Over that same period, Linux has released over 100 improved versions. For Stallman the issue is less economic than ethical. This spring Netscape began to distribute the source code of its best selling internet program. In July, Oracle announced a Linux version. The same month Word Perfect said it too would have a Linux version.
Cooperation seems to be winning the day.
None of this means Bill Gates will wind up in the poorhouse. Personal gain will always be a useful motivating force in the information economy. But in the future the industry may house fewer billionaires. And what the tale of Linux is proving is that mutual aid and sharing, not cutthroat competition and copyrights, are the best methods for raising productivity and lowering costs.