30 years of GNU

That's about as stupid as encoding metadata for files on the filesystem. it sounds like a good idea first, but is actually terrible. (What? you still do that with you e-book collection and your MP4 movies? how sad...)

> * Lisp-based window system through which several Lisp programs and
> ordinary Unix programs can share a screen - I do not think anybody is
> working on such a system today, I'm aware of LISP-based WMs, and of
> course the endless Emacs-as-OS jokes, but nothing else.

This sounds rather like NEXTSTEP, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_PostScript and NeWS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeWS

Anyway, it sounds rather fun (if you like Lisp) , but also like a security nightmare.

> * Network software based on MIT's chaosnet protocol - Long forgotten in
> favour of the Internet Protocol

It's still present in the DNS, the reason you write "IN", because there could be a "CH" as well ;) of course there's a linux implementation of it..

> * Something compatible with UUCP - Again forgotten in fvour of the
> Internet Protocol.

Umm, actually, most of the time UUCP run on top of TCP/IP. I used it instead of POP3 for some time to have a (tadaa!) push-mail service and the other way round, to receive mail on a server, without having to expose that server to the internet, because you could also have it pulled. However, that was when sendmail reigned supreme (and was notoriously insecure). I actually think the death of UUCP was mostly due to the arrival of decent SMTP MTAs ;).