Posts by khess

A little while ago, a friend of mine tapped me on the shoulder--virtually speaking--and asked me why there isn't an easier way to install software on a Linux computer. He asked innocently enough why we can't have a Universal Package Manager (UPM) to handle the software regardless of distribution. Ha! How could he be so naive?

He continued his leftist rant with the following:

One more idea: What's libXXX or gstreamer-plugin-whatever? No more of that either. The packages should be named "MP3 Plugin" "Ogg Plugin" or even just "Support for Proprietary Audio Formats". What's Amarok? No new user would just know that. We need "Audio player" and that's it. And that would be the end of relentless searching.

Whoever heard of using such simplistic names for things? If we made it easy, then everyone would be using Lin--oh wait...

That would cause a disruption of the space-time continuum and perhaps end all existence as we know it. It would be easier to convert the Taliban to Judaism than to get the apt-get and rpm factions to agree to abandon their pet packaging systems for a <cough> universal one.

No wonder would be Linux converts are put off by Linux and all its idiosyncrasies. Having a lot of choices is great but can be quite confusing to newbies. Not only is it a foreign operating system to those who've already had the Windows brainwashing but to throw in terms like Synaptic, apt-get, rpm, tarballs, gzipped tarballs, …

@WolfPack
I'm suggesting that we have to do things differently to stimulate the economy. Tax and spend works temporarily. Putting people to work is a long-term fix. Linux and OSS can help companies save money, encourage innovation, and create new jobs.
All companies are prone to waste and corruption but it seems less apparent with OSS ones, doesn't it? Have you heard of anyone giving themselves a 20 million dollar bonus at the Linux Foundation? Have you read about Linus Torvalds taking stimulus money and buying a beachfront condo with it?
OSS companies are not immune to scandal and corruption but it just seems like there's too many regular corporations involved in corrupt behavior. I agree, profit isn't greed. Sacrificing your workforce for that profit is.

Your perennially negative opinion notwithstanding, offshoring is bad for our economy. It has nothing to do with racism and everything to do with corporate greed taking its toll on us with no visible return.

Is there a stimulus package on the way for those who use Linux and Open Source Software? You bet there is but it might not come from where you'd expect. Too many wasted stimulus dollars have already rained down upon those who wasted their own money but this time it'll be different. Sure, it will. I hear you. But this time it will be different.

Let's say for a moment that Vivek Kundra, the new Federal CIO and Open Source Software proponent, manages to shake this whole FBI investigation and bribery scandal that is taking place in his former office while he's on a leave of absence from his post and actually gets to serve this administration. What can we expect from him?

I expect to see corporate tax breaks for those who:

1. Implement Green Technology.
2. Use Open Source Software.
3. Give Something Back to the Open Source Community.
4. Continue to Innovate.
5. Create New Jobs.

I am also hopeful that Kundra will, with Obama's guidance, ensure that stimulus money goes toward creating new jobs in America. I believe that stronger than any tax breaks or stimulus dollars being thrown at greedy C-Level executives are jobs. Jobs create disposable (surplus) income which means that people buy things and stimulate the economy.

What doesn't stimulate the economy?

1. Offshore Outsourcing.
2. Giving More Money to Those Who've Wasted it Already.
3. Providing Tax Breaks to Those …

I'll be waiting for the announcement as they've played this one pretty close and haven't, to my knowledge, had any pre-press releases. I think companies are getting tired of journalists leaking their stories for a scoop.

Cisco in the server hardware business? With VMware? Using Linux? Has the world gone topsy-turvy while I wasn't looking? If you think about it, Cisco's forte--routers--are lightweight computers that do one specific job--routing packets from one network to another. So, their foray into the dark realm of higher-end server systems isn't such a big stretch for them.

I should have known something like this was a-brewing when Cisco launched their "Inside The Box" contest using their AXP (Application eXtention Platform)--a Linux-based integration platform that runs on routers.

Here's a look at AXP direct from Cisco:

Linux-based integration environment to develop applications that run on routers.
Certified libraries to implement C, Python, Perl, and Java applications(http web server and SSH are also supported).
Service APIs for integrating applications into the network.
Multiple applications can run in their own virtual instance with the ability to segment and guarantee CPU, memory, and disk resources.
Applications can be tightly integrated with Cisco ISRs (Integrated Service Router); this is a key advantage of using Cisco AXP for hosting, compared to using other server-based solutions.

