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Interview With A Maddog
DubiousFreak writes "Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall. Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994. He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies. Read the full interview at Tinyminds.org."
How about a "Ask Maddog" interview where he answers our top modded questions?
He looks like a stereotypical UNIX guy.
Or Santa Claus. Whichever.
He's old. He's been using UNIX for as long as I've been alive!
What more could one want? :-)
Paranoia isn't an infectious condition, it's a way of life
Well, you posted his resume but, you failed to include salary requirements and a picture. Therefore, we are unable to offer a position at this time.
We will however, keep John's resume on file for the next six months should an appropriate postion become available. Thank you for submitting John's resume. We wish you the best of luck in your life.
It appears that tinyminds have tiny computers :-(
The next in the long awaited series of interviews, Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall.
From LI.org: Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994.
He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies.
Before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (he hopes) gave him the nickname maddog. Maddog as he prefers to be called, has an MS in Computer Science from RPI (1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).
Tm: Anyone who searches for your name online, will come across an organization known as Linux International. What are LI's goals and what is its general purpose?
MD: In 1994 an Australian named Patrick D'Cruze saw the need for a vendor-based organization to care about vendor needs with Linux. He tried to start the organization in Australia, but found that the Australian Linux market was not ready for it at that time. Instead he transferred the idea to the United States where a group of small companies ran with the idea.
Linux International's job is simply to promote Linux among companies and governments. We try to do what is difficult for any one company or individual to do. It was Linux International who first protected the Linux trademark from being held captive by an individual who wanted to hold it ransom, and got the mark assigned to Linus. LI member companies also started the Linux Standard Base project, which later spun off to become the Free Standards Organization.
LI helped to sponsor the concept of Systems Administration Certification, and now works closely with the Linux Professional Institute to spread this concept around the world.
LI has helped major tradeshow and conference companies (IDG, Jupitermedia, Logon, Messe) to put on Linux Conferences and events all over the world.
Finally, LI has tried to act as a vendor-neutral, rational voice for the Linux community to the press.
Tm: What part do you play in Linux International?
MD: Since 1995 I have been Executive Director
Tm: As the mess with SCO unfolds, where do you see Linux heading? Is there really anything to be concerned about regarding their claims?
MD: What mess with SCO?
Seriously, this issue comes down to two issues:
when will SCO disclose whatever code they say is "tainted"
how long after that will it take for the Linux community to either:
prove it is untainted (i.e. it is not SCO's code)
remove whatever code may belong to SCO from the kernel
SCO HAS to disclose the code under current copyright law. Some of this code has leaked, and people have stated that the leaked code is not SCO's to claim. If the rest of the code that SCO claims is also not theirs, then there will be nothing to remove. This type of issue has happened before with proprietary code, and even in cases of blatant copying, the courts have given time for the offending code to be removed.
Tm: What role will Linux International play in the SCO debacle?
MD: My lawyers tell me not to say anything. Sorry.
Tm: Anyone who reads your bio will note that you've been using Unix since the late 70's and Linux since 1994. What are some of the greatest advances you feel that have been made in the operating system in that time?
MD: Unix in the late 70's was a scientific operating system, not a business-oriented system. It had no real scalability. It was not SMP, could not do threads, had no journaled filesystem, no clustering (not even failover), no async I/O, a very simple scheduler, no ability to do soft realtime. Today, commercial
Posted on: Sep 04, 2003 - 04:41 AM by mangeli
The next in the long awaited series of interviews, Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall.
From LI.org: Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994.
He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies.
Before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (he hopes) gave him the nickname maddog. Maddog as he prefers to be called, has an MS in Computer Science from RPI (1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).
Tm: Anyone who searches for your name online, will come across an organization known as Linux International. What are LI's goals and what is its general purpose?
MD: In 1994 an Australian named Patrick D'Cruze saw the need for a vendor-based organization to care about vendor needs with Linux. He tried to start the organization in Australia, but found that the Australian Linux market was not ready for it at that time. Instead he transferred the idea to the United States where a group of small companies ran with the idea.
Linux International's job is simply to promote Linux among companies and governments. We try to do what is difficult for any one company or individual to do. It was Linux International who first protected the Linux trademark from being held captive by an individual who wanted to hold it ransom, and got the mark assigned to Linus. LI member companies also started the Linux Standard Base project, which later spun off to become the Free Standards Organization.
