HP+Compaq Deal Could be Great for Linux

elliotj writes "This Business Week editorial is arguing that the HP purchase of Compaq could mean big things for Linux as the resulting monolith is forced to rationalize their multitude of operating systems. The most sensible solution may well be for them to abandon HPUX, Tru64 et al and embrace Linux as the one-and-only *nix OS. Interesting thing about the article is that it comes from Business Week...not exactly a traditional penguin cheerleader." Ah, but soon, thanks to Yet Another Corporate Merger, we'll have another defunt company icon in the topics field.

Comments

What are the odds?

[Alien54]

It seems like the potentials for Linux are sort of obvious, given the merger.

The problem is that HP will have to lay off about 16,000 more people. I wonder how many of these will be part of the Linux project.

What are the odds that HP will do something idiotic and get rid of Linux instead of pulling it into its heart and soul?

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an alternate news site using Slash Code
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consequences? I can think of a few

[StandardDeviant]

"imagine what could happen if all of a sudden a large wave of 60-year-old Unix gurus were unleashed as Linux developers"

• TECO debs and rpms are made (if this has already happened, I don't want to know).
• Someone publishes a .bashrc to give you that nice home-y ITS feel.
• Thinkg**k comes out with an "emacs is for punks" shirt.
• A Multics kernel personality (written in APL with a FORTRAN 66 I/O layer) is submitted with a reminder to Alan and Linus that they were soiling diapers when the author was rebeading core.
• Somebody adds a "KILL SYSTEM" command to one or more shells.
• Somebody writes a kernel module to accept input (through serial I'd guess, not that I'm advocating this) from handmade front panel switches...
• ... and somebody else modifies LILO/GRUB/GAG to accept input from them ...
• ... and somebody else publishes a HOWTO on how to do away with LILO (...) if you have the front toggles ...
• ... and the second author's name is Mel.
• Someone mails Alan or Linus a kernel patch ... on paper tape.
• Two words: PDP port. (tech sidenote: yeah yeah, I know)
• Termcap gets an entry for "asr33".
• Somebody hits Tannenbaum (sp? cue old mono vs. micro kernel thread reference) over the head with a walker.
• Joining Isoslack and Zipslack is ... TapeSlack.
• Someone does a photomontage of their naked, full moon ass and part of the kernel source and mails it to AT&T's corporate headquarters.
• Linux becomes able to boot straight to SpaceWar using the framebuffer modules.
• The man page for ed(1) gets updated.
• Someone posts a flame about how directories are bloat. (no, not like LDAP)
• Multics or ITS joins the ranks of supported VMware guest operating systems.
• When you grovel around in /proc periodically the kernel gives you sage advice like "All Hardware Sucks."

A coat? In Texas? Are you insane?

Re:Be sure to see Robert X. Cringely's column.

[Anoriymous Coward]

I liked Cringely's suggestion that Hewpaq put all their inventory of desktop PCs on Ebay starting at $1 with no reserve (apparently this gives statistically higher final sale prices).

Of course, $1 is kind of pricey for a Compaq. What do boat anchors retail for?