Wait, did that say "..applications can run in their own virtual instance?"

I guess that's where VMware comes in for the recent announcement about Cisco possibly selling server systems equipped with VMware software.

I think that whatever they announce next Monday, March 16 will have to do with the marrying of their AXP devices with VMware software …

But GNOME is anything but light. I haven't seen DreamLinux--I'll have to check it out.

I've had the pleasure of taking a special Debian 5.0 distribution (Debian 5.0 i386 XFCE LXDE) for a recent test drive as a virtual machine in Citrix XenServer 5.0.

This single CD distribution comes with two selections for a graphical interface, XFCE and LXDE. XFCE works great and is very similar to the Mac OS X look and feel although your PC is probably equipped with a two or three button mouse.

I didn't have good luck with the LXDE, Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment, although it does look promising. I couldn't use the interface at all. Every time I selected an application, it minimized and the screen started to jitter uncontrollably. I had to shut down the VM and remove it. It's possible that LXDE doesn't like being virtualized. XFCE, on the other hand, works flawlessly and quickly as advertised.

My default installation with XFCE is 1.4GB but includes the full OpenOffice.org suite, graphics programs, support for scanners, and much more.

The system performs well with a single processor and 512MB of RAM for the VM. Once XenTools were installed the graphical interface, in undocked mode, performs at near-native speeds.

If you have a small or old computer or laptop, I highly recommend this distribution but I'd choose XFCE instead of LXDE for the time being. You'll have a computer that's ready to connect to the Internet, create spectacular graphics, and run a …

I've read almost a dozen articles in the past week about Netbook computers and am sorely disappointed with some of the news about them. The general consensus is that Windows dominates the Netbook space. The info was gathered from sales reports by Asus, MSI, Dell and Sylvania. This news is an amazing smackdown to those of us who were hoping that the Netbook space would be overwhelmingly Linux-owned.

It's shocking, to say the least, that vendors would use a heavy operating system like Windows on a lightweight system such as a Netbook. What are they thinking? The whole point of a Netbook is speed, light weight, low power consumption, and quick booting. How fast does Windows boot on even the fastest computer?

To me, this seems more like trying to make an elephant ride a tricycle. It's funny but I just don't get it.

I understand that there is a perceptual barrier to Linux and there have been a lot of people return their Linux Netbook to have Windows installed on it or exchanged for the Windows version. It's familiar to them and the comfortable choice.

I'd like to do a side-by-side "taste test" with Netbooks using Linux versus ones using Windows (XP, Vista, 7) and see for myself--and report back to you of course--if there are performance-related issues with Windows-equipped models. To be fair, they will have to be equivalent hardware for both operating systems.

To …

I am proud to say that the Linux Community now has a place to land--a single place--and a great one at that: The Linux Foundation. You don't often read encouraging words from me about consolidations, mergers, buyouts and strategic partnerships but when they make sense for everyone, you do. As everyone knows by now, The Linux Foundation has scooped up Linux.com and is taking over support for the site from Sourceforge.net.

This is exactly what we, the Linux Community, needs--a single place to go for Linux-related training, Linux News, Linux Jobs, and Linux Technical Information. microsoft.com is the one-stop shop for Windows and related software, apple.com fulfills its customers needs at one location and I'm hopeful that linuxfoundation.org does the same for the Linux folk.

I'm trying to resist saying "One Nation under Linus."

Now, if I'm putting too much pressure on the Linux Foundation people to make this happen, they can enlist my help to propel this project to become our collective gathering place. The Linux Foundation should be the first, and possibly the only, stop in one's quest to learn more about Linux and open source software.

I fully support The Linux Foundation in their efforts to promote, standardize, protect, collaborate and support the advancement of Linux. Yes, I'm a member.

Use the Comments area below to give me your feedback about where you think The Linux Community and …

Here's some good news for a change: Linux-related jobs are on the rise. According to the freelance marketplace, Odesk, the number of Linux jobs has increased more than 1,400% since 2006. This sharp increase as raised some eyebrows over at The Linux Foundation and they're responding appropriately.

The Linux Foundation is kicking off Linux training classes starting with:
Essential Linux Device Driver Development Skills
Creating Applications for Linux
Kernel Debugging and Performance

Of course, this career boost comes at a price--a pretty high one too. The two-day training will set you back $1,099. You also receive a full pass for the 3-day Collaboration Summit.

