He's right that much of open source's legal success will depend on its success in the marketplace, but I'm still more worried than he is about patents, DMCA, etc. I'm just waiting for some dumb patent to stick a big wrench into Open source development (or at least distribution by reputable sources). Sigh...
Find a job at www.dice.com, etc., that involves working on an open source project. Lie your way past the headhunters and say that of course you have X number of years working on "linux kernel" (just another tech buzzword they don't understand). In your interview concede that you know little or nothing, but show what a sharp youngster you are, and how very much you want to work on the Linux kernel. Say you're willing to be very flexible about pay.
That's how I just got a job doing linux kernel development with a big linux vendor (in top 5 by boxes shipped). I start on Monday--I must say I'm a bit nervous, but very happy, too!
I'm totally sick of the flamewars. What we need to see is some real testing of these damn systems. I've yet to see a solid recommendation for *either* postgres or MySql from a really reputable source (sorry, the fact that/. uses MySql isn't enough for me). By this I mean someone who's been using one or the other in production with *lots* of data and heavy traffic. Various FUD rumours abound about both databases--i.e., that data gets corrupted in large databases in Postgres, and that MySQL will let you somehow screw up your data if you use their pseudo-transaction features. I really hate to let such Micro$oft-like tactics keep me from using these databases in production.
I agree that Great Bridge's study was at best badly presented. We need better studies and better testimonials about these rather vital open source products, so that we can start crushing Oracle and SQL server with Open Source. The flamewars we're getting instead are just pointless and counterproductive. At least KDE and Gnome don't go around FUD-ing the stability of each other's software (well, maybe some).
LONG LIVE OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT AND THE SOFTWARE COMMUNISM!
The main difference Hurd seems to offer is its microkernel architecture (some of the other features listed sound nifty, but not incompatible with being extensions to the current Linux kernel). Microkernel architectures obviously provide certain benefits (such as making extensions less likely to crash the system). But are they worth the complexity and loss of speed relative to a "monolithic" kernel like Linux? Here's wot Linus thought about the issue when he designed Linux:
[A]t the time I started work on Linux in 1991, people assumed portability would come from a microkernel approach. You see, this was sort of the research darling at the time for computer scientists. However, I am a pragmatic person, and at the time I felt that microkernels (a) were experimental, (b) were obviously more complex than monolithic Kernels, and (c) executed notably slower than monolithic kernels... Essentially, trying to make microkernels portable is a waste of time. It's like building an exceptionally fast car and putting square tires on it. The idea of abstracting away the one thing that must be blindingly fast-the kernel-is inherently counter-productive.
Of course, people always used to dump on C++ for being slower than C (allegedly), and now they generally look like idiots...
I win on the Amazon stuffing front. I ordered the book two months ago, then wrote Amazon an email telling 'em I'm boycotting their site because of their patent dispute. The book never arrived here in the United Arab Emirates (don't ask why I'm here), so now they're going to Fed Ex it to me express--it'll cost them a bundle. Good service, I must say. I'm still gonna keep boycotting them until they relent on the patent shit, though
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He's right that much of open source's legal success will depend on its success in the marketplace, but I'm still more worried than he is about patents, DMCA, etc. I'm just waiting for some dumb patent to stick a big wrench into Open source development (or at least distribution by reputable sources). Sigh...
Find a job at www.dice.com, etc., that involves working on an open source project. Lie your way past the headhunters and say that of course you have X number of years working on "linux kernel" (just another tech buzzword they don't understand). In your interview concede that you know little or nothing, but show what a sharp youngster you are, and how very much you want to work on the Linux kernel. Say you're willing to be very flexible about pay.
That's how I just got a job doing linux kernel development with a big linux vendor (in top 5 by boxes shipped). I start on Monday--I must say I'm a bit nervous, but very happy, too!
I agree that Great Bridge's study was at best badly presented. We need better studies and better testimonials about these rather vital open source products, so that we can start crushing Oracle and SQL server with Open Source. The flamewars we're getting instead are just pointless and counterproductive. At least KDE and Gnome don't go around FUD-ing the stability of each other's software (well, maybe some).
LONG LIVE OPEN SOURCE MOVEMENT AND THE SOFTWARE COMMUNISM!
I win on the Amazon stuffing front. I ordered the book two months ago, then wrote Amazon an email telling 'em I'm boycotting their site because of their patent dispute. The book never arrived here in the United Arab Emirates (don't ask why I'm here), so now they're going to Fed Ex it to me express--it'll cost them a bundle. Good service, I must say. I'm still gonna keep boycotting them until they relent on the patent shit, though