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Servers with a Smile
9jack9 writes "Fortune Magazine has this article entitled Servers with a Smile. While they probably get almost as much wrong as they get right, it's still an interesting article, if for no other reason than it's in Fortune, with a readership undoubtedly consisting of people more focused on business than technology. To me the strange thing is that in portions of the computing world Linux and related phenomena (GNU/Linux, OSS, etc) does seem to be "the hottest thing", but in other parts of the computing world it is all but invisible. It reminds me of NT in the early days. There is also a related article Does Software Yearn to be Free?."
the server goes from :-) to ;-( to X-|
it's such a good thing, he said, that Oracle had just taken 3,800 lines of its own proprietary code, developed over more than a decade, and posted it on the Internet for all the world to see. "We're trying to be a good member of the community," he said.
Heh, 3,800 lines developed over a decade. More like a month of work.
But programmers yearn to be paid.
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When we had Solaris machines, we needed professional Unix system administrators. Now that we have Linux instead, any geek with an undergrad degree can do the job for 80% of the pay!
For a time. Then as demand for Linux geeks increases the salary will increase as well.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
For a time. Then as demand for Linux geeks increases the salary will increase as well.
That's not the point. The misconception held by the pointy-haired boss (and reinforced by this article) is that junior programmers can do the job of senior system administrators if only you use Linux.
The end result of this will be high-profile Linux failures; not because of flaws in Linux, but because of bad decisions driven by drivel like this piece.
Batter up...
Lack of offical support,
Right. RedHat, SuSE, Mandrake and others will be happy to take your money for them to supply 24X7 support for thier distro. Oh, and support from newsgroups and Linux specific message boards are usually just as fast and thourough as any tech support dept. I've ever called.
Swing and a miss - Strike 1.
culpability,
Ha! Have you read any EULA included with "expensive software built by huge companies staffed by thousands of tech support folks"? EULAs exist to make sure you don't sue that same company if the software you buy from them blows your business to smithereens. "Sorry, Mr. Customer. Guess you shouldn't of bought the line from the Marketing Dept. Or (heh) our software package..."
Swung at a ball in the dirt, Strike 2!!
insuring[sic] that the software company will be there to lean on when things go wrong.
No, not lean on. Call and give more $$$ to so they can fix the problem with thier software, or tell you how to use thier crappy UI. They sold you a defective product, and you have to pay more for a correct product. IMHO, they're leaning on you, as in "Vinnie, I needs youse to lean on dis stooge 'til he gives us da dough..."
Strike 3!!! Batter out!
Software Libre _is_ good - read the article.
"It's a sea change," says Bridget O'Connor, a top technology executive at Lehman Brothers. "Now I can play all the vendors off against each other to get the price I want. I never had that negotiating power when all my machines came from Sun."
Power in the customers hands, not the vendors. Competition based on technical merit and value. That's what Free means, bud - freedom to choose. Spin that to the execs next time they ask.
Soko
"Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
Most large corporations get their support from newsgroups and knowledge bases, they just don't know it. I have never met a Windows or Unix administrator that doesn't do a google search as one of their very first steps, and quite often they hit on something.
Anyone who has ever done any real system/database/app support knows that the web and message boards are your best source of information. Even the best tech support organizations suck at the first tier. The best I've ever seen was Oracle, and it depends on the phase of the moon as to whether or not you get anybody who has even the slightest clue. Sun's support is the worst, until you get to the third tier. Microsoft is better, but not much. With them you have at least a passable chance of getting someone competent at tier 2.
Besides the parent post did not say that forums and message boards are the only way to go, he simply said they are often faster, and they are. He said you can purchase support for Linux and you can.
"The words of the prophets are written on the Slashdot walls."