It might be worth the $1,100 plus travel and expenses to make the trip to meet up with others like yourself and the influential minds in the Linux development world. Bring some resumes with you. I suggest you purchase several dozen small USB thumb drives, put your resume on them with samples of your work, and hand them out like candy at this conference.

If you snag a job while you're there, remember where you read about it. Drop me a line to let me know how you do.

I agree too--that's why I winked.

PCWorld announces new blog: LinuxLink. Wow, it's only taken PCWorld a mere 10 years to come up with this fantastic brainchild. I'm impressed. There's nothing quite like being on the leading edge of technological advances like Linux. I hope their rapid move in this obtuse new direction doesn't singe their nose hairs or scare off readers.

I don't know, PCWorld guys, do you think you might be giving too much credence to this little niche OS? I mean--a whole blog? It sounds crazy and risky but it just might work.

I have a few pointers for the PCWorld editorial staff and author Keir Thomas (The lucky blogger in this outrageous project):

1. It's pronounced Lihnux, short i--not Lyenux, long i as in luddite.

2. It works on Desktops, Enterprise systems, cell phones, and even wristwatches.

3. Focus on the positive side of Linux--people are tired of Microsoft bashing. :icon_wink:

4. Though Linux works on Desktop computers--it won't ever take hold--don't waste your time talking about that.

5. Virtualization is a hot topic--spend some time on it.

6. Interviews with Linus Torvalds are so last month.

7. CIOs don't understand Linux--avoid addressing issues that might concern them.

8. Most popular games don't work on Linux--pretend Linux and Gaming 'just hasn't come up' as a topic.

9. Spice it up a bit with some feature stories from folks in the trenches. You know where you can find me.

…

For some reason, I didn't experience an outage. Maybe it's because we have a major Google data center 40 miles from here.

Do my eyes deceive me or did Red Hat just deliver its own smackdown on the virtualization community today? I was wondering when they were going to offer a solution that combined their new acquistion, Qumranet and the KVM product. I don't have to wait any longer.

The products, including the Enterprise Hypervisor have yet to be priced but will be introduced over the next 18 months.

This announcement follows their own original announcement that they've partnered with Microsoft and the Citrix announcement to provide XenServer free of charge.

I love Red Hat but I'm afraid unless they specify a distinct target with their new software, it might pale in comparison to Citrix's free XenServer and their partnership with Microsoft.

Red Hat should focus their products on virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) and leave server virtualization to the more experienced VMware and Citrix products. KVM is the ultimate product for desktop virtualization for "heavy" desktops. A heavy virtual desktop is a virtual machine that takes the place of your local desktop operating system.
You can access it from anywhere but it is still a full-sized, running desktop operating system. To power something like that for a large number of desktops, you have to use a special protocol like SPICE, Qumranet's proprietary remote desktop software.

Will this announcement and product line hurt their newly forged relationship with Microsoft? No. The Citrix/Microsoft relationship is the one that …

You read that title correctly; XenServer is free. Free as in advice--since I've never seen any of this free beer of which the Open Source Community speaks so freely. And, yes, this is breaking news. Citrix made XenServer free as of Feb 23, 2009 12:01am EST. This exciting announcement is part of a move by Citrix to open its flagship XenServer to further adoption by Cloud vendors, corporations and developers.

Oh, but that's not all. It gets better. In fact, Citrix gets a Gold Star. Yes, that's right, they've partnered with Microsoft.

This time, it might not be so bad a thing.

Citrix is partnering with Microsoft in that Citrix is fully supporting Hyper-V in their new Essentials Management Suite. Essentials will manage both XenServer virtual machines and Hyper-V virtual machines. What's so great about that? With Citrix's new Essentials, you're able to move workloads and virtual machines between XenServer and Hyper-V seamlessly.

The positive fallout from this announcement is tremendous. It will drive new business to Cloud vendors, it will create new Cloud vendor businesses, it will make converting a physical infrastructure to a virtual one a lot cheaper--try to the tune of $5,000+ per server.

Who will be hurt by this? If you are whispering "VMware" to yourself, you're right. I forsee an upcoming counter announcement from VMware this week--watch for it here. Microsoft won't be hurt significantly by a free XenServer because Microsoft shops will embrace Hyper-V regardless …

You're right, I forgot about the Beowulf clusters up there in Los Alamos. When I think of Federal government, here in the states, I'm not generally thinking of those leading edge places like that. My head turns more toward Washington D. C., the Post Office, and others like that. The propellerheads at places like Los Alamos will always use the cool stuff.
BTW, I used to live in Santa Fe, NM and I love Los Alamos and White Rock. Los Alamos sits on the rim of a giant volcano--a very intriguing place to be sure. I wanted to open a tour business there because every day when I woke up and went to work my heart pounded at the sheer beauty and I never got tired of it. I would have been excited--almost giddy--showing people the cool stuff for their first time. It could well have been the elevation--Santa Fe sits at 7,000 ft above sea level.

