When people say "Linux on the Desktop" they really refer to an ideology: a computer running the Linux kernel, the GNU system on top of the kernel, and server or application software running on top of the GNU system, with all software licensed under the GNU GPL.
Chrome OS certainly uses the Linux kernel. But the 'magic' of Chrome OS happens on the backend of Google's datacenters, and none of that software is GPL.
In fact, I'd say Chrome OS is the anti-Linux: a vendor (Google) creating a product that uses GPL software (the Linux kernel) when beneficial, and mixing in proprietary software (the back end services) when it isn't. While legal, this clearly violates the spirit of the GPL and the free software movement.
Amen. Finally signs of insight on Slashdot. It's all about the apps, and the dearth of commercial apps available for Linux will forever be its scourge.
AOL seems to be the graveyard for many once-popular Internet programs:
* Netscape Navigator
* ICQ
* Winamp
I guess I can download these programs anytime I feel nostalgic for the 1990s. I haven't used these programs in years.
And it's funny to see the goodriddance tag applied to this story. Netscape was once the hero of the anti-Microsoft crowd, much like Linux, OpenOffice, and Google are today.
That's especially ironic since most of the technologies everyone uses, from graphical user interfaces to packet-witched networking to markup languages and hypertext were invented in the 1960's and 70's.
People who blame Microsoft for Java's failures are the same types who blame Microsoft for the 'crash and burn' of IBM OS/2, Apple Mac OS, Ashton-Tate dBASE, Netscape Navigator, Wordstar, Wordperfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Borland C++.
Do you see a trend here? These were all companies with products that had enormous market share and influence in the computer industry at their high points. Microsoft trailed all of these companies, both in terms of technology and market exposure. You can still buy many of these products, but none of them are as relevant in the market place as the Microsoft product is today.
So, Sun sees this happening to Java and instead of competing on merit, asks the courts to MAKE Microsoft install Sun's Java VM in the Microsoft OS. Sun missed the point that Java is slow, not a standard, and - worst of all - has competition like Flash that does a lot of the same things better.
Scott McNealy - let the market decide, not the courts!
Slashdot Mirror
No.
When people say "Linux on the Desktop" they really refer to an ideology: a computer running the Linux kernel, the GNU system on top of the kernel, and server or application software running on top of the GNU system, with all software licensed under the GNU GPL.
Chrome OS certainly uses the Linux kernel. But the 'magic' of Chrome OS happens on the backend of Google's datacenters, and none of that software is GPL.
In fact, I'd say Chrome OS is the anti-Linux: a vendor (Google) creating a product that uses GPL software (the Linux kernel) when beneficial, and mixing in proprietary software (the back end services) when it isn't. While legal, this clearly violates the spirit of the GPL and the free software movement.
[BTW Qbertino, complements on your English.]
Amen. Finally signs of insight on Slashdot. It's all about the apps, and the dearth of commercial apps available for Linux will forever be its scourge.
AOL seems to be the graveyard for many once-popular Internet programs: * Netscape Navigator * ICQ * Winamp I guess I can download these programs anytime I feel nostalgic for the 1990s. I haven't used these programs in years. And it's funny to see the goodriddance tag applied to this story. Netscape was once the hero of the anti-Microsoft crowd, much like Linux, OpenOffice, and Google are today.
That's especially ironic since most of the technologies everyone uses, from graphical user interfaces to packet-witched networking to markup languages and hypertext were invented in the 1960's and 70's.
People who blame Microsoft for Java's failures are the same types who blame Microsoft for the 'crash and burn' of IBM OS/2, Apple Mac OS, Ashton-Tate dBASE, Netscape Navigator, Wordstar, Wordperfect, Lotus 1-2-3, and Borland C++. Do you see a trend here? These were all companies with products that had enormous market share and influence in the computer industry at their high points. Microsoft trailed all of these companies, both in terms of technology and market exposure. You can still buy many of these products, but none of them are as relevant in the market place as the Microsoft product is today. So, Sun sees this happening to Java and instead of competing on merit, asks the courts to MAKE Microsoft install Sun's Java VM in the Microsoft OS. Sun missed the point that Java is slow, not a standard, and - worst of all - has competition like Flash that does a lot of the same things better. Scott McNealy - let the market decide, not the courts!