On Sat, 2004-07-03 at 12:11, Chuck_Sterling wrote: > <OT RAMBLE> > > As I type this, I'm trying to get a handle on, for want of a better > term, the "politics" of Linux. Not the legal questions re: M$ and SCO > et al, but where Linux in general, commercial Linux distributions > (RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake, etc.), and Fedora Core fit into the IT world. <snip> > Opinions, omissions, misspellings: all are mine. > > </OT RAMBLE> > > > > > HTH in the future, > > I'm sure it will. > Thanks again, > Chuck > > Chuck, Since no-one else seems to be taking you up on the ramble, let me offer a few opinions..... I think there is currently an assumption that computing is broken into several categories.... Perhaps the most lucrative category is that of "servers". It is in this category that commercial releases of Linux seem to be destroying the various flavors of Unix. Linux's success as an enterprise server now has many of it's proponents exploring it's viability on a desktop. I would further opine that the desktop is also broken into two categories: corporate and consumer. A standard corporate desktop that needs basic "office" tools (word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation), a java-enabled web browser, and email is already being handily met by Linux today. The use of a DVD player, digital camera, scanners, and other hardware, while used in many business environments, I think is more consumer oriented and seems to be the area Linux is still struggling in. It is not so much that we cannot get that hardware to work, it is more a philosophical problem.... I think those of us in the Unix/Linux world have held to a philosophy that assumes a level of competence to the user. The user should understand the technology they are trying to operate. In it's most basic sense, we believe the user should be able to use vi (or their editor of choice) to modify a configuration file to make the computer do what the user wants it to do. Of course, while the Windows world may try to sugar-coat it, how many Windows users are truly comfortable in editing their "registry" or properly configuring various security options, and what has been the cost to all of us? Of course, let's also compare apples to apples. I do not think you can compare your experiences with Fedora and experiences with Solaris and Windows. I think a more accurate comparison would be to put Solaris against Windows against Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Each of these is a commercial, supported entity and, therefore, on more level footing. Fedora, while seeded by Red Hat, is a community thing. Do we need better, more complete sources of information and documentation? You bet. In fact, there have been several threads related to this over the last month on this list. One great source is the weekly posting by melgil88 that begins to summarize recurring issues. Or perhaps the fedorafaq.org page I sent you earlier this evening. Even this mailing list's archives have a wealth of information (though I still believe searching is more art than science.... <g>) So, I think you need to look closer at the commercial forms of Linux in drawing any conclusions about Linux's marketing efforts and potential success or failure. Oh, and the competition between them? This is actually a good thing. It is why Linux will win - "coopetition" and GPL - only ill-conceived software patents will slow us down!! The adherence to GPL means that all will benefit and continue to march forward, not be ransomed each year by ever-increasing prices in a single-vendor lock-in. Read up on the often quoted: It's not about free beer, it's about freedom of choice!! That is what GNU and Linux are all about and what we are fighting for! --Rob
