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Red Hat Co-Founder Bob Young Resigns

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the lvl-50-ceo-lfg dept.

Anonymous Coward's Cousin writes "Yahoo news is reporting that Red Hat co-founder Bob Young has resigned from the board. From the article: 'In a funny way, my resignation is perhaps the finest compliment I can pay to everyone associated with Red Hat today, I have complete confidence in the future of the company'"

28 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. RedHat == Linux by ReformedExCon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I don't think there is another "pure" Linux vendor that has done more for making Linux a household name than RedHat. Their smart partnerships with OEMs and computer manufacturers has been invaluable to the Linux movement. In a very real sense, without RedHat, there wouldn't be a strong Linux movement now.

    Bob has been behind much of this, though it is hardly something that one man can lay full claim to. Going forward, hopefully RedHat keeps it together and continues to generate Linux buzz.

    --
    Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
    1. Re:RedHat == Linux by strider44 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      RedHat == Linux as much as Dell == Microsoft. In other words they're totally different even if they share good relations.

    2. Re:RedHat == Linux by Lisandro · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I always had this love/hate relationship with RedHat... on one hand, their Linux distributions (besides tech support, which is excellent) always gave me problems; specially when compared to other more "modern" distros. RPM is a big culprit of this, i might add - you don't fully get how ugly that packaging system is until you try something better, IMHO (apt-get and Portage comes to mind). I haven't tried a RedHat distro since the RedHat/Fedora "split" though, i heard they got a lot better.

          But, like you said, Linux wouldn't be what it is today without RedHat. Not only they made Linux a viable alternative for buisnesses (and homes), but they actively contributed to a number of OSS proyects, all the way back to when Linux wasn't the buzzword it is today. We Linux users (and OSS users aswell) owe a lot to RedHat, and yes, Bob Young has been behind much of it. I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours... and hope RedHat does well.

    3. Re:RedHat == Linux by BladeMelbourne · · Score: 4, Informative

      RPM is a package format (equivalent to DEB).

      apt-get is a package download/install tool that resolves dependencies. apt-get is not better than RPM... they can't really be compared because they serve very different purposes.

      As a Fedora user, I use apt-get, yum, yumex, up2date and synaptic (mainly the last two). I haven't had "RPM hell" since about RedHat 7-8.

      If you get the opportunity - give a modern RH based distro a go. Good steps have been made.

    4. Re:RedHat == Linux by indifferent+children · · Score: 2, Insightful

      This should be a warning to companies (and OSS software teams): if you make a bad product, it's reputation can be a millstone around your neck long after your problems have been fixed. Do not give in to the temptation to rush a piece of crap out the door, hoping to fix it later.

      --
      Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it. --Mark Twain
    5. Re:RedHat == Linux by stoborrobots · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Does Dell maintain a customized Windows distribution...

      Isn't that what they ship me on the CD which comes with my shiny new Dell machine?

      They change the theme, and the screensaver, and the backdrop... and maybe include some custom apps... oh, and they choose some drivers to include. And they package it all with their custom installer... And then they change all the support links to point to Dell.com instead of Microsoft.com... Sounds like a custom distro to me...

      --
      "Go to CNN [for a] spell-checked, fact-checked summary" -- CmdrTaco
    6. Re:RedHat == Linux by Shakes268 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm sure I'm just stating the obvious here but Dell is a PC and PC Server manufacturer. They use an OEM version of Microsoft's Windows which includes some hardware specific things as well as some of their own software installed. However, they do not have a truly custom version of Windows as Microsoft's codebase is, as we all know, locked down. Redhat is in contrast a software company. It maintains a specific flavor of Linux that it uses for monetary gain through sales and software support. Linux/Redhat may be free but Redhat has to make money somehow. Their software is their revenue stream. Dell's is hardware. The two are VERY different and to believe they are the same, as much as you'd like to, is incorrect.

