"It is fair to say that Linux saved the world from an all-Windows future that was rapidly approaching."

Really? Had Linux not existed, people would've used BSD. Maybe the ~year delay would've meant a closer to all-Windows future than we experienced, but it wouldn't have been all-Windows.

It seems to me the Unix wars were characterized by companies selling hardware with semi-compatible, proprietary operating systems. Apple is the current avatar of the Unix wars. :-)

(But they may be useful metaphors and lessons for current GNU/Linux to be found in the Unix wars; entertaining thought at least.)