Back then, most, if not all, software came in source code form. At that time software development was definitely more of a service model of software than a product model. Then in 1977, when shrink-wrapped programs began to appear on the shelves, source code distribution started to go away.

Digital Equipment Corporation Users' Society (DECUS) had a library of 'Free Software', which allowed me to study software as an impoverished student in 1969. I could not afford US$100,000 for a compiler. So I got compilers from DECUS.

Later on, DECUS helped me again when I was teaching college. We could not afford proprietary software for our computers, so DECUS came through.

Still later, when working at Digital, I helped bring FSF's GNU software, and other software, to our customers. They wanted it and needed it, to the chagrin of our other product managers.

Finally, in 1994, I was introduced to Linus Torvalds, and my life was changed forever. I came back from that meeting and told my fellow workers "Linux is inevitable". I even put that message in a slide presentation, in 1994.