> "And its fate offers a case study of what happens when invention and
> innovation are not accompanied by funding, talent infusion, and a
> strong venture capital market or angel investor presence—all
> ingredients that Silicon Valley (where Mosaic was funded and
> developed) takes for granted."
>
> Well, gee, what about Linux?
The Linux kernel received a few important boosts during its early years:
Richard Stallman's GNU project adopted Linux on a temporary basis while their work on Hurd was continuing. GNU/Linux formed a complete OS with some serious system applications like gcc and emacs
Also, both HP and IBM adopted GNU/Linux for their server lines, giving that operating system a tremendous boost in commercial credibility.
This is just from memory, but if you want more, I'd suggest Glynn Moody's "Rebel Code" as a good history of Linux's development.
My understanding of the other Finnish success, Nokia, was due to the widespread use of cellphone technology in ship-to-shore communications: they had a strong local (and perhaps commercial, not consumer) market for the technology.
Best, Charles