LI helped to sponsor the concept of Systems Administration Certification, and now works closely with the Linux Professional Institute to spread this concept around the world.
LI has helped major tradeshow and conference companies (IDG, Jupitermedia, Logon, Messe) to put on Linux Conferences and events all over the world.
Finally, LI has tried to act as a vendor-neutral, rational voice for the Linux community to the press.
Tm: What part do you play in Linux International?
MD: Since 1995 I have been Executive Director
Tm: As the mess with SCO unfolds, where do you see Linux heading? Is there really anything to be concerned about regarding their claims?
MD: What mess with SCO?
Seriously, this issue comes down to two issues:
# when will SCO disclose whatever code they say is "tainted"
# how long after that will it take for the Linux community to either:
* prove it is untainted (i.e. it is not SCO's code)
* remove whatever code may belong to SCO from the kernel
SCO HAS to disclose the code under current copyright law. Some of this code has leaked, and people have stated that the leaked code is not SCO's to claim. If the rest of the code that SCO claims is also not theirs, then there will be nothing to remove. This type of issue has happened before with proprietary code, and even in cases of blatant copying, the courts have given time for the offending code to be removed.
Tm: What role will Linux International play in the SCO debacle?
MD: My lawyers tell me not to say anything. Sorry.
Tm: Anyone who reads your bio will note that you've been using Unix since the late 70's and Linux since 1994. What are some of the greatest advances you feel that have been made in the operating system in that time?
MD: Unix in the late 70's was a scientific operating system, not a business-oriented system. It had no real scalability. It was not SMP, could not do threads, had no journaled filesystem, no clustering (not even failover), no
Tinyminds surely will be /.'d, so time for some karma whoring!
Tm: Anyone who searches for your name online, will come across an organization known as Linux International. What are LI's goals and what is its general purpose?
MD: In 1994 an Australian named Patrick D'Cruze saw the need for a vendor-based organization to care about vendor needs with Linux. He tried to start the organization in Australia, but found that the Australian Linux market was not ready for it at that time. Instead he transferred the idea to the United States where a group of small companies ran with the idea.
Linux International's job is simply to promote Linux among companies and governments. We try to do what is difficult for any one company or individual to do. It was Linux International who first protected the Linux trademark from being held captive by an individual who wanted to hold it ransom, and got the mark assigned to Linus. LI member companies also started the Linux Standard Base project, which later spun off to become the Free Standards Organization.
LI helped to sponsor the concept of Systems Administration Certification, and now works closely with the Linux Professional Institute to spread this concept around the world.
LI has helped major tradeshow and conference companies (IDG, Jupitermedia, Logon, Messe) to put on Linux Conferences and events all over the world.
Finally, LI has tried to act as a vendor-neutral, rational voice for the Linux community to the press.
Tm: What part do you play in Linux International?
MD: Since 1995 I have been Executive Director
Tm: As the mess with SCO unfolds, where do you see Linux heading? Is there really anything to be concerned about regarding their claims?
MD: What mess with SCO?
Seriously, this issue comes down to two issues:
# when will SCO disclose whatever code they say is "tainted"
# how long after that will it take for the Linux community to either:
* prove it is untainted (i.e. it is not SCO's code)
* remove whatever code may belong to SCO from the kernel
SCO HAS to disclose the code under current copyright law. Some of this code has leaked, and people have stated that the leaked code is not SCO's to claim. If the rest of the code that SCO claims is also not theirs, then there will be nothing to remove. This type of issue has happened before with proprietary code, and even in cases of blatant copying, the courts have given time for the offending code to be removed.
Tm: What role will Linux International play in the SCO debacle?
MD: My lawyers tell me not to say anything. Sorry.
Tm: Anyone who reads your bio will note that you've been using Unix since the late 70's and Linux since 1994. What are some of the greatest advances you feel that have been made in the operating system in that time?
MD: Unix in the late 70's was a scientific operating system, not a business-oriented system. It had no real scalability. It was not SMP, could not do threads, had no journaled filesystem, no clustering (not even failover), no async I/O, a very simple scheduler, no ability to do soft realtime. Today, commercial Unix systems can rival even the most mature mainframe operating systems in these areas.
