Those issues seem so trivial with the benefit of hindsight and a memory of what it was like to deploy an application to multiple UNIX variants. Having one standard (we can call that standard "it ain't quite POSIX, but it runs great on Linux") is so superior to the mine field that was all of the UNIXen in 199x, that I don't even register it as a problem. Shoot, until you've had to use autotools or custom build a makefile for a half dozen different C compilers, kernels, libc, and so on, you don't know from POSIX "standards" pain.

But now my beard is showing and I'm ranting. My point is this: it took something from completely outside of the commercial UNIX ecosystem, so far out in left field that none of the UNIX bosses (or Microsoft) saw it as a threat until it was far too late...and it took something that was good, really good in at least some regards, that it would have passionate fans even very early in. Linux did that. And, compared to everything else (pretty much everything else that's ever existed, IMHO), it's great.

And, I'm on board the retro computing bandwagon. I have a real live Commodore 64 and an Atari 130xe. I'd like to one day find an Amiga 1200 in good shape, but because I live in an RV and travel fulltime, I don't have a lot of room to spare. But I do like to tinker and reminisce.