RedHat absorbs SCO customer base?
on
SCO does Linux
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· Score: 1
I kind of like the idea of SCO becoming a West Coast campus of RedHat. Timezones would allow better coverage for phone support (for corporate accounts)and RHAT would have good access to Silicon Valley talent. SCO's still large installed base of servers would have a compelling upgrade path to Linux, keeping the SCO customer base. As SCO customers gleefully (and with some relief) installed Linux, Linux marketshare would climb even faster than it already is. Sooner than anyone had anticipated, Windows would marginalized as a server OS in the small business arena, and Microsoft's Redmond campus would start to resemble the Fuehrerbunker in Berlin toward the end of the war.."more bad news, o fearless leader"
The real gains--dwarfing even X number shares one might have bought--will come from the soaring demand for Linux skills. Sure, we all wish we could have invested tons in RedHat as "privileged investors", but in the years to come, the demand (and high fees) for Windows-to-Linux migration projects are going to be fantastic. I for one am pledging to myself to give back a bit, and donate a bit every year to the Free Software Foundation--without RMS's stubborn vision over the years, none of this would be happening today. Anyway, there's going to be plenty of lucre for everyone who is deeply into Linux. I just hope we hold onto our ideals as the greenbacks roll in. I think we'll be up to that challenge, though.
I was able to get in at 9:30 Pacific time. You will have to supply info from the invitation. I feel humbled by this--if I do indeed make money from this, I will be generous to the Free Software Foundation.
It's 9:30 am Pacific time, I was able to talk to an Etrade broker after 8 minutes wait, if you supply your "affinity" info they'll put you in. Do it now! Good luck...
I expect appeals, etc. to drag on for years. That's OK--the main thing is, the DOJ is now providing "air cover" for competition, Linux included. Assuming Microsoft is found guilty, they will be like the prisoner on probation..."yes, Bill, you can continue to run your business, but you'll need to check in every Tuesday, and we'll have to shut you down for 2 days at a time if you violate your parole." Windows will have to compete primarily on inertia (people don't like to change) and its own merits (ouch). That's all Linux needs to bust out of the established beachhead and start rolling back the MS Empire:)
I did get the letter and was able to participate, but honestly, the biggest monetary rewards are yet to come. It really is a matter of "do what you love, the money will follow." Already e-commerce companies are starting to list "Linux expertise" pretty regularly on their job requirements, whereas if you read Windows job postings, between the lines they're pretty clearly all about dreary scut-work with the aging Windows code base. The economic message of the times is pretty clear: if you're a good Linux sysadmin or developer, the market is going to fill your pockets handsomely in the years to come. But don't let it corrupt you--in a few years time, don't forget to spare some change for the Visual Basic developers huddled around trash fires downtown...
Political pork overrules technical excellence :(
on
Linux in the Military
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· Score: 1
Many many years ago I was a tanker in the US Army, and learned that in trials, the German-made Leopard tank had beaten the Detroit-made M1 tank in *every* category, in *every* type of scenario. But the Army had to buy the M1, under political pressure. I'm quite sure the same dynamics come into play with software. Oh well:(
To answer "how can this truly help SGI?"... Linux is branching out to serious SMP boxes. SGI makes serious SMP boxes. If on top of that, SGI is actually contributing code to make Linux run better on SMP boxes, and use xfs filesystems (journaling filesystems are absolutely essential in a big data center setting), then SGI is going to have a very impressive calling card when it comes time to architect, build and document large Linux boxes. PHB: "do you guys know much about this stuff on multiprocessor servers?" SGI: "our engineers wrote a lot of the code for that, actually." PHB: "whoa. Can you guys start here tomorrow?"
I still expect Linux will be displacing Windows on corporate desktops first, rather than home PC's, but we'll see. Certainly I won't object if Linux comes to consumer PCs ahead of schedule.
yep, you summed up the SF situation perfectly, and I agree, the same dynamics will almost certainly see West Oakland get yuppified. Which is sort of a mixed blessing, but anyway, my hat's off to you for seeing things clearly. If only we could all telecommute...but it seems California politicians don't have the same drive to make things work that, say, New York City politicians do. Can you imagine what would happen if the NYC subway started acting like BART? Man, heads would roll...
