berkely later developed the TCP/IP protocol stack in accordance with Darpa's design specifications and how they used this to lay the foundations of the Internet. Later this software technology was used by commercial Unix vendors to create Unix's first commercial success stories. And how later those same commercial vendors began closing off source code from other developers and began buying off skilled programmers and making them sign NDA agreements. And eventually the companies began sueing BSD for distributing Unix code in their operating systems.
Then how Unix layed the foundations for the modern Internet and phone infrastructures, and made the highspeed worldwide transfers of electronic data possible.
Then how programmers such as RMS began revolting against the closed source system and tried to bring back the origninal spirit of cooperation thru creating there own open source projects and creating free software liscences to protect their work.
Explain the theories of how open source works, were you have the users of the operating system can in turn have complete access to the internels to create their own improvements. This allows rapid developement of software technology, general quality of the software, and increases the technical awareness of it's user base. Something like buying closed source propriatory software vs open source software is like buying a automobile with it's hood wielded shut.
Explain how the developement of the internet closely matches the developement of Linux. The internet is Unix, and the internet spawned Linux. Without the ability to cheaply communicate and freely transfer data Linux would never have been possible.
Show some of the current techinical merits of Linux. Like the distinct lack of viruses and other malisicious software. Like the stability and reliablity of software, it's lower operational costs, and high security. Show how free software like Linux, BSD-based OSes, and the Apache web server dominate the internet servers and the rapidly growing share of commodity-level business servers.
Also how third world nations have benifited from cheap high quality software and how BSD and Linux generally have had a largely positive influence on software in general and protects the free transfer of ideas and knowledge.
Pick things that a resonable person interested in computers and the internet can apreiciate, and stay away from over techical discriptions and Microsoft-bashing.
Look for websites like netcraft.com, books like
the cathedral and the bazaar and
Free as in Freedom. Do searches in google about Unix history,
That's what I'd do! Don't know if it's a good idea or not, so take it or leave it.
