@gnu2 >Like rms has said if the current IP laws existed in the 80s not only would GNU not exist, but there is a very good chance the majority of computers wouldn't be significantly better than they where in the 80s.
I don't believe rms said that, unless he said that decades ago, when he didn't realise that it was a terrible idea to overgeneralize between copyright law, patent law, trade secret law, trademark law etc: https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/not-ipr.html

If the current patent laws and software patents existed in the 80s, GNU probably could exist, but it wouldn't have been a success, as most of the software development couldn't proceed until after 20 year waiting periods.


I wouldn't say that computers are that much better than they were in the 80s - sure they're much faster and have nicer peripherals, but they're a hell of a lot more proprietary and aren't documented (unlike most 80s computers).