Way back when I was a U.S. soldier in Germany, I remember that the French would unofficially send elements of the French army to tag along when we Americans and the Germans went on field exercises. It was pretty clear that if the "shit hit the fan" French troops were going to be there shoulder to shoulder with the US Army and the German Bundeswehr. By and large the French were good guys, modest and intelligent. Of course, that didn't stop French officials, then or now, from making silly statements. C'est la vie.
To give you a specific answer, I've found that MS Exchange and Visio, when run at the same time on NT 4.0 with SP3 or SP4, lock up about half the time. No idea why, MS has no idea why. But that's the kind of annoying thing that's pushed me to Linux.
We do need to mellow out--sleep on any angry messages, then re-read in the morning, edit and send--however, I can't help but think that some of the worst nonsense is spawned by MS loyalists, even employees. Sure, that sounds paranoid, but if they have a dozen plus employees looking for ways to trip up Linux, a logical tactic would be to play up one of the few weaknesses in Linux, ie. the abusive cracker element. I would not rule out that salaried MS employees are logging in as Anonymous Cowards and posting the worst stuff we see. If they can stir up a storm, misrepresent the Linux community and cause us to waste time, they've succeeded in their mission. What to do? All I can think of is that we should gently remind others in the industry that a lot of loose cannons can post comments, and like the "Barkto" incidents years ago (MS employees posing as users in forums), the bottom 10% of input has to be considered suspect "outlier data" and ought to be discarded from any analysis.
Normally I'd hate to see a lot of govt. intervention, but in the case of AT&T, they're just so darn GREEDY it seems regulation really is the lesser evil. And via leasing, it's hard to see how AT&T can truly cry too much if they have to share.
I have to agree with those concerned that Notes on Linux is a mixed blessing. We have Notes on Solaris at work, and it blows pretty badly. The Solaris part is rock solid, but Notes blows up almost weekly. I'd hate to see people evaluate Notes on a Linux server, be disappointed, and then conclude Linux is a crummy app server.
You're spot on. My wife (internal medicine physician) tells me we're already seeing the following adaptation: richer people have been demanding (and getting) antibiotics for just about everything, including minor viral ailments where antibiotics don't do any good...but the loud, litigious rich folks with a sense of supreme entitlement push and scream, and so many docs give them the antibiotics they demand. So...over time these richer folks have become "immuno-compromised", so that if they have a REAL infection, sometimes they get really sick (and even die) because their virii and bacteria are inured to Biaxin, etc. Whereas Joe Worker, ordinary guy who's avoided doctors for the most part, is easily and successfully treated if he gets a serious infection. Just goes to show, even within our normal lifespan, the bugs in our bodies can evolve quite quickly.
I'm MCSE #27994, and was once enamored by NT, now I refuse to touch it. I reluctantly agree, NT types as a group aren't as sharp as most others in computer work. So that can be an issue. However, some are OK, here's what I'd recommend, looking back on my conversion: - as countless others have said, start modestly. Ideal would be recycling an older generic PC (not Compaq server or laptop) as a simple Samba server. Have an NT admin install Redhat 5.2 with default "server" option, and just make it an extra place to store files. If there are problems getting Samba going, use it as an "FTP dumping ground" for archiving stuff you may want to keep around. Then get Samba going. - Point to zero-cost fileserver for the admins to use. That's win #1. - get a subscription to Linux Journal for the admins. The enthusiasm of the writers and the sheer coolness of what's happening with Linux worldwide will start to infect NT folks too. - Figure out what NT servers are reaching end of life, etc. Get a rough forecast on new web servers needed, etc. Match them up: instead of a costly *new* server for NT/IIS, show how the capital budget won't take any hit at all if servers are recycled into Linux boxes.
I'm not a lawyer, but I do recall that when cases get up to the Supreme Court level, that court's "charter" is to view things with an eye to A) what is the "spirit" of the US Constitution on this issue, and B) what's the best thing for the long term public interest? Point B) is why there is a doctrine of "fair use" that allows schools to use copyrighted works pretty much however they want if it helps teach students. So, even with a conservative bent to the current Supreme Court, the legal test of what best serves the public interest would be kind of a slam dunk for any lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court why the GPL should be regarded as binding.
I'd guess SGI would want to have it nice and clear what happens if a customer using SGI *hardware* has a stubborn problem that might involve the OS. So it would make sense for SGI to want to be able to say they offer "premium support in conjunction with Red Hat Labs, and SuSE" or whatever.
