IP: Meaning of "open"

[David Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
Subject: Meaning of "open"
Date: Fri, 06 Jun 1997 00:00:54 -0400
From: "Jonathan S. Shapiro" <shap@eros.cis.upenn.edu>




Poor Richard's thoughts on the decline and fall of the term "open,"
remind me of an exchange I witnessed back when I was at HaL Computer
Systems.


Senior HaL Manager:


	So what exactly *is* a microkernel? Could you define it for me?


Vistor, after a lengthy pause, comes out with:


	Microkernel: A term that used to mean something but has since
	been taken over by marketing.


There's a lesson in that, I think.




Jonathan Shapiro






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