From: torvalds@klaava.Helsinki.FI (Linus Benedict Torvalds)
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux
Subject: Re: Job Ctrl && $$->programmers (How?)
Keywords: jobs, money, bash, happy
Date: 9 Apr 92 14:49:03 GMT
Organization: University of Helsinki

In article <83443@bu.edu> buckley@csa.UUCP (David Buckley) writes:
>
>	Is there some version of jsh, or some implementation of the
>functions fg, bg, %[n] etc... I didn't find them on the version of
>bash I am using. Are there several versions of bash?  How do we get 
>access to job ctrl?  I know these exist from reading previous 
>postings, are they hiding or should I chmod u+rwx mybrain.out?

Yes, there are several versions of bash existing - some of them are
/very/ old.  I don't know if the original bash.Z is still somehwre to be
found, but it was not too long ago, and that is the version I used under
0.01, long before linux had job control.  That version certainly doesn't
support job control.

Versions of bash that support job control (including the builtins fg,
bg, kill, jobs etc) are available on older root-disks, notably the 0.95
(not "a") rootdisk.  I don't know where to find a "standalone" version
of bash - I know somebody ported bash 1.12 (the one on the rootdisk is
1.11 patch-level 1, although I think "help" returns 0.00.1). 

You might want to check out the abc-release when it gets out - right now
the binaries under linux are a major mess (different versions under the
same name etc...), but this will eventually be sorted out, I hope. 

>	Also, is there some list of developers-port|ers so that
>it might be easyer to direct financial contributions to this venture? 
>I haven't seen any postings with regards to how and to who money
>should be donated, and I think it would be interesting to be able 
>to direct donations for specific implementations (our unix favourites),
>beyond Linux itself.  Such a posting (I feel) would be greately 
>appreciated. 

I have never felt anybody needed to pay for linux - I didn't want to
make it share-ware, and I never wanted to make it commercial.  The
biggest reason I started on linux at all was that I had no good unix and
no money - I wanted a totally free unix (not "GNU-free", but "no-money"
free - the "GNU-free" came later).  I still have no money, but at least
I've got the unix :)

In fact, the earliest copyrights expressly forbid /any/ money at all
changing hands due to linux - the above was the reason.  As the system
actually became useable, I had to change my mind - I don't mind people
making money off linux, as long as it essentially is available for free
as well, which it is. 

I still feel strongly about the money-thing though - I don't want to
encumber the "official" version with any kind of pleas for money.  If I
had something like "if you enjoy this package, please send $10 to xxx"
it might scare away people from then sending other feedback (bugreports
etc), as they didn't send the money...  As it is, linux has no special
"registered users" which get special treatment by me - if you are
porting something important, I might give your troubles more thought
than the average user, but I try to answer every problem that gets
reported (even if it's just a "sorry, can't help this one" or "it's a
known problem, I don't know the cure", "hardware dependant"). 

One thing I would appreciate is people sending me postcards from all
over the world: I don't want to be a new Craig Shergold, but it might be
fun to see where linux is used :^).  Postcards (with least name and
location written in for reference) could be sent to:

		Linus Torvalds
		Pietarinkatu 2 A 2
		00140 Helsinki
		Finland

and maybe I'll wallpaper my room with them :). Or maybe not.

		Linus

PS.  If you have contacts with hardware suppliers, and would like to get
things like multi-serial cards/tape streamers etc supported...  I just
might be persuaded to try it out :-)