As noted above, one sentence from HP's announcement is deadly for MS: "..a transition course for Windows NT administrators" I've worked around PHB's for years. This sort of subtle matter-of-fact statement, repeated over time, drives decisions. Silly but true. We should consciously emphasize that NT is legacy stuff. Use the word "still" whenever NT and Windows comes up. "We're still using a lot of NT"... "OK, so you guys are still on NT"... "most places still have a lot of NT, so that Win32 client makes sense"....are you still on Windows?
New work for lawyers: fight IT sweatshops for us
on
Linux and Lawyers
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· Score: 1
Here's a win-win: lawyers get out of IP business, except to pursue GPL violators, as someone mentioned above. Above and beyond that, those lawyers who really have law in their blood, and can't/won't become technical people, could dog employers that treat their programmers like dirt.
Although there are many "cons" pointed out about Java that are valid, on the whole I think it's going to get bigger, not go away. It does potentially make some projects easier. Additionally, monsterboard and dice.com seem to show an increasing demand for Java developers (while the demand for VB skills is decreasing).
I heard something interesting at dinner with friends of my Dad (he was in Hewlett-Packard's Medical Electronics division for decades): Word from the "old-timers" at HP is that HP would like to divest itself of the medical business. Supposedly HP got into the medical field because Bill Hewlett wanted it. As long as he's alive (maybe not much longer) they'll be in it, but once Bill Hewlett's gone, they'll try to sell HP Medical, since it's not making any real money for them anymore. The most likely buyer is some company in Sweden, I can't remember the name, or a company in Minneapolis. The HP old-timers said there's a push to emphasize the computer side of the business. If HP's computing stays in bed with Microsoft as much as they have, doing their best to kill Java, etc., I just don't see how this will work for HP as a strategy. They seem intent on becoming basically just another Wintel reseller, and I don't think that particular commodity market will give them the breathing room they need to survive. If HP decided to embrace Java -- in an honest way --they *could* transform themselves into a systems integrator for the Linux/Web Age par excellence. But then again, IBM may have beat them to it. I think Lew Platt, current CEO, has probably killed this once proud company by cutting a Faustian bargain with Microsoft. Hopefully SGI will learn from HP's experience...
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I kind of like the idea of SCO becoming a West Coast campus of RedHat. Timezones would allow better coverage for phone support (for corporate accounts)and RHAT would have good access to Silicon Valley talent. SCO's still large installed base of servers would have a compelling upgrade path to Linux, keeping the SCO customer base. As SCO customers gleefully (and with some relief) installed Linux, Linux marketshare would climb even faster than it already is. Sooner than anyone had anticipated, Windows would marginalized as a server OS in the small business arena, and Microsoft's Redmond campus would start to resemble the Fuehrerbunker in Berlin toward the end of the war.."more bad news, o fearless leader"
The real gains--dwarfing even X number shares one might have bought--will come from the soaring demand for Linux skills. Sure, we all wish we could have invested tons in RedHat as "privileged investors", but in the years to come, the demand (and high fees) for Windows-to-Linux migration projects are going to be fantastic. I for one am pledging to myself to give back a bit, and donate a bit every year to the Free Software Foundation--without RMS's stubborn vision over the years, none of this would be happening today. Anyway, there's going to be plenty of lucre for everyone who is deeply into Linux. I just hope we hold onto our ideals as the greenbacks roll in. I think we'll be up to that challenge, though.
I was able to get in at 9:30 Pacific time. You will have to supply info from the invitation.
I feel humbled by this--if I do indeed make money from this, I will be generous to the Free Software Foundation.
It's 9:30 am Pacific time, I was able to talk to an Etrade broker after 8 minutes wait, if you supply your "affinity" info they'll put you in. Do it now! Good luck...
I expect appeals, etc. to drag on for years. That's OK--the main thing is, the DOJ is now providing "air cover" for competition, Linux included. Assuming Microsoft is found guilty, they will be like the prisoner on probation..."yes, Bill, you can continue to run your business, but you'll need to check in every Tuesday, and we'll have to shut you down for 2 days at a time if you violate your parole." Windows will have to compete primarily on inertia (people don't like to change) and its own merits (ouch). That's all Linux needs to bust out of the established beachhead and start rolling back the MS Empire :)
I did get the letter and was able to participate, but honestly, the biggest monetary rewards are yet to come. It really is a matter of "do what you love, the money will follow." Already e-commerce companies are starting to list "Linux expertise" pretty regularly on their job requirements, whereas if you read Windows job postings, between the lines they're pretty clearly all about dreary scut-work with the aging Windows code base. The economic message of the times is pretty clear: if you're a good Linux sysadmin or developer, the market is going to fill your pockets handsomely in the years to come. But don't let it corrupt you--in a few years time, don't forget to spare some change for the Visual Basic developers huddled around trash fires downtown...