    7. Re:RedHat == Linux by Matt+Perry · · Score: 2, Informative
      RPM (and RedHat, by extension) used to be notorious for circular dependencies issues.
      You mean that the myth was notorious. In reality there wasn't any issue as long as you used RedHat's RPMs for your distro. The problem that you speak of is not because of the format but because of who packaged the RPM. The article that you linked to even talks about that (downloading some random RPM off of someone's site). It's caused by a lack of experience on the part of the package creator. You can create a circular dependency in any packaging system, including DEBs. There was some discussion on the debian mailing lists recently about circular dependecies.

      The solution is simple: Don't install any RPMs that aren't from your vendor. Compile everything else from source or create your own package. The advantage that Debian has was that there were just so many packages already pre-compiled and packaged. Gentoo seems to get around the problem by compiling at installation therefore being able to customize for what is on the system.

      I'm not using RedHat anymore, but I still consider RPM to be the best packaging format because it keeps a lot of useful metadata about the files. For example, I can run rpm -V perl to test the perl package for problems. It'll verify the size, MD5 checksum, permissions, type, owner and group of each file in the package and let me know if anything is out of place. Having this function has saved my ass once. I haven't found anything like that in Debian yet. According to Gentoo's docs, "Portage will not check if the package you want to remove is required by another package." I wouldn't even call that package management.

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  2. Unpopular department by Xiroth · · Score: 4, Funny

    lvl-50-ceo-lfg Who'd want to quest with someone who's going to take all the loot?

    1. Re:Unpopular department by patio11 · · Score: 5, Funny
      When you've just aggroed Microsoft, who is level 500 and has an Area of Effect: Death spell that it can cast on an entire industry every couple of seconds, perhaps someone clad in an all-purple Penguin Suit doesn't look so bad.

      To anyone who says this comment is nerdy: consider where you are. Glass houses, stones, etc.

      --
      Help poke pirates in the eyepatch, arr.
    2. Re:Unpopular department by FidelCatsro · · Score: 4, Funny

      So does this make Ballmer a lvl 500 ,Chaotic Evil ,Ork ,Barbarian .(I wish there was a Gorilla race) .
      His feats include
      1:Barrel throw ,
      2:Developer dance (Dance around like a prat and call a wave of Developers to stampede the enemy) ,
      3:War cry '(Intimidate the enemy with a war cry of ""I'm going to f---ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it
      again,"")
      4:Immature Prat (Act like a total tit and say ""I'm going to fucking kill Google."")

      His armour and weaponry
      Helmet , MS-helm of +4 Developers
      Armour , +5 plate mail of Anti-trust avoidance
      Left hand weapon , +5 Axe of Google fucking kill
      Right hand Weapon , +8 club of fucking bury

      --
      The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
  3. Saw it coming a mile off. by stevo3232 · · Score: 5, Informative

    One of my local LUGgers works for Bob Young on the side at the football team he owns (he runs the tech stuff like the website and broadcasting), the Hamilton Tiger Cats, and he said he could definitly see Bob resigning. He's been jumbling about too much stuff lately and he really isn't paying attention to redhat or linux at all very much recently. I think possibly running the Tiger Cats and just wanting to relax for a bit are greater reasons for Bob's resignment than going off to work on this other .com thing. He's really been quite busy as of late though and he hasn't made it out to the local linux user's group meeting in over a year now so I'm pretty sure he's done with linux for a while now. Ah well, maybe he can come out to more of my local lug meetings now! :)

    --stevo32 (Stephen Clement)

    --
    s.clementmonkey@sympatico.ca, remove the 'monkey'.
    1. Re:Saw it coming a mile off. by i_should_be_working · · Score: 3, Funny

      Ah well, maybe he can come out to more of my local lug meetings now! :)

      Maybe he can do something about those 3-12 Tigercats now!

  4. Show of faith. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I have complete confidence in the future of the company'""

    So when's Ballmer resigning?

