It's arguable that macOS going Unix had a halo effect that did more for Linux and open source than if they stayed on a completely propietary stack. There is a ton of cross pollination between mac and Linux software, at least on the command line.
> It's arguable that macOS going Unix had a halo effect that did more for Linux and open source than if they stayed on a completely propietary stack.
But that's not relevant to the parent's point, which is "If all open source, such as Linux, was BSD licensed, then only proprietary unixes would be common", which I happen to agree with.
Linux would have been further behind because all the proprietary unixes could take the best parts, without giving back (like Apple did/does with BSD), and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now).
>and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now)
But aren't the biggest Linux users companies? They use Linux for their data centers, for the mobile phones they sell.
>> and all those thousands of full-time employees working on Linux would have created value for the shareholders of their employers, not value for the Linux users (like they currently do now)
> But aren't the biggest Linux users companies? They use Linux for their data centers, for the mobile phones they sell.
Yes, and? I am not seeing the point you are trying to make ... those "biggest Linux users companies" are making large contributions to Linux. That is, in fact, the point of the GPL - that they make their contributions to all linux users, not just to their shareholders.
