FreeOS Opinions

Linux : Opinions : Is Novell Committed to Open Source?
Posted: ( Fri 9th Jan 2004 06:53:22[AM] UTC )
With the acquisition of SuSE and Ximian, Novell has made a serious investment in the idea that a software company can make money without exclusively owning the code it sells. Novell now leads a number of important open-source projects, but its approach to licensing the proprietary software it controls will be the true test of the company's commitment to its new path.

Linux : Opinions : Why Linux Is Wealthier Than Microsoft
Posted: ( Sun 7th Dec 2003 03:45:17[AM] UTC )
Linus Torvalds can muster more creativity from his far-flung rank and file than Bill Gates can from his corporate monolith.

Linux : Opinions : An open-source letter
Posted: ( Wed 22nd Oct 2003 04:56:38[PM] UTC )
The current flap between SCO Group and the Linux community brings back memories of summer 1995. It was an unforgettable time for me, in a bad way.

Linux : Opinions : Is this the end of free Linux?
Posted: ( Mon 4th Aug 2003 11:28:18[AM] UTC )
One of the key attractions of Linux is that it's reliable, capable, continuously improving and free. Millions of Linux servers are installed in corporations, and desktop Linux is beginning to get some notice. If SCO has its way, however, the Linux community will suffer a setback but longer term will prevail.

Linux : Opinions : Transparent Linux safe from SCO
Posted: ( Sat 28th Jun 2003 09:41:48[AM] UTC )
In response to the Cnet, June 24, 2003, Perspectives column by Richard Wilder, "Open source's moment of truth": Mr. Wilder takes the preposterous claims from SCO Group as a cautionary tale regarding open-source adoption. He's mistaken.

Linux : Opinions : Open source's moment of truth
Posted: ( Wed 25th Jun 2003 11:01:14[AM] UTC )
Over the past several years, corporate America has warmed to open-source software programs such as the Linux operating system and the Apache Web server.

Linux : Opinions : Killing Linux
Posted: ( Thu 5th Jun 2003 05:40:38[AM] UTC )
The Linux community seems to be taking very lightly the recent events surrounding the SCO-versus-IBM lawsuit and SCO's claim that Linux relies on Unix in unfair ways. One writer calls the situation a farce, while another thinks it's laughable and stupid. Linus Torvalds has reportedly said it is not much different than a Jerry Springer Show—mere entertainment. The Linux community seems to have put its collective head in the sand. Nobody seems to realize that Linux and the entire open-source movement are at grave risk. Apparently the open-source idealists don't understand the quirks of the legal system.

Linux : Opinions : Microsoft's new Linux gambit
Posted: ( Mon 2nd Jun 2003 07:58:29[AM] UTC )
Listen closely to what Microsoft is not saying about SCO Group's open-source operetta.

Linux : Opinions : Linux and the laughing shepherd
Posted: ( Thu 16th Aug 2001 11:30:06[PM] UTC )
Linux advocates have an advantage - logic and reason are on our side. We can dispel the myths, deflect the fud and rattle off the many reasons why our favourite OS is the best choice for most situations. We have all the facts at our fingertips and can use them to reply to any question. Any question that is, until we are asked "if it's so good, why isn't everyone using it?" We all know that Microsoft has used tactics, many unethical, some illegal, to keep the sheep together; but even knowing this the sheep follow each other and stay in the pasture. Perhaps there is an explanation, one that will at least help us to understand why the shepherd has such power. But first we must consider an example of sheepish behaviour, one that will show clearly why the shepherd is laughing. The case that follows is just an overview for the purposes of brevity.

Linux : Opinions : Will Open Source lose the battle for the Web?
Posted: ( Tue 14th Aug 2001 01:38:58[AM] UTC )
This article argues that the shift towards Web services has reduced the attractiveness of the current generation of Open Source Web products. The only solution is for Open Source to adopt a Web services architecture, and fast. Fortunately, there is one at hand, and it's not dotGNU! Can the Open Sourcers wake up and save the world before it is too late? Read on to find out.

Linux : Opinions : Blackberry messages well?
Posted: ( Sun 5th Aug 2001 10:58:15[PM] UTC )
Linux users tend to fight religious wars over the proper distribution of Linux to install. I don't have time or space for the whole story, but it boils down to this: If you want Linux to do things the way most people do, it's probably easier to get there with Mandrake. Mandrake installs Linux and by default turns on a number of processes. It builds interfaces in a particular way. Most of the installation scripts have been prepared by people with considerable experience. The goal is to get running in a fairly standard way," says Jerry Pournelle.

Linux : Opinions : Leave the front door unlocked, too
Posted: ( Wed 1st Aug 2001 10:39:43[PM] UTC )
Last week Michael Stutz released the "design science license," in an effort to bring copyleft to all copyrighted materials, not just software. But it's a soft-headed idea, argues Powell, who calls it a plan for progressive redistribution of talent that will appeal to the talentless.

Linux : Opinions : The customer's always wronged
Posted: ( Tue 31st Jul 2001 02:22:53[AM] UTC )
"The lesson I take away from all of this is pretty straightforward: Even if everybody used Linux, the support we'd get would continue to be terrible. It's tempting to believe that there's a quiet anti-Linux conspiracy at work in the farmed-out support houses, customer centers, and help desks of the world (some people seem to want to run an OS they perceive as likely to remain marginal in perpetuity), but it seems clear that there isn't: there's just a general problem with customer care and quality in general," says Michael Hall.

Linux : Opinions : FrontPage XP bad, Ricochet good
Posted: ( Mon 30th Jul 2001 02:31:15[AM] UTC )
For his new Ricochet setup, Jerry Pournelle goes with Linux, maintaining that it's the more secure alternative and that support from the developer community is good: "The advantage of Windows 2000 is that it's easy to set up. The disadvantage is security. There are several advantages to Linux. Stability, security and flexibility. The only disadvantage is difficulty in getting the system set up and running in the first place, starting with USB support. Given the alternatives I chose Linux."

Linux : Opinions : Heading for a safe harbor in a rough market
Posted: ( Mon 30th Jul 2001 02:02:27[AM] UTC )
The big question is how to make sure you can survive market downturns until the good times come back again. In this Linux in the Enterprise column, David HM Spector presents some ideas on how to make sure that you're still around, and how you can do this by leveraging your Linux skills.