Cyhist Dec 2 1998 E

========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 23:50:23 -0800
Reply-To: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: "CYHIST Community Memory: Discussion list on the History of
Cyberspace" <CYHIST@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Martin Minow <minow@POBOX.COM>
Subject: Re: Earliest "free software"
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Community Memory: Discussion List on the History of Cyberspace ______________________________________________________________________

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>I am trying to date and locate the roots of the Internet "free software" culture. Specifically, I'm trying to pin down when sharing of software over the Internet or UUCP between people with no face-to-face contact first became a routine and marked feature of hacker behavior.
I can personally push the "Internet free software" date back to the late 1970's, but there was a vibrant "free software" culture in the Arpanet community, and via magtape (and punched cards, for that matter) back to the 1950's.
You should look at the Share (IBM) and Decus (Dec) archives for better examples.
Martin Minow
minow@pobox.com
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