Linux started out much the same as these early Unix systems, and has followed almost the same path, with several major differences:
1) Linux kernel code runs on a variety of hardware architectures
Commercial Unix systems of the past tended to run on only one or two architectures. This meant that a AIX running on an R6000 was different from Solaris running on a SPARC.
Today you can get the same Linux kernel running on an R6000, a SPARC, an Alpha and other hardware architectures. Oh yes, it runs on Intel too.
This allows the user to select the hardware architecture that meets their needs, while preserving the same programming interfaces and systems administration interfaces that they know.
"Orthodoxy means not thinking--not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness." --Eric Blair
Ever looked at a picture of Einstein . There's a theory that the shorter your hair the dumber you are. I'm guessing you have a brush cut.
Maybe /. and OSNews should try to work w/ each other since /. is routinely a few days behind OSNews. This article has been on OSNews for a few days.
This guy is way out there
Posting annon because I am not a karma-whore. Here is the article before it gets /.ed.
/home/virtual/site75/fst/var/www/html/pnadodb/driv ers/adodb-mysql.inc.php on line 170
Warning: mysql_connect(): User tinymind@localhost has already more than 'max_user_connections' active connections in
mysql://tinymind:@localhost/tinyminds_org failed to connectUser tinymind@localhost has already more than 'max_user_connections' active connections
1 +2 comment, and it't already slashdotted!
Either people are actually READING the article...or this guys got a small server configuration. (MySQL connections are full.)
As a linux user since 1995, I have a lot of respect for this guy. Too bad we're all SOL with the interview.
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
Tiny Minds must have Tiny Server two. :-)
./'ing I've seen in a while.
That's the fastest
-Pete
Soccer Goal Plans
This may be the first time a server was /.ed simply by K-whores....
All's true that is mistrusted
I'm not sure I would be so happy if I were him. Are they trying to say he's intellectually challenged? "Read all about Jon 'Maddog' Hall at Tinyminds.org, where you can find lots of tiny minds."
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
We havent had that spirit here since 1969...
Great interview--very intelligent and informative.
sidenote: why is it that Unix gurus always have beards? (that could be the opening line for a joke, feel free to provide a punchline.)
I just wanted to say that from the time I first started to embrace GNU/Linux in the mid-90's to now - it has been a bumpy ride, and I have suffered much scorn for my faith in it, first from my collegues who advocated SCO, then from those who advocated Solaris, and also from people who advocate Microsoft. But none the less, I still must say that my faith in Linux and the people behind it have never let me down. Thank you so much, you are making history and as the centuries pass - I truely believe that society will look back upon you as heros who have lifted humanity up with a gift that can never be taken away, not just the code, but a newfounded freedom that countless billions will addore you for.
http://crashrecovery.org/MD/modules.php
Robert
GeForce Fx 5600. Um, the original *loud* one.
;)
Have you tried anything else to cool it? I just got one hand as a hand me down when nVidia sent us a better one for one of the shared workstation. It was loud out on the lab floor, but is overwhelmingly loud on my desk...
[On Topic] I have a great deal of respect for Maddog Hall and felt good hearing he only tried Linux in 1994.. I was a big fan of the brand new pre-release Windows 95 that year but my music major roommate convinced me to try Linux as a dual boot option and my slow conversion began... That same year my university also switched me over from VMS on Sun hardware to OSF/1 on DEC, which was so much better, and soon being able to run the same programs on my home computer and the SGI's at the lab became a plus. As someone who had always tried to improve on the MS-DOS cli by using DR-DOS or the 4dos interpreter the tcsh default on Slackware was such a godsend that I begged the admins at the university to install it and switch me over. Before long Linux+GNU was a better unix than UNIX, irregardless of being cheaper. I even got excited by the Linux kernel by 1.3x... The GNU license didn't seem world changing at the time, but just a good hobbyist license. Able to inspire more development than BSD, because you didn't feel your ideas would be taken without compensation. It's amazing how this little thing has grown from something we had to convince the admins to allow us to use on the network in 1994 to something they use to run the network in 2003, and you don't need to make 23 uncorrupted floppies to install it anymore. For some reason the 18th or 19th floopy was always corrupted sending you back to download it and start over from #1...
Okay, okay: does this help?
