logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2018
27m 42s

OS Wars_part 2: Rise of Linux

Red Hat
About this episode

It's the 1990s. The empire of Microsoft controls 90% of users. Complete standardization of operating systems seems assured. But an unlikely hero arises from amongst the band of open source rebels. Linus Torvalds—meek, bespectacled—releases his Linux O.S. free of charge. While Microsoft reels and regroups, the battleground shifts from personal computers to the Internet.

Acclaimed tech journalist Steven Vaughan-Nichols is joined by a team of veterans who relive the tech revolution that reimagined our future. Editor's Note: A previous version of this episode featured a short clip with Jon “maddog” Hall. It has been removed at his request.

Please let us know what you think of the show by providing a rating or review in Apple Podcasts.

Drop us a line at redhat.com/commandlineheroes, we're listening...

Up next
May 2022
All Together Now
Our show is all about heroes making great strides in technology. But in InfoSec, not every hero expects to ride off into the sunset. In our series finale, we tackle vulnerability scans, how sharing information can be a powerful tool against cyber crime, and why it’s more importan ... Show More
23m 18s
May 2022
Invisible Intruders
What began as a supposed accounting error landed Cliff Stoll in the midst of database intrusions, government organizations, and the beginnings of a newer threat—cyber-espionage. This led the eclectic astronomer-cum-systems administrator to create what we know today as intrusion d ... Show More
22m 18s
May 2022
Ruthless Ransomers
It’s a strange situation when someone can hold something hostage from halfway around the world. It’s tragic when your own pictures and files are remotely encrypted. But when it’s a hospital’s system? Ransomware becomes a problem about life or death. Eddy Willems recounts his invo ... Show More
22m 8s
Recommended Episodes
Feb 2014
4. (Ch 2.1) Microsoft At The Dawn Of The Internet Era
Netscape has set the standard and taken the lead. But how long will it last? We take a step backwards in this episode and examine why Microsoft was so dominant at the beginning of the Internet Era. We ask the questions: Did Bill Gates really miss the Internet? And: Was the Inform ... Show More
56m 51s
Aug 2009
Overview of Linux
Linux is an operating system that developers have been tinkering around with since 1994. Tune in as Jonathan and Chris delve into the history, applications and various "flavors" of Linux-based systems in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at htt ... Show More
34m 38s
Sep 2023
Apple vs Microsoft | Podre Até o Caroço | 1
Na estreia da nova fase do Guerras Comerciais, agora produzido pelo B9 e narrado por Alê Garcia, contamos a história por trás da disputa entre Apple e Microsoft, uma das mais icônicas rivalidades entre empresas. Neste primeiro episódio, a Apple lança o inovador Macintosh após um ... Show More
41m 56s
Mar 2022
Introducing WeCrashed: The Companion Podcast
The founders of WeWork thought they were on the brink of making history. The company was valued at $47 billion dollars, ready for a huge IPO, and its charismatic CEO Adam Neumann believed he was going to change the world. Adam and his wife Rebekah had a prophet-like vision—but di ... Show More
2m 34s
Dec 2018
Browser Wars - Microsoft on the Hot Seat | 5
To compete with Netscape, Bill Gates is forced to do the one thing he hates most: give tech away for free. He bundles Internet Explorer with Windows, effectively making his browser ubiquitous--and Netscape’s redundant. Suddenly, Netscape, the company that launched the dot-com boo ... Show More
26m 19s
Oct 2016
Episode 23: NeXT (Live show at the GeekWire Summit)
Ben & David broadcast live from the 2016 GeekWire Summit covering one of the all-time greats, Apple’s 1996 acquisition of NeXT. This episode has it all: the Steve Jobs hero story, Apple, I.M. Pei, Ross Perot, Aaron Sorkin, Nobel Laureates and… Gil Amelio? Does NeXT rank atop the ... Show More
1h 9m
Dec 2018
Browser Wars - Even When They Lose They Win | 6
Microsoft has officially won the battle against Netscape, but for Bill Gates, the browser war is far from over. The federal government has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft, and called Gates to Washington, D.C. for questioning.Hotshot prosecutor David Boies aims to sho ... Show More
24m 32s
Jan 2024
Edward Snowden’s Operating System with REDACTED
Software security is a critical issue for everyone, but it takes on an entirely different dimension when your life, or the lives of others, depend on it. Consider the security needs of an environmentalist whistle blower inside a chemical corporation, or a human rights activist in ... Show More
28m 17s
Mar 2014
7. (Ch 2.2) Bill Gates "Gets" The Internet
Summary:Microsoft was on top of the world at the dawn of the Internet Era… but like Jack Dawson in Titanic? Microsoft would pivot, and pivot hard, once it realized that the Internet was The Next Big Thing. This episode outlines how younger Microsoft employees agitated for a great ... Show More
40m 49s
Apr 2024
Microsoft Volume I
Microsoft. After nearly a decade of Acquired episodes, we are finally ready to tackle the most valuable company ever created. The company that put a computer on every desk and in every home. The company that invented the software business model. The company that so thoroughly and ... Show More
4h 22m