Many many years ago I was a tanker in the US Army, and learned that in trials, the German-made Leopard tank had beaten the Detroit-made M1 tank in *every* category, in *every* type of scenario. But the Army had to buy the M1, under political pressure. :(
I'm quite sure the same dynamics come into play with software. Oh well
To answer "how can this truly help SGI?"...
Linux is branching out to serious SMP boxes. SGI makes serious SMP boxes. If on top of that, SGI is actually contributing code to make Linux run better on SMP boxes, and use xfs filesystems (journaling filesystems are absolutely essential in a big data center setting), then SGI is going to have a very impressive calling card when it comes time to architect, build and document large Linux boxes. PHB: "do you guys know much about this stuff on multiprocessor servers?" SGI: "our engineers wrote a lot of the code for that, actually." PHB: "whoa. Can you guys start here tomorrow?"
I still expect Linux will be displacing Windows on corporate desktops first, rather than home PC's, but we'll see. Certainly I won't object if Linux comes to consumer PCs ahead of schedule.
yep, you summed up the SF situation perfectly, and I agree, the same dynamics will almost certainly see West Oakland get yuppified. Which is sort of a mixed blessing, but anyway, my hat's off to you for seeing things clearly. ...but it seems California politicians don't have the same drive to make things work that, say, New York City politicians do. Can you imagine what would happen if the NYC subway started acting like BART? Man, heads would roll...
If only we could all telecommute
I do have to disagree with it's "a decent system." I've administered both NT and *nix boxes, and it's just night and day.
Way back when I was a U.S. soldier in Germany, I remember that the French would unofficially send elements of the French army to tag along when we Americans and the Germans went on field exercises. It was pretty clear that if the "shit hit the fan" French troops were going to be there shoulder to shoulder with the US Army and the German Bundeswehr. By and large the French were good guys, modest and intelligent.
Of course, that didn't stop French officials, then or now, from making silly statements. C'est la vie.
To give you a specific answer, I've found that MS Exchange and Visio, when run at the same time on NT 4.0 with SP3 or SP4, lock up about half the time. No idea why, MS has no idea why. But that's the kind of annoying thing that's pushed me to Linux.
We do need to mellow out--sleep on any angry messages, then re-read in the morning, edit and send--however, I can't help but think that some of the worst nonsense is spawned by MS loyalists, even employees. Sure, that sounds paranoid, but if they have a dozen plus employees looking for ways to trip up Linux, a logical tactic would be to play up one of the few weaknesses in Linux, ie. the abusive cracker element. I would not rule out that salaried MS employees are logging in as Anonymous Cowards and posting the worst stuff we see. If they can stir up a storm, misrepresent the Linux community and cause us to waste time, they've succeeded in their mission.
What to do? All I can think of is that we should gently remind others in the industry that a lot of loose cannons can post comments, and like the "Barkto" incidents years ago (MS employees posing as users in forums), the bottom 10% of input has to be considered suspect "outlier data" and ought to be discarded from any analysis.
Normally I'd hate to see a lot of govt. intervention, but in the case of AT&T, they're just so darn GREEDY it seems regulation really is the lesser evil. And via leasing, it's hard to see how AT&T can truly cry too much if they have to share.
I have to agree with those concerned that Notes on Linux is a mixed blessing. We have Notes on Solaris at work, and it blows pretty badly. The Solaris part is rock solid, but Notes blows up almost weekly. I'd hate to see people evaluate Notes on a Linux server, be disappointed, and then conclude Linux is a crummy app server.
You're spot on. My wife (internal medicine physician) tells me we're already seeing the following adaptation: richer people have been demanding (and getting) antibiotics for just about everything, including minor viral ailments where antibiotics don't do any good...but the loud, litigious rich folks with a sense of supreme entitlement push and scream, and so many docs give them the antibiotics they demand. So...over time these richer folks have become "immuno-compromised", so that if they have a REAL infection, sometimes they get really sick (and even die) because their virii and bacteria are inured to Biaxin, etc. Whereas Joe Worker, ordinary guy who's avoided doctors for the most part, is easily and successfully treated if he gets a serious infection. Just goes to show, even within our normal lifespan, the bugs in our bodies can evolve quite quickly.