Search for the URL then click the "view the google cache for yadda yadda" link near the middle of the resulting page. No big deal.
That link for me is this but I've seen direct links to google caches fail before. First method guarantees it.
posting anonymously because I'm *not* a karma prostitute
Posted on: Sep 04, 2003 - 04:41 AM by mangeli
The next in the long awaited series of interviews, Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall.
From LI.org: Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994.
He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies.
Before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (he hopes) gave him the nickname maddog. Maddog as he prefers to be called, has an MS in Computer Science from RPI (1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).
Tm: Anyone who searches for your name online, will come across an organization known as Linux International. What are LI's goals and what is its general purpose?
MD: In 1994 an Australian named Patrick D'Cruze saw the need for a vendor-based organization to care about vendor needs with Linux. He tried to start the organization in Australia, but found that the Australian Linux market was not ready for it at that time. Instead he transferred the idea to the United States where a group of small companies ran with the idea.
Linux International's job is simply to promote Linux among companies and governments. We try to do what is difficult for any one company or individual to do. It was Linux International who first protected the Linux trademark from being held captive by an individual who wanted to hold it ransom, and got the mark assigned to Linus. LI member companies also started the Linux Standard Base project, which later spun off to become the Free Standards Organization.
LI helped to sponsor the concept of Systems Administration Certification, and now works closely with the Linux Professional Institute to spread this concept around the world.
LI has helped major tradeshow and conference companies (IDG, Jupitermedia, Logon, Messe) to put on Linux Conferences and events all over the world.
Finally, LI has tried to act as a vendor-neutral, rational voice for the Linux community to the press.
Tm: What part do you play in Linux International?
MD: Since 1995 I have been Executive Director
Tm: As the mess with SCO unfolds, where do you see Linux heading? Is there really anything to be concerned about regarding their claims?
MD: What mess with SCO?
Seriously, this issue comes down to two issues:
# when will SCO disclose whatever code they say is "tainted"
# how long after that will it take for the Linux community to either:
* prove it is untainted (i.e. it is not SCO's code)
* remove whatever code may belong to SCO from the kernel
SCO HAS to disclose the code under current copyright law. Some of this code has leaked, and people have stated that the leaked code is not SCO's to claim. If the rest of the code that SCO claims is also not theirs, then there will be nothing to remove. This type of issue has happened before with proprietary code, and even in cases of blatant copying, the courts have given time for the offending code to be removed.
Tm: What role will Linux International play in the SCO debacle?
MD: My lawyers tell me not to say anything. Sorry.
Tm: Anyone who reads your bio will note that you've been using Unix since the late 70's and Linux since 1994. What are some of the greatest advances you feel that have been made in the operating system in that time?
MD: Unix in the late 70's was a scientific operating system, not a business-oriented system. It had no real scalability. It was not SMP, could not do th
I thought I was paying him a compliment! Who doesn't want to look like that?
Obviously you hit a nerve with one of the moderators. Next time trying being more explicit with your positive compliments.
Uh... ok???
(reverse dns)
67.72.183.180.Dial1.Cincinnati1.Level3.net
How many dates do you think he's been on in all those years?
Nice to see a person like Maddog still being able to have a bright view from a distance on Linux.
Robert
All the other 5 full article-text postings are fakes. Read on for the original article below!!
Posted on: Sep 04, 2003 - 04:41 AM by mangeli The next in the long awaited series of interviews, Tinyminds.org sits down with Linux International Director, Jon "Maddog" Hall.
From LI.org: Jon has been in the computer industry since 1969, using Unix since 1977, and Linux since 1994.
He has been a software engineer, systems administrator, product manager, marketing manager and professional educator. Jon has been the Executive Director of Linux International since 1995, the first four years as a volunteer. Jon has been employed by VA Linux systems, Compaq Computer Corporation in the Digital UNIX Marketing group and Bell Laboratories among other companies.
Before that he was Department Head of Computer Science at Hartford State Technical College, where his students lovingly (he hopes) gave him the nickname maddog. Maddog as he prefers to be called, has an MS in Computer Science from RPI (1977) and a BS in Commerce and Engineering from Drexel University (1973).
Tm: Anyone who searches for your name online, will come across an organization known as Linux International. What are LI's goals and what is its general purpose?
