RE: tlug: Fired for choosing Linux?

[Scott Stone <sstone@example.com>]

On Wed, 18 Feb 1998, Michael Chiu wrote:

> I really have to disagree with this point.  Aren't RedHat and Caldera
> already doing this?  I think that these companies are adding to the
> popularity of linux if anything.  Personally, I think it would be great
> to see RedHat or maybe TurboLinux (no advertising money from Scott) be
> the next dominant operating system.
> 
> Maybe I look at it differently then... Caldera and RedHat are trying to 
> commercialize it, and if most companies act like this, then that would be 
> fine... but if M$ suddenly started liking it, or another player such as 
> Apple or other well-established tech company (maybe N$?), I can say that 
> they will not have intentions of keeping their versions of Linux to be open 
> such as RedHat and Caldera (I haven't seen Caldera, so I am assuming that it 
> is simlar to RedHat)...
> 
> I believe that Linux could be a future dominant O/S, however, this is 
> assuming that it will succeed being the way it is now.... Open, and not 
> proprietary...
> 
> 

Well, Linux was created differently than Windows was, and the people who
use it (currently) seem to have a slightly different attitude.  Linux
isn't going to be able to be centralized under one company's copyright
simply due to the sheer number of people involved in its development.  So,
assuming that's the case, then it's going to stay fairly 'open'.  This is
good.  There is room for the 'open' stuff that's freely available by ftp
or for $5-$10 on CD, and there's also room for Linux to be a 'real' OS -
usable by big companies, in homes, etc.  That's where companies like
Pacific HiTech (makers of TurboLinux), Red Hat Software, and Caldera come
in.  We provide high-quality professional distributions with technical
support, manuals, etc. and sell it as a commercial application for
anywhere from $30 on up to almost $300, depending on what's bundled with
it.  So basically Linux gets the best of both worlds - the big companies
like us are going to make it more 'mainstream' and get more people
involved, while the 'Open'-ness of it will insure that low-level stuff
will continue to be developed and that the Linux developer community will
stay friendly and productive.

My $0.02, anyway.

--------------------------------------------------
Scott M. Stone <sstone@example.com, sstone@example.com>
               <sstone@example.com>
Linux Developer/Systems Administrator for Pacific HiTech, Inc. 
http://www.pht.com		http://armadillo.pht.co.jp
http://www.pht.co.jp	        http://www.turbolinux.com


---------------------------------------------------------------
Next TLUG Nomikai: 11 March Wed 1998 Tengu TokyoEkiMae 19:30
Chuo-ku, Kyobashi 1-1-6, EchiZenYa Bld. B1/B2 03-3275-3691
Next TLUG Meeting: 11 April 1998 Saturday, Tokyo Station
---------------------------------------------------------------
a word from the sponsor:
TWICS - Japan's First Public-Access Internet System
www.twics.com  info@example.com  Tel:03-3351-5977  Fax:03-3353-6096