    1. Re:Show of faith. by dwater · · Score: 2, Insightful

      > and live in a house which the Thunderbirds would be proud of! Sheer madness!
      > Man, if I were him, I'd take all that loot and go find myself a nice island to buy.

      Eh? The Thunderbirds did live on an island - Tracey Island, IIRC.

      --
      Max.
    2. Re:Show of faith. by dave+at+hostwerks · · Score: 2, Funny

      And of course, propane accessories.

      --
      d a v e
      "Hmmm...upgrades."
  5. I have complete confidence in the future of the.. by zegebbers · · Score: 5, Funny

    company, and the value of my shares.

    --
    Unpretentious Sydney reviews by unqualified Sydney reviewers
  6. Re:Old old old by strider44 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It is interesting though that people are complaining that a web site has news a full day late. Shows the effects that the internet has had on communication (as well as expectations of levels of communication).

  7. Re:Part of the plan... by Bastian · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Red Hat has always charged for the core of their business, which was providing fully-supported Linux systems to business-class customers. I'm not sure dropping the free-as-in-beer version of their OS really counts as the beginning of their charging customers for service.

  8. Translation: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Thank you all for everything. Now if you'll excuse me, I have just realized I am now very rich, so I'm going to go drink for 32 years."

  9. no one cracked this joke yet? by dithi · · Score: 5, Funny

    rpm -e BobYoung.rpm

    --
    I am that that is, not that that is not, that is.
    1. Re:no one cracked this joke yet? by quadrocerebra · · Score: 4, Funny

      "rpm -e BobYoung.rpm" cannot remove BobYoung.rpm --BobYoung.rpm is required by redhat.rpm --BobYoung.rpm is required by fedora.rpm

      --
      this sig violates slashdot rules
  10. Here is the Press Release on RHAT's Website by linumax · · Score: 2, Informative

    Bob Young to Resign From Red Hat Board

  11. He saw the signs by pchan- · · Score: 4, Funny

    The math is simple and the handwriting is on the wall. No, Netcraft does not confirm this, but Bob figured out that hard drives double in size about every two years. A base Redhat install doubles in size every 9 months. It will be less than 6 years before a Redhat desktop install requires 512 gigs, and shortly after that, the requirements will surpass the largest drives available on the market. He's escaped, and will slowly sell off his stock, take the money and walk way.

    Also, I hear he runs Slackware now.

  12. Re:It's ok, It's time or New Blood to Join Managem by Lumpy · · Score: 2, Funny

    If redhat ends up with a fat CEO walking around on the stage all sweaty screaming Dependancies...Dependancies...Dependancies...
    Dependancies...Dependancies...!

    I'm gonna puke.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  13. Sounds familiar... by node+3 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "I have such enthusiasm and confidence in the mission." -Hal 9000

    :-)

  14. Oh god I hate trolls by LnxAddct · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The subject says it all. To anyone who may thinks the parent is creditable, it is not, its just a troll.
    Regards,
    Steve

  15. Re:thoughts from an employee by LnxAddct · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm commenting again, just to clarify. There is no SEC investigation, he is not selling his stock (he couldn't even if wanted to do to contractual obligations), Bob Young is a good leader who only recently has become too busy to fulfill his duties but has a history of being very interactive with the company. Anyone who knows Bob Young knows that he is nothing like a used car salesman, he's a very nice and intelligent man, he gave Linus 12 million dollars in stock to show appreciation (yes, Linus is a millionaire). He really believes in open values. He wants software to be free and he wants people to be able to publish their books without having to deal with publishers which tend to take most of the profit. He is the founder of Lulu which allows anyone to sell their own books. Here is a book that he wrote and gives away for free, it is about how open source businesses are viable and locking people into things is not the only way to make profit. It is a shame that some troll is spreading misinformation about a guy who has done so much good. One other thing that gives huge credibility to Red Hat's potential is that Dell invested 100 million in them, and Michael Dell doesn't screw around with his money.
    Regards,
    Steve