MD: In 1994 an Australian named Patrick D'Cruze saw the need for a vendor-based organization to care about vendor needs with Linux. He tried to start the organization in Australia, but found that the Australian Linux market was not ready for it at that time. Instead he transferred the idea to the United States where a group of small companies ran with the idea.
Linux International's job is simply to promote Linux among companies and governments. We try to do what is difficult for any one company or individual to do. It was Linux International who first protected the Linux trademark from being held captive by an individual who wanted to hold it ransom, and got the mark assigned to Linus. LI member companies also started the Linux Standard Base project, which later spun off to become the Free Standards Organization.
LI helped to sponsor the concept of Systems Administration Certification, and now works closely with the Linux Professional Institute to spread this concept around the world.
LI has helped major tradeshow and conference companies (IDG, Jupitermedia, Logon, Messe) to put on Linux Conferences and events all over the world.
Finally, LI has tried to act as a vendor-neutral, rational voice for the Linux community to the press.
Tm: What part do you play in Linux International?
MD: Since 1995 I have been Executive Director
Tm: As the mess with SCO unfolds, where do you see Linux heading? Is there really anything to be concerned about regarding their claims?
MD: What mess with SCO?
Seriously, this issue comes down to two issues:
# when will SCO disclose whatever code they say is "tainted"
# how long after that will it take for the Linux community to either:
* prove it is untainted (i.e. it is not SCO's code)
* remove whatever code may belong to SCO from the kernel
SCO HAS to disclose the code under current copyright law. Some of this code has leaked, and people have stated that the leaked code is not SCO's to claim. If the rest of the code that SCO claims is also not theirs, then there will be nothing to remove. This type of issue has happened before with proprietary code, and even in cases of blatant copying, the courts have given time for the offending code to be removed.
Tm: What role will Linux International play in the SCO debacle?
MD: My lawyers tell me not to say anything. Sorry.
Tm: Anyone who reads your bio will note that you've been using Unix since the late 70's and Linux since 1994. What are some of the greatest advances you feel that have been made in the operating system in that time?
MD: Unix in the late 70's was a scientific operating
I don't agree w/ anything you just said about Eugenia but I think most people on Slashdot would instantly notice how much more professional and knowledgeable she is than Michael.
This guy is way out there
I agree with every single thing the parent to your reply said. Eugenia is just a BeOS zealot with no knowledge of operating system internals.
osnews.com may as well be called guinews.com -- all the operating system interviews and articles spend far more time talking about the user interface than the os internals.
It's operating system news for people who like to spend all their time making their ui pretty and no time doing actual work -- strictly for case window neon lighting lusers.
And the local LUG is what? Chopped liver?
The strength of the Mac community, from the very start, was the local MUG. There have been Mac User Groups around since 1984. Here's one that's been around almost that long: http://www.lamg.org/. LUGs, Linux User Groups, were an emulation of the successful MUG phenomenon, and in a lot of respects have transcended even the success of the MUG. Probably every weekend, somewhere close to you, there is an installfest/tweakfest going on thanks to your friendly neighborhood LUG. Since installing Linux has become easier as time goes on, installfests/tweakfests have become more of an occasion for Linux advocacy.
SBLUG, the Santa Barbara Linux User Group, has been running a booth at the Santa Barbara Computer Fair every time the Computer Fair people see fit to run one. The last one was last week, the next one is November 8th. People actually *do* go to the Fair to get a computer and wind up leaving not only with the Windows they thought they were going to install but also a copy of Knoppix to try out and kick the tires on. Some people even decide that maybe installing Windows on that beige box of their dreams isn't such a great idea with Linux being more mature and useful than they expected. "If I only have to pay $1/disk for this free OS, I can take the money I save and get a bigger monitor or a DVD-RW instead of the CD-RW I budgeted for!" Yes, this really does happen! I've seen it.
If you really want to see Linux move into the desktop arena in a big way, you need to get active with your local LUG.
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
Don't hate the playa, hate the game.
Apperently Mangeli didn't get as good a deal at his ISP as he thought he had. It's fallen over again on it's second slasdotting. Oh well maybe he will learn this time.
