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I'm impressed by how well received it was, right off the bat. The first couple responses include actual offers of help! Maybe it's just because there are so many new projects posted here regularly but it seems rare to see that mix of humbleness and enthusiasm present in the thread.

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Back then all the people that used Unix at work or school didn't really have a descent option for home use. Linux filled that void and came at a perfect time when a lot of the GNU utilities existed but without a completed open source kernel. Today, we see a lot of announcements for social sites and android apps that are a variation of a dozen other existing projects. It really is a different world now.

I was only six at the time, so I don't have first hand knowledge, but from what I gather there was no really free kernel/operating system at that time. Minix was under license restrictions, the BSDs was tied up in legal battles, and GNU was still on it's endless search for the perfect kernel.

Linux was sorely needed at the time!

The other thing to remember was Windows was still 16 bit at the time. Linux started off as 32bit. Being free was great, but I would have also (and did) payed for a 32 bit operating system at the time. I actually used OS/2 in the mid-90s before moving to Linux.

I can't stress enough how basic it was. Getting the kernel up and running was only 1/2 the battle. Getting X to run was a significant undertaking, and probably more difficult.

There were a number of PC Unix clones at the time, though most were relatively expensive (especially if this was just your hobby).

Eric S. Raymond maintained a buyers guide FAQ, though for some reason, he stopped maintaining it around 1994 ;-)

http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/clone-unix-guide.txt

Yea, the typical HN response in often highly critical and even quite discouraging at times.

I would put it as downright hostile and exceptionally cynical actually. Critical would be fine in itself.

I once accidentally (by a third party) had an article of mine reach the front page of HN, and I was actually afraid of reading the comments. They were actually quite positive, which surprised me. That in itself seems like kind of a sad thing.

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