[log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> Given your general thesis, why would you expect Unix to survive -- in any
> variant? It is after all only another dialect of Linux, and why would
anyone
> pay for something they could get for free?

Linux may well supplant Unix.  I generally lump Linux in with Unix since the
differences between it and a particular Unix are generally no bigger than
between the different brands of Unix.

A year ago and a half ago I doubted that Linux could make it as a major
platform.  I still have doubts as to where the resources are going to come
from to keep it maintained, and whether there will continue to be enough
leadership and consensus to keep it a unified platform.  But the hardware
vendors seem committed to Linux and that should be enough.  There have been
some impressive contributions from IBM, SGI, HP, and other hardware vendors.