Yep I pretty much agree with that picture. I really can't stand her either. I remember not to long ago she said she was leaving and I was really happy about that. Then she came back and she's still fucking annoying as hell. I do agree with the other person here about her and Beos. Basically she considers it the holy grail of OS's and craps on anything that isn't it. Pathetic.
I do like David Admas though. He can actually give a critisim without sounding like a whiny bitch.
You are approved, biatch. - Mad G Money Thug
I met maddog when he came to Malaysia for the Free And Open Source Conference, and I got the oppurtunity to talk to him. Real nice guy, and has got plenty of interesting stories.
"Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it." -- Linus Torvalds
installs from cd? I thought every mainstream distro isntalls from cd.... I mean, we've got a few that *run* from cd.... If you don't have the patience to learn commands to set it up, try one of those, not only is there no commands to set it up (except maybe pressing "Enter" to continue booting), there is *no* set up.
http://www.knoppix.net
One other thing linux needs is a pool of talented people who know the applications. If you need someone to make up power point slides for you, call a temp agency and they will send someone over who knows powerpoint. We need to get linux to the point where if you need a guru you can pick up the phone and one will be over. Systems guru or applications guru.
Erlang Developer and podcaster
Mod down! A UID under 200000 and you don't even know that Linux can be installed from a CD? You're either the most ignorant slashdotter around or a troll. But what can you expect from dork who puts "666" in his login? Real edgy guy. At least he doesn't have a link to /. as his homepage.
I for one welcome our new Maddog overlord!
I would'nt trust them otherwise.. :)
:) It shows you're 110% focused at what you do.
Big beard and tweed jacket, UNIX gurus always had that as long as I can remember.. I think it's cool
Dont want a start a flamewar by replaying to a Troll but Linux and BSD for me is liberal, individual freedom, free market, entrepreneur and free enterprise, capitalism.
Microsoft is the opposite of this.
Here is the
cached interview as it's still down.
insecurity asks the wrong question irritation gives the wrong answer
its forwarding to : http://www.tinyminds.org/modules.php?op=modload&na me=News&file=article&sid=1460&mode=thread&order=0& thold=0
which is a dead url...
Best Regards, Tal Amir, President CompuTec Systems INC http://www.computec-systems.com
Yeah, but what happens when it's installed? What kind of maintenance does it require?
Can Linux be a "fire and forget" system, like windows is SUPPOSED to be? That was my question, and I think it's a valid one.
The only computer topics that I'm super ignorant about are Linux and AMD. That's because for the longest time, I wouldn't take my head out of PHP info, and MySQL db tweaking. Since about 1996, I've been working on hobby gaming, which takes up 95% of my waking time.
Running Linux is one of these things I was hoping to do sometime, but I've never put aside enough time to actually commit to that kind of relationship. Every detail about Linux makes me, the average Windoze user, feel overwhelmed, and confused.
Maybe I could go buy an O'reilly book about it, but still... Windows is easy enough to figure out without having to study it. Is Linux the same way, or am I going to find myself sitting around my apartment staring at a blank screen after five hours of trying to get the thing started?
It's a real concern for me, and that specifically is what has kept me from running Linux for so long.
The thing I like about Mac, is that it's a total system. It has that whole package feel about it, that is quite attractive to me. It seems quite simple. The last time I used a Mac, it just made me feel like computers were easy, even just doing photoshop stuff on it, and web design. All the programs worked without crashing and the time involved was time well spent.
Demographically, maybe I'm just not a Linux user.
Since maddog Hill reads slashdot undoubtably
Sorry, his surname is "Hall". (No relation.)
He is like the Linux version of Gandolf! Lead on white wizard!
As far as personal grooming Maddog doesn't give up much to RMS but at elast he seems to know what he's talking about instead of waxing outright fanatical. RMS doesn't even seem to be doing anything about SCO, let alone following the case.
This guy is way out there
it's back up
As you can see I don't care about my karma.
My host suspended the site due to high server loads. We noticed it Monday morning, and were back up by 8:30am. Sorry we were down. Mark
Mine too. It's posted on my cubicle wall at work - where I have a wimpy little Dell running Win2K and a screaming-fast Sun box running Solaris. You better believe I have a beard, and I do own suspenders ... and I run Linux at home. Footwear of choice? Birkenstocks.
"A generation which ignores history has no past and no future." -- Robert Heinlein