I saw this article yesterday titled, "Study: Federal Gov't. Can Save Billions in IT Spending," and feel compelled to comment. The gist of the article is that by switching to open source software, like Linux and OpenOffice.org, the federal government would save billions of dollars in IT costs.

This is one for the "DUH!" category. It is such a "duh" moment for me that I feel like playing "Really" like Seth and Amy do on Saturday Night Live--so I think I will.

I read an article that the federal government could save billions in IT spending by using Linux and other open source software.

Really? Federal Government--you think you can just go saving billions of dollars by using open source software--really? That's shocking because it's only been around for about 20 years. Really.

Really? You think you can do a study exploring the pros and cons of using open source software and discover that the potential savings is $3.7 billion for using open source software, $13.3 billion by using virtualization and $6.6 billion using cloud computing's software as a service (Saas)--really? And how much did you pay for this stroke of genius and in-depth bit of research by MeriTalk.com? Really.

Really? You need a study like this to tell you the obvious--really? Seems to me that you could have gleaned this monumental reality check by READING MY BLOG here at DaniWeb. Really.

Really? Microsoft Federal CTO, Susie Adams …

Apple's never been cool--you're just noticing it more these days. They've always had a superior attitude and never really had their customer's best interest at heart. I've always felt like customer to them were simply 'units sold.'

This is what we're going to see for the next year or two: Strategic Partnerships. A couple of days ago, Red Hat signed one of these partnership deals with Microsoft in what I call "A deal with the devil." Microsoft and Red Hat have slung mud, insults and accusations at each other for years and now they're smoking the Peace Pipe?

Oh what troubled times are these!

Here's the deal summary:

Microsoft will offer customer support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 and 5.3 guests on all editions of Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server 2008. For its part, Red Hat will support customers running Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows 2000 Server SP4 and Windows Server 2008 guests on Red Hat Enterprise virtualization technologies.

The companies also will offer cooperative technical support for customers running Windows Server on Red Hat Enterprise virtualization and Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V. Future versions of these products also will be validated under the company's agreement.

This is one for the "I don't get it" category, which is my reaction to most of these strategic partnership deals--especially ones struck between Linux companies and Microsoft.

Here's my problem with it:

If Microsoft has a customer that is running Linux (Pick any flavor) and Hyper-V, wouldn't they support that customer anyway? They are a customer using Hyper-V after all. The same goes for Red Hat. If someone is a Red Hat customer, would they …

I'm seeing a trend towards hardware, software and operating system commoditization in our new cloud-based world. I think that within 5 years applications, including your beloved desktop operating system will be completely hosted. This brings me to pondering whether or not at some point there will be multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes to sell hosted services.

Women will trade-in their old school Tupperware parties for hip new Cloudware* parties. Amway could be replaced by CloudWay*. And school kids will have fundraisers like America's Finest Hosting* or Cloud Scouts*. Wow, a whole new industry is born: CloudWork Marketing*.

I know--or hope, that this is just my fantasy. Surely no one would ever think of doing this for real. On the other hand, In the years to come, there will be a cloud vendor frenzy and you'll be able to choose services, features and support just like you do now with cell phone providers. These bundled services would be powerfully marketed through consumer marketing channels (MLM).

Linux powers most current cloud vendor offerings and that isn't likely to change. What will change, for the majority of us, is that we will never know, nor care, which operating system is powering our games, phones, applications or desktops--it will just be "service."

Think of it. Power on your "computer," select a service and away you go into the ethers of cloud vendor magic. You'll never know where your applications reside, where your data is or where your desktop is …

Good article. When I think of SaaS, I think salesforce.com, for one. When I think Cloud, I think Amazon EC2 where you use their computing infrastructure to power your apps or whatever whereas SaaS is more of a subscription-based software rental.