I'm MCSE #27994, and was once enamored by NT, now I refuse to touch it. I reluctantly agree, NT types as a group aren't as sharp as most others in computer work. So that can be an issue. However, some are OK, here's what I'd recommend, looking back on my conversion:
- as countless others have said, start modestly. Ideal would be recycling an older generic PC (not Compaq server or laptop) as a simple Samba server. Have an NT admin install Redhat 5.2 with default "server" option, and just make it an extra place to store files. If there are problems getting Samba going, use it as an "FTP dumping ground" for archiving stuff you may want to keep around. Then get Samba going.
- Point to zero-cost fileserver for the admins to use. That's win #1.
- get a subscription to Linux Journal for the admins. The enthusiasm of the writers and the sheer coolness of what's happening with Linux worldwide will start to infect NT folks too.
- Figure out what NT servers are reaching end of life, etc. Get a rough forecast on new web servers needed, etc. Match them up: instead of a costly *new* server for NT/IIS, show how the capital budget won't take any hit at all if servers are recycled into Linux boxes.
like others above from SF, I'm sort of surprised by ZD's award. DSL, you name it, it really bites here in San Francisco.
I'm not a lawyer, but I do recall that when cases get up to the Supreme Court level, that court's "charter" is to view things with an eye to A) what is the "spirit" of the US Constitution on this issue, and B) what's the best thing for the long term public interest? Point B) is why there is a doctrine of "fair use" that allows schools to use copyrighted works pretty much however they want if it helps teach students.
So, even with a conservative bent to the current Supreme Court, the legal test of what best serves the public interest would be kind of a slam dunk for any lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court why the GPL should be regarded as binding.
I'd guess SGI would want to have it nice and clear what happens if a customer using SGI *hardware* has a stubborn problem that might involve the OS. So it would make sense for SGI to want to be able to say they offer "premium support in conjunction with Red Hat Labs, and SuSE" or whatever.
As noted above, one sentence from HP's announcement is deadly for MS: "..a transition course for Windows NT administrators" ... "OK, so you guys are still on NT" ... "most places still have a lot of NT, so that Win32 client makes sense"....are you still on Windows?
I've worked around PHB's for years. This sort of subtle matter-of-fact statement, repeated over time, drives decisions. Silly but true. We should consciously emphasize that NT is legacy stuff. Use the word "still" whenever NT and Windows comes up. "We're still using a lot of NT"
Here's a win-win: lawyers get out of IP business, except to pursue GPL violators, as someone mentioned above.
Above and beyond that, those lawyers who really have law in their blood, and can't/won't become technical people, could dog employers that treat their programmers like dirt.
Although there are many "cons" pointed out about Java that are valid, on the whole I think it's going to get bigger, not go away. It does potentially make some projects easier. Additionally, monsterboard and dice.com seem to show an increasing demand for Java developers (while the demand for VB skills is decreasing).
I heard something interesting at dinner with friends of my Dad (he was in Hewlett-Packard's Medical Electronics division for decades): Word from the "old-timers" at HP is that HP would like to divest itself of the medical business. Supposedly HP got into the medical field because Bill Hewlett wanted it. As long as he's alive (maybe not much longer) they'll be in it, but once Bill Hewlett's gone, they'll try to sell HP Medical, since it's not making any real money for them anymore. The most likely buyer is some company in Sweden, I can't remember the name, or a company in Minneapolis. The HP old-timers said there's a push to emphasize the computer side of the business.
If HP's computing stays in bed with Microsoft as much as they have, doing their best to kill Java, etc., I just don't see how this will work for HP as a strategy. They seem intent on becoming basically just another Wintel reseller, and I don't think that particular commodity market will give them the breathing room they need to survive. If HP decided to embrace Java -- in an honest way --they *could* transform themselves into a systems integrator for the Linux/Web Age par excellence. But then again, IBM may have beat them to it. I think Lew Platt, current CEO, has probably killed this once proud company by cutting a Faustian bargain with Microsoft. Hopefully SGI will learn from HP's experience...