Linux Opinions

Linux : Opinions : The weakest link
Posted: ( Wed 25th Jul 2001 04:13:34[AM] UTC )
Stirred, at last, by the assault of Code Red and SirCam, Dennis Powell says enough is enough: "Even if Linux users aren't pushing these malicious bits of code across the Internet, we still suffer from their effects. It's time to politely demand our Microsoft-using friends and acquaintances either change their operating system, or take their machines off the 'net." A polite sample letter is included.

Linux : Opinions : Our Open Source future: It's just a matter of time
Posted: ( Mon 23rd Jul 2001 02:10:07[AM] UTC )
"There will soon be a major change in the way people think about computer software. Currently when looking at software purchases, one might ask questions like: How much does it cost? How many clients can legally be connected simultaneously? Can I use it on my desktop and laptop systems without paying extra? Those questions will become a thing of the past, as Open Source licenses make them irrelevant. Don't think it's possible? Remember that every industry occasionally has a major shift. The computer industry has certainly had shifts. These shifts involved changing the software people used and the way they thought about their needs. The other major reason this change can and will occur is the power of openness," says Micah Yoder.

Linux : Opinions : Free Software: The right to be a charitable community
Posted: ( Mon 16th Jul 2001 09:47:58[PM] UTC )
"The real issue is often missed in the argument over the GPL vs a BSD-style license as advocated by Microsoft: Am I allowed to make something and give it away without the threat of someone exploiting my work? Is a "community" allowed to be charitable without having their charity abused? Can a group of people collaborate and create "Intellectual Property", put it under a license that insures that it can be shared with anybody? Is this legal? Does it have precedent in America (any country for that matter)? The reality, more basic and not all that glamorous for the people wishing to retain "control" over "Intelectual Property", is that communities hold strong societies together. Communities rarely intersect with corporate interest. They can do so at times (witness Red Hat for example), but it's not a necessity," says Paul Ferris.

Linux : Opinions : The support call `hownotto'
Posted: ( Mon 16th Jul 2001 09:16:52[PM] UTC )
When Michael Hall made a routine call to technical support for a laptop purchased from a major (and allegedly Linux-friendly) hardware vendor, the first piece of advice he got was "dump Linux." Learn about how to make all the wrong moves in this informal "tech support HOWNOTTO:"

Linux : Opinions : Damaging the proprietary software market with GPL
Posted: ( Sun 15th Jul 2001 08:54:08[PM] UTC )
"Microsoft understands that GPL is a marketing scheme aimed right at their heart. First, GPL code will always result in a far earlier implementation of a new software idea to hit the market. Second, it `scorches the earth' because once the implementation exists, it kills competitive development that's based on a proprietary model. The situation has already done lots of damage to proprietary software patents. GPL makes it extremely easy to do prior art searches. As a result, patent challengers are having an easier and easier time getting patents invalidated. While this is overall a good situation for the software market, it can be damaging to a single software company that was planning on using a software patent on something obvious to get a lot of money."

Linux : Opinions : Don't believe everything you read
Posted: ( Sun 15th Jul 2001 07:54:49[PM] UTC )
"The specialized computer press really doesn't understand Linux. As a matter of fact, quite contrary to the rules of logic in this case, the popular press, epitomized by Websites like CNN's, actually does a better job at reporting fairly on the Linux phenomenon. However, when you go over to the press that's supposed to know what it's talking about when it reports on IT developments, the fairly well-researched and objective writing about Linux gets pretty scarce. I'll chalk the reason for this up to the meal-ticket-syndrome," says Michael J Jordan.

Linux : Opinions : Linux is full of fanatics, potential
Posted: ( Tue 10th Jul 2001 10:21:50[PM] UTC )
"Be careful what you say about Linux. Say the wrong thing, truth or otherwise, and you risk agitating an underworld of zealots. It was never clear if theirs was a true passion for the free operating system or simply a dislike for Microsoft, which they felt Linux would destroy"

Linux : Opinions : Tempest in a Caldera
Posted: ( Fri 6th Jul 2001 08:50:38[PM] UTC )
"Caldera must prove that its new approach offers value and stability to corporate users trying Linux for the first time, and it needs to support its extensive reseller channel at least as well as SCO did. If the company can adequately tackle these two significant challenges, the insults won't matter. Caldera will have carved out a nice little piece of the Linux-in-business market."

Linux : Opinions : Does Linux need marketing?
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 10:04:16[PM] UTC )
"I have just read an incredible article about an exchange between Caldera's Ransom Love and Richard Stallman. Forgive me for interjecting myself into another's fight, but I think this has gotten so tied up in "personality" that it is time to interject the little guy back into the discussion."

Linux : Opinions : The appeals court ruling: What's in it for Linux?
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 09:55:22[PM] UTC )
"Already, leading legal scholars, including Stanford University's Lawrence Lessig, are praising the decision for offering (as Lessig put it) "smart and innovative" rules concerning antitrust regulation in the digital era. The big question is this: Will the decision change Microsoft's behavior?"

Linux : Opinions : Red Hat's database could be key to Linux success
Posted: ( Wed 4th Jul 2001 09:47:01[PM] UTC )
"A well-marketed Open Source database (like the one Red Hat proposes) could potentially do more to cement the hold of Open Source software in the enterprise than the Linux OS itself. In effect, it would transform Linux into a complete Open Source Web applications platform, to compete with commercial offerings from the likes of Sun, Oracle or Microsoft."

Linux : Opinions : Separated by a common operating system
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 09:57:17[PM] UTC )
"Now incompatibilities are being introduced hand over fist, as distributions fight for a bigger and bigger piece of a diminishing pie, until oneday one will own all of nothing. Does this do anything useful for the distributions, users, Linux, anybody? Well, no. If Microsoft were to cook up a plan to cause Linux to disappear in a virtual Tower of Babel it could scarcely be more effective than that which has been adopted by distributions on their own, voluntarily," writes Dennis Powell

Linux : Opinions : A very apt app
Posted: ( Wed 27th Jun 2001 07:48:11[PM] UTC )
It's time to unearth another Linux hidden gem, overlooked open-source application that can help make Linux more useful once you get to know it. Simply called apt-get, this tool was developed to handle installations of the Debian Linux distribution. But, apt-get's capabilities go far beyond simplifying installation. Most notable is an option that updates your system by comparing the release levels of the software on your system to those of a remote benchmark site. This process can be automated as much or as little as you like.

Linux : Opinions : Who's afraid of Linux? - Part 1
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 09:22:13[PM] UTC )
As Linux matures, it's likely that more companies will consider it for business-wide applications. Linux has always been a highly reliable operating system -- an important attribute for enterprise-class applications -- but until recently, it has lacked key features for enterprise computing.

Linux : Opinions : Open source leaders duke it out
Posted: ( Mon 25th Jun 2001 08:21:00[PM] UTC )
Caldera's Ransom Love defends himself against charges by free software advocate Richard Stallman. The truth is, he says, nothing is for free. "Someone must pay for it. All these small modifications in the code... all this does cost money. The only way to make Linux a successful business is to cash in. This is the other side of the medal. In the future, all Linux applications will have a price tag. That's the job of the movement's marketing department. You will have to pay for it, but of course less than you would pay for NT products..."