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Community vs. Corporate Linux, The Coming Divide
tobyj writes "MadPenguin.org discusses the great divide that will separate corporate Linux (companies that are working with Microsoft) and community Linux (companies that haven't yet partnered with Microsoft) and their impact on Linux as a whole. Matt Hartley writes, "For Linux enthusiasts, the rules are simple and clear to interpret. But for Microsoft and its Linux partners, we will see plenty of them pointing to self-created loopholes, which will result in fierce debate, and perhaps even worse, blatant defiance.
As a collective community, we'd like to think that this whole issue will just blow over, but with the massive migration of so many Windows users and companies that wish to capitalize on this migration, defiance of the GPL will happen and more so than ever before."
(companies that are working with Microsoft) and community Linux (companies that haven't yet partnered with Microsoft)
"community Linux (companies that haven't yet partnered with Microsoft)"
What?!
Rather think "When Microsoft writes an application for Linux, I've Won.", as said by Linus Torvalds
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I don't see that ending any time soon.
Seriously, how did this get to the front page? What is newsworthy about the link? 60% of the page is advertising/links bundled with a few small paragraphs of mindless speculation.
...but with the massive migration of so many Windows users and companies that wish to capitalize on this migration... Sorry, what? I'm not exactly in a corporate environment anymore but I haven't seen any signs of a massive migration to Linux. Sure there are switchers here and there at an individual company level but there's also no small amount of others going back to Windows. Did I miss a peice of news somewhere about big Windows to Linux switching or is that statement based solely on 2007 being (Yet Another) Year of Linux despite all evidence to the contrary?Spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and stupid comments are intentional.
What about the kind that realise that Microsoft has screwed so many business partners in the past (Spyglass, for an excellent example) that a partnership with them is not sound buisness.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
No, because Novell aren't suicidal.
The only reason this was a valid tactic for SCO was because the company was on the way out anyway - there was nothing to loose. The lawsuit was never going to win and they knew that, it was purely there to spread FUD about linux and make a tidy packet for a few individuals.
The circumstances just aren't there for 'normal' companies to do this.
You can charge money to distribute free software. I am allowed to sell you a copy of the latest Unbuntu CD for a million dollars if I want. Remember that free refers to liberty, not price.
This comes right from the GNU website: "Actually we encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can."
Rather think "When Microsoft writes an application for Linux, I've Won.", as said by Linus Torvalds
It's not that easy.
When M$ becomes a free software company, we will all win. If M$ becomes a free software owner, we will all lose. The whole point of free software is to avoid software owners - people who make you pay for the privilege of using and improving their software but who will restrict those uses and improvements so that you never get what you want.
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
Last I heard, Red Hat was about as "corporate" as Linux got. (Before we start murmuring about Novell, why don't we check the size of Novell's customer list vs. that of Red Hat?) And, last I heard, Red Hat flat-out rejected a deal with Microsoft the likes of the one Novell signed. On the other hand, is Red Hat "working with Microsoft"? I don't have examples off the top of my head, but considering that it would be in the best interests of Red Hat's entire installed base, I would say that it is more than likely. I guess that's why they call it a line in the sand and not a line in the concrete.
Breakfast served all day!
I saw this coming after Redhat stopped making Linux for everyone and went corporate only. Sure there is Fedora; but it's not Redhat. The same thing applies to SuSE/OpenSuSE.
I, for one, like corporate Linux. The support is all there. With community distros, I can't tell you how many times my questions have gone unanswered or have been mocked. With corporate editions, I can actually call/email someone with and issue and get a response in a timely manner.
I understand the whole attitude about keeping Linux free; but alienation of community users by community users is a good way for community Linux to shoot itself in the foot.
The game.
I think the most obvious problem here is that the Linux community (not partnering with Microsoft) has an eye that sees things without a shade of green around everything. There isn't money to be made in every aspect of what it looks at, and is only interested in improving what they already have. Microsoft and partners looks at it with green tinted goggles (The goggles, they do nothing!) and tries to find ways to eke out money regardless of making improvements.
If they have to improve something to make money, then that would be their motivation.
I think the Linux community itself is divided, however. There are several companies trying to make money from Linux (Red Hat), and then there are other groups of people who are intent on making sure Linux remains open source and free for all...
I would think that either Linux needs to remain completely free and open source for ALL distributions, or Microsoft is going to start sticking its fingers into the pie, trying to figure out where the money drip is.
...is it a slow news day?
This persistent nagging as to how this or that or the other are issues the linux community has to deal with or they will fall and linux will be no more....bla bla blaaaa..pff pff spit..
This sort of shit out of the mouth has been going on since Linus first announced his plans to create linux. Perhaps it was going on before that even with article on Stallman.
I'd really honestly sincerely like to see the stats as to how many of these stories and anal-analists have actually panned out. And that includes SCO and Microsoft shit babeling about Linux...
what's the score? absolute BS __________________________________________ vs. Panned Out _
(space alloted for answers)
Why is Slashdot helping to promote this type of fear by posting this type of article?
I thought this was going to be about desktop versus server linux. An Ubuntu vs IBM type of thing. Throw in some FUD about (un)fair schedulers and file access writes slowing things down, it would make for some interesting trolling. No takers?
Anywhile, tagging the companies that work with MS as 'corporate' takes some serious spinning. I'm sure IBM, Sun, Oracle, Apple, etc would all chafe at being left out of the 'corporate' segment. But then, all 4 of them might qualify to be 'corporate' under these terms since most are in bed with MS already, to some degree.
In my experience it is more the illusion and feeling of security of having someone to hold liable. C-levels want to feel good about there being someone, with real assets, at the other end of the product, regardless if they ever sue them. Unfortunately most C-levels are "old school" and where cultivated in cultures where "no one got fired for buying IBM (or Microsoft)", hopefully this will change as these dinosaurs retire, and younger/fresher ideas start to permeate the corporate board rooms.
The other problem at the C-level is the politics get ratcheted up to the highest level and any little FU will be used by your opposition to force you out. So stepping outside the "norm", could be career suicide.
It's not like somebody is desecrating the Holy Bible, (even if sometimes it seems so judging by some comments here!). Hell, i'm a proud Windows user but I use a lot of Open Source, Freeware, 3rd party software and even (of the horror) Apple software without problems. Why must some linuzzz folk be so purit. It's all about chosing, so chose NOT to use "corporated" distros, and let everybody who wants use it!
It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
That's the conclusion I've come to.
What are the things championed here on Slashdot more than anything else? DRM and Free Software.
So why is it that I couldn't find a free solution to ripping and re-encoding DVDs? I must have tried 5 or 6 different applications with no luck - the audio and video were always out of sync. Even tried the much-ballyhooed Auto Gordian Knot with the same result. Reading the support forums is a joke. "Oh, you need to go pull it up in AutoDub or VirtualDub and adjust the sync rate". Oh, go download this and that codec to make it work.
It seems like you needed 5 or 6 independent "free" pieces of the pie to make it go, and none of them did the trick.
What did I finally do? I went and spent $80 over at Slysoft for a single software package that just worked.
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