I liked SuSE too when it was still owned by the German company. In fact, it was the first commercial version of Linux I ever purchased. I think Novell's involvement has screwed it up. I'm sorry. I used to really like Novell but they did some things very wrong to their customers years ago that I'll never forgive them for with NetWare. Most of their great people are also gone so I'm barely hanging onto them as a distro at all. I do really like their SuSE Studio product though--it's awesome. OpenSUSE isn't too bad either.

Almost 10 months ago, I wrote the post, "Dear China, Microsoft Wants to Charge You for Air Too" and now Novell follows up with its own plan to charge China for air. The Chinese assume that since Linux is open source that it means that it is less capitalistic and less money driven.

OK. Now let's see if you can get them to believe that.

The conversation will go something like this:

Novell: Hi, we're Novell--we represent the open source operating system, Linux.

China: Great. You did know that Red Hat and Microsoft both have already been here, didn't you?

Novell: Yes, of course. Our version of Linux is better than Red Hat's and we have an agreement with Microsoft. [Giggling in the background]

China: Microsoft? But aren't they a monopolistic, greed-based, capitalist company bent on world domination--umm, you know like Communism without the monopoly or greed things. [Giggling]

Novell: Yeah, but our agreement with Microsoft is to protect our customers from any patent infringement caused by Linux.

China: So, using Novell's SUSE Linux, we'll be protected from patent infringement? Red Hat gives us the same deal--Ubuntu does too, I think. What's the advantage of using your version when we can get it for free and ignore patent infringement anyway? After all, we're the biggest software pirating country in the world.

Novell: Yeah, but you should use us because...like...we're Novell and our production software is only a little behind …

@dbaxps

Funny, I thought of Sun but I thought having 2 of those in the same list would be a bit redundant. Sun, though, does have a good system in version 10 with zones--they're easy to setup and use. I, for one, see the Sun setting soon into another company--they can't survive much longer on their own.

Do you need 10 reasons to use Linux-based virtualization? Linux is the chosen virtualization platform for Cloud vendors, virtualization software companies and the largest IT companies in the world. What do they know that you don't?

Here's the list of 10 reasons in reverse order (Actually there's no particular order except for the number 1 reason).

10. Big Vendor Support - VMware, Citrix, Red Hat and Ubuntu are your big commercial vendors using Linux for their virtualization technology. Why do they use it? Various reasons but the top reason is performance.

9. Price - Yes, I know I'm beating a dead horse here but you have to admit that it's a big selling point. Cheap is better than expensive and free is better than cheap any way you slice it. In today's slimmer budgets, it's a significant factor in making choices.

8. Performance - The number one barrier to conversion from physical to virtual machines for many is performance. Hypervisor technology and Linux make it a pairing that rivals native physical machine performance. With the addition of SAN storage, even disk I/O performance bottlenecks are resolved to the satisfaction of the most skeptical among you.

7. Stability - Cloud vendors need uptimes of 99.999%. Which platform do they choose? Linux. Why? Stability. Which OS should you choose for your systems? Linux. Why? Stability. Unless you update the kernel, you'll never need to reboot.

6. Commercial Support - VMware, Citrix, Red Hat and Ubuntu (through …

Interesting. I hadn't heard about this.

I like that--spiritual monkey wrench--that's good.

@Rashakil

No, I'm just awaiting yours and you never disappoint.

Someone commented on one of my posts the other day, stating that Linux is a tool and not a religion. Can this be true? I would hate to think that for the past 15 years that I've invested in Linux, it would turn out that Linux is merely a tool, a--dare I say it--a monkey wrench?

Say it ain't so.

I was about to put forth a new calendaring system to the International Standards Committee based not upon the movement of the earth, the appearance of a deity, or the calculations of long-forgotten tribes of ancient South America but upon the emergence of perhaps the world's greatest monkey wrench: Linux.

Now that does make me feel foolish indeed.

O woe is I when I think of the wasted hours I've spent pondering ways to enrich the lives of others by prophesying coming Linux-related events or the efforts I've put into proselytizing--bringing new blood into the fold.

Linus, have I mistakenly deified the creation and not the creator?

I realize that Linux is an operating system and not some sort of idol to be worshipped or deified. As fans, we do become somewhat obsessed with our passions and beliefs. If it sounds, at times, that I am attempting to start some religious war or that I'm off the deep end with my Linux fanaticism--just let me know and I'll reel in the reins a bit.

I am passionate about Linux, its capabilities, and its …

@kenholmz

Wow! What an awesome analysis. Thanks for that--very well thought out and written down. I first learned of Plan 9 several years ago when attempting to learn as many OSs as possible. I'd love to see it take off like Linux has.

@Ozymandi

Not a sermon but an observation.

I understand that and have had similar complaints myself.

It's time to embrace change in the IT world. Linux, for many, is ushering in a new age of reason. Its cost, stability, and open licensing make it a clear choice for those wanting to save money or shore up their service offerings. Companies, large and small, are turning to Linux to lower costs, leveraging existing hardware with virtualization, and making better use of people resources through cross-training on Linux systems. There's no denying the recent 'move to Linux and open source' trend.

VMware, Dell, and Microsoft are the most recent converts to the whimsical world of Linux and open source. In fact, Microsoft is totally committed to its deal with Novell and support of the SUSE Linux lineup.

But why the sudden move this direction? Is it a trendy move or a paradigm shift?

I believe that it's a true paradigm shift.

In the 1980s, there were SCO Unix computers everywhere. In the late 1980s, everyone moved to Novell servers from SCO Unix. In the mid-1990s, Novell was out in favor of Windows servers and now the trend is toward a Linux model. Novell abandoned its NetWare software in favor of Linux and Microsoft is also making progress in the Linux realm.
This is one trend I foresee sticking around for more than just 5 years or so. Linux is still growing and becoming--yet to reach its true destiny although I think that cloud …

Well, well, how about that Dell? In a landmark decision, Dell announced that it has penned a deal to use Novell's SUSE Linux in its data centers to power its new OptiPlex FX 160 thin client systems. Wow. Dell is doing this to save money and simplify its IT infrastructure and requirements.

Why is this landmark, you ask?

Just over a year ago, I was on assignment to do a story on commercially available Linux from PC vendors such as Dell. I was passed from client service representative to supervisor to sales to...oh, you get the idea. Well, the bottom line was that they, in fact, did not really have Linux available yet on their PCs. I called several companies over a 3 day period and ended up having the article cancelled completely due to lack of vendor involvement with Linux, which really was a story in itself. Too bad the editor didn't see the story there.

I'm impressed, first of all, with Dell's decision to do this and second, I'm further impressed with this decision on the heels of last month's announcement that they (Dell) acquired Allin's Microsoft Services Expertise. Dell still has a significant Microsoft investment and will continue to support Windows, sell Windows on its systems, and likely deploy more Windows systems in their environment but it does show from which pool they drink when they need economic refreshment.

This news actually shouldn't …

So, I'm guessing you're a Mac user then?

Linux may never gain widespread success, that we, the Linux fans want it to, because it's just too complex for the average computer user. Sure, we now have KDE, GNOME, XFCE, and other fancy graphical user interfaces that attempt to mimic Windows and the Mac OS but underneath the shimmering polish, it's Unix and that scares people. I'm not so sure that this is a bad thing.

When I first compared PCs and Macs around 1988, I decided that Mac users would be more efficient at Microsoft Word or drawing pictures than a PC user but the PC user would know far more about computers. This was because the Mac OS protected its user from the underlying workings of the computer whereas the PC did not.

Nowadays, the PC is becoming the "dumbed-down" operating system of the masses and the Mac OS is more for tinkerers. The Mac OS, since the introduction of version 10 (X), is now a blend of FreeBSD (A free, open source operating system like Linux) and Mach64 (NeXT) architecture. Basically the Mac OS is more like Linux than its former self.

I assumed, in those thrilling days of yesteryear, that Mac users weren't as smart as PC users. Basically, if you're dumb (and have a lot of money), you use a Mac. These days I think that PC (Windows) users are the less skilled of the three user types. Each new version …

@perspectoff

You're right the license is at least as important as open sourcing the code. I don't see MS going for any current version of a GPL, etc. I foresee them going with a Microsoft Open Source License that stipulates for whom and what the code can ultimately be used. They don't have a need yet to go for an existing model but you can bet their days as a completely closed source company are numbered.

@Brotherred

I think eventually MS will open source a lot of their apps. Maybe not their desktop/server or office suite but certainly they'll give away the code to Visual Studio, some of their games, and perhaps SQL Server since it's basically a rip-off of Sybase.

Does the Open Source Model work better than its commercial alternative? This post comes on the heels of one of my fellow Staff Writer's posting the story, "A Modest Idea: What If Microsoft Open Sourced Windows?" And I'm aiming this commentary at Microsoft too but it applies to any company who seeks profit over what is fundamentally correct behavior in the marketplace. I'm not against anyone making a profit. Profit is good. Forfeiting good business sense and sacrificing employees in the name of profit are bad.

Steve Ballmer announced the other day that Microsoft is joining the host of other companies by laying off thousands of workers. In his company-wide email, he blamed the poor economy for the layoffs.

"But it is also clear that we are not immune to the effects of the economy. Consumers and businesses have reined in spending, which is affecting PC shipments and IT expenditures."

Yes, it's true that the economy is not great right now but I don't suppose their layoffs have anything to do with the dismal performance of Microsoft's flagship desktop operating system, Vista, does it? Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that many are turning away from Microsoft in record numbers because of his poor performance as well.

Could an Open Source business model prevent the Microsoft layoffs?

If Microsoft's operating systems were open source, as Ron Miller suggests, would it save jobs? I believe that …

Great story, Ron. Did you know that Microsoft just released their Live Web Sandbox as Open Source this week. A bold move from our friends in Redmond.
Here's a link: Web Sandbox

@linux_user20099

I'm with you on your reaction to the nay sayers against Linux and their drivel that follows. Thanks for your comments.

Those of you who follow the state of Linux may realize that Linux is now at the precipice or "jumping off place" as an operating system. Linux, to others, is viewed as being at the crossroads for success. What's the difference, for Linux, in teetering at the precipice and standing at the crossroads?

How do these metaphors translate into concrete information that you can use?

The Precipice: This view is one that's sparked by those who believe that Linux should become a competitive desktop operating system and that it's time to "put up or shut up" in this area. They believe that Linux should either jump off the cliff and go headlong into the desktop universe or back away from the edge of desktop-dom completely.
Personally, I think that Linux desktop developers are doing what they can in this direction and are perhaps lowering Linux over the cliff on a rope. Linux is currently a usable, viable, and quite stable desktop operating system that's easy enough for the masses. Ubuntu Linux and its derivatives are highly prized for their simplicity and usability as desktop alternatives.

The Crossroads: The crossroads viewpoint of Linux makes a bit more sense to all who understand it--that Linux is at a place where there are many paths from which to choose: Desktop, Server, Virtualization Host, etc.
Linux will always be at this crossroads--it will never move from this spot. Instead, its distribution spawn will take the different paths.

So, Feedburner is dead to you. I've never used it and I won't now.

@NZheretic

Thanks. That is an informative and useful post. I appreciate it.

I'm not talking about openssl, PHP, or even the Linux kernel but all the above plus every other program or bit of code on a Linux system. It's vulnerable. It's hackable. It can be changed at will by anyone because the source is open and freely available (the definition of open source).

Windows code, on the other hand, is not open and available, therefore it's much safer.

Do you believe that open source programs are more vulnerable because their code is available, visible and accessible? Do you believe that the Windows operating system and Windows applications are more secure because the code isn't available to you and potential hackers?

You'd be right if you believe the first and wrong if you believe the second of those questions. Why?

While it's true that allowing someone to view your code, leaves it somewhat more vulnerable than if it were hidden--it is not true that hidden code is more secure. So, if it's more vulnerable, why all the hype about Linux and open source and why does anyone think it's better?

Because Linux is more secure. Say what???

It works like this: If your code is visible, hackers, crackers, and annoying tweakers can get in and perhaps find a security vulnerability and exploit it. It's also visible to the good guys who can fix those vulnerabilities--in fact, by the time you hear of a security vulnerability in the open source world, someone has already fixed it and …

Crazy how many people are still on dial-up. Great post Sharon.

Ah yes, another significant victory for Linux as the Russian government decides that there will be a national operating system based on Linux. This new operating system will be deployed in Russian schools sometime this year.

The Russians plan to rid themselves of the capitalist opression of Microsoft--or something like that.

Russia isn't the first country to make this decision as some schools in India, France, and the U.S. have already made the switch to Linux.

The main reason they're switching? To save those Rubles, baby. I guess schools face tight budgets everywhere.

This mass migration to Linux fulfills my ongoing prophecies and rants about saving money by using Linux, converting the young, and generally breaking the stranglehold that our favorite company in Redmond has on us all.

Perhaps our new U.S. President will soon mandate the same change for American schools--now that's change I can believe in.

What other platforms would you port it to?

As you say, "in the past."

NetBSD isn't really in the running for any corporate services. I'm speaking strictly of the viable OSs: OS X, Windows, Linux, Solaris